• XXL Reviews Lupe Fiasco’s “Enemy of the State: A Love Story”

    Tuesday Dec 1 1:53 PM CST posted by xxl staff

    Lupe Fiasco
    Enemy of the State: A Love Story

    Beats: XL
    Lyrics: XL
    Originality: L

    Though it clocks in at just over 22 minutes long, Lupe Fiasco’s Enemy of the State: A Love Story, proves that the Chicago MC has returned from his self-imposed hiatus—this is his first release since 2007’s sophomore effort, The Cool—with a renewed confidence. As he so aptly raps over Travis Porter’s “Turnt Up:” “Lupe got his mind right, nigga, this is my mic/And I’ve come to take it all back like Miller High Life.”

    With no hint of rust Lupe demonstrates his lyrical dominance by ripping the melancholy production from Radiohead’s “Kid A,” on the opening track, “National Anthem.” He breathes some much-needed life into “Thank You,” one of the weaker efforts from Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3, and styles all over Jigga’s “So Ghetto.” His fiery freestyles over Lil Wayne’s “Fireman,” on the oddly-titled “Fireman (Yoga Flame)” matches Weezy’s flare on the original.

    Though his relentless take-no-prisoners approach sounds a bit winded near the end, as evident in his underwhelming closing verse over Clipse’s “Popular Demand,” EOTS is still strong enough to stand among the best mixtape releases of the year. And his first few lines over Slaughterhouse’s rock-influenced single, “The One,” makes clear that this lyrical exercise was needed. “The game was lookin’ weak, the whole scene’s starved/So I came through with some Muscle Milk and protein bars/Barbells are jump ropes, Bowflexes to body it/And a couple Billy Blanks Tae Bo karate kicks.” —Chris Yuscavage

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    35 Comments »

    December 1st, 2009
    at 2:54 pm

    Luforyou says:

    Lupe is the GREATEST RAPPER ALIVE!

    December 1st, 2009
    at 5:24 pm

    jefrrey rodriguez says:

    u said nothing but the truth.

     
     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 2:55 pm

    ghg says:

    LUPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
    CANT WAIT FOR LASERS!

     

    [...] Combs Musical Artist XXL Reviews Lupe Fiasco’s “Enemy of the State: A Love Story” …just over 22 minutes long, Lupe Fiasco’s , proves that the Chicago MC has returned from [...]

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 3:16 pm

    Miccheck says:

    “but you gotta understands are differences are the same what starts in cloudy minds finishes in the rain”

    “And to the sisters and the mothers of ours
    Who cover theyselves cause they’re lovers of God
    The Creator of the worlds, Sculptor of the stars,
    During Hajj we walk, through Ramadaan we starve
    Though you not eatin, there’s a feedin of the mind
    A defeatin of the demons, a seein’ of the signs
    A leanin on the lines from the surahs
    Getting purer, God deemed it unclean
    (There’s no eatin of the swine)
    Nor drinkin’ of the wine”

    “you dont stand a chance…
    matter fact u dont have half the stance to stand if u stood half a chance”

    “The truth…is limitless in it’s range
    If you, drop a “T” and look at it in reverse,
    It could hurt, look at the grimaces of the pain”

    yes, Lu’s the best.

    December 1st, 2009
    at 11:32 pm

    Chris S says:

    Jay gave me a co-sign like I was RocaWear
    but be clear I’m not the air (heir)
    I’m the water, fire and the earth
    That means I’m doin’ dirt, spittin’ flames and quenchin’ thirst,

    i love this mixtape. he actually dumbed it down a little too. he even said so on one of the tracks.

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 12:12 am

    TyLFI says:

    :)
    deserved an XXL tho.. O.o

    LiveLyricism.blogspot.com

    LIVE LYRICISM!

     
     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 3:16 pm

    b-zander says:

    ok, so gucci’s album gets a xl and a xl for originaity, while lupe gets the same grade with L in originality…somethings wrong with that

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 3:29 pm

    Okieant says:

    Lupe str8 murked this mixtape….i’m still catchin lines…y’all picked one of my favs there at the end…

    on the same track he said “I am going so raw watch me soy sauce, wasabi this” lmaoooo

    Def my top 2 right now with Nas.

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 3:34 pm

    SOUTHSIDE A-TOWN says:

    damn. sounding pretty official right now. im a have to cop this.

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 10:10 am

    SOUTHSIDE A-TOWN says:

    i copped that shit. listened to it on my way to work this morning. the nigga spits, but iono maybe i gotta listen to that shit again, & again.

     
     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 3:40 pm

    mad says:

    if it wasnt 20 mins long itd be the best mixtape this year…lupe fiasco is a better rapper than jay-z

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 3:53 pm

    Sierra Luella says: Subscribed to comments via email

    Enemy of the State:A Love Story is just a taste of what this dude has in store for us. [PURE GENIUS] His next album is pretty much guaranteed success, and I expect nothing less than.
    I’ve watched Lu grow and he’s gotten realllll beastly!
    I’m mad excited for what’s next to come!
    :DDD

    ALL LOVE.
    xoxo

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 5:14 pm

    Adam0350 says:

    Yo theres still Friend Of The people left sooo if EOTS is not mixtape of the yr it can be that one!!

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 5:59 pm

    Hek hernandez says:

    XL???? Are you fucking kidding me??? Lupe is arguably a better rapper than lol Wayne .. All those corny lines lil Wayne gets away with!!! And your gonna coplain that it was too short!!! I’m sorry but those long ass mixtapes ate straaaaaigjt up overwhelming!!! Who listens to all 28 songs anyways??? Lupe murder ever beat on the mixtape including that clipse shit!! Enemy of the State gets XXL in my book!!!

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 6:04 pm

    Toya says:

    Lupe is one of the greatest. But often overlooked…This 22 minute mixtape was better than most rappers full LP’s released this year, and it’s not even his most complex, but dope as hell.

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 6:18 pm

    AZ40 says:

    The only problem I had with the mixtape was some of the beat selections, I never questioned the kids lyrical ability, but he chasin’ that bullshit MTV hot list

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 6:27 pm

    gaddic says:

    I seriously believe this dude is one of the greatest rappers ever to touch the mike

    His lyrics are deep metaphorically conceptually.. He’s just f*ckin amazing!

    Pity he’s weak commercially Lil Wayne would be forgotten in seconds

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 6:30 pm

    O2theC says:

    i must admit i’ve been pretty much sleepin’ on Lupe, but i saw this on mixtape torrent an decided 2 give it a listen. When the 22 minutes were up I went Str8 back an dwnloaded 3 of his mixtapes!!!! Can’t believe i’ve been deprivin’ myself of this dopeness, u can’t even mention Lil’ Wayne & (post Black Album) Jay-z in the same sentance as Lupe. My favourite cut off this mixtape is probly that timbo & drake beat, lupe flowin hard as fuck on that 1.

     

    December 1st, 2009
    at 11:04 pm

    Jamiezz says:

    Crack is wack and reefer sucks, you might think this deep as fuck
    but this like my weaker stuff,
    they ask “Is this his day-to-day ’cause this is like a week to us?”

    Mic is shy and speakers blush, I is shy (Chi) and he is up,
    I correct, me is up - no we is up - cause its like two of me
    and each of us, rappin’ acid, eat this up,
    A-Town down, peace is up, New York to East Coast is tough,
    West Side ridin’, lot of n****’s salty ’cause,
    ’cause I be overseas and (overseasoned) tough.

    Everything seamless, WorldStar never seen this,
    NahRight gotta stream this, motherfuckin’ genius!

    Brave and fly, you backbone-less and wingless,
    bunch of chickens on the strip, I’m coming for they fingers…
    till what they throwin’ up is meaningless…
    Chilly Chill you seeing this? This didn’t make MTV’s list…

    Finish fingers, eating wrist, feedin’ frenzy and shit,
    Succotash stuffering, Chicken-Frikasee’en this…
    a beat eatin’ media blitz,
    pace is getting feverish, pain is growing Seaver-ish,
    these the peppers Peter picked,
    things are at their easiest, Real Compton city G’in it

    Just give him a foldin chair he aint after the throne…

    He is one of the best to ever do it. Consistent since mixtapes and does it at a level which is damn near unmatched.

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 12:48 am

    GO-Getta' says:

    Lupe is so under-rated yet few inches away of being 1 of the G.O.A.T

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 8:36 am

    Pip-Boy says:

    On Par? Equal to Wayne? Wow…This reviewer must have missed most of the OVERHEARD intricate lines and amazing flow! This is an XXL, Mixtape of the Year (Unless he beats himself on Christmas)and blows Wayne and EVERYONE else out of the water. And he DESTROYED Fireman!!!! He owns it in my book and I will never be able listen to the original the same again!….Oh and BTW YOGA FLAME is a CLEVER TITLE…”Oddly titled”…GO PLAY STREET FIGHTER!!!! Over his head!!!!! Rant Done…FNF UP ALL DAY!

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 11:29 am

    Blakout615 says:

    Idk man, I might have to give J.cole mixtape of the yr. His shit rode like an album. But I fuck with Lu heavy. Like sum1 else said, I slept on him early on too and I regret that now. Dude is coooooold

     
     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 11:00 am

    mark says:

    Though his relentless take-no-prisoners approach sounds a bit winded near the end, as evident in his underwhelming closing verse over Clipse’s “Popular Demand,”

    are you kidding me?

    I mean come on, I mean look at what I’m droppin’ here
    Do this for the block and the blogosphere
    No, you ain’t ready for the heavy, so I’ll keep it light as joggin’ gear
    I don’t want the throne, I want the helicopter rocking chair
    Jay gave me a co-sign like I was RocaWear, but be clear I’m not the air (heir)
    I’m the water, fire and the earth

    how is that underwhemling? thats some of the craziest wordplay anybody has ever written

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 11:33 am

    ceezy4sheezy says:

    how the give lupe an L in originality but gucci a xL in originality are you serious xxl?!!!! This is definetely the best mixtape that came out this year. All his lyrics and lines are original and he killed that wayne fireman beat not match wayne whack ass. chi-town all day!!!!!

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 11:36 am

    hypothesisspits says:

    —”on the oddly-titled “Fireman (Yoga Flame)”

    how is Lupe’s reference to Street Fighter odd?

    Remember “Gold Watch”???

    “I love street fighter 2 I just really hate Zangeif / Only Ken and Ryu I find it hard to beat Blanka”

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 12:04 pm

    TheTruth says:

    How do you give it a L for originality, he released the mixtape as ONE LONG 20+ minute song to give it that cassette tape feel. And who else is spitting over Radiohead beats and doing extended metaphors like he did on the first verse of that song? This is an XL all around, on ALL accounts. Shape up XXL.

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 2:05 pm

    ee bubble says:

    him and gucci mane, and i believe raekwon got xl, there is something very wrong in this equation

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 5:21 pm

    DazzOne says:

    SICK!!!! Come on, man no less than XXL!!!!

     

    December 2nd, 2009
    at 5:25 pm

    DazzOne says:

    “I am Patrick Swazye, you are Whoppi Goldberg, ’cause he was a beast and the way that he controlled her.”

    Is something wrong with your EARS Chris!?!?!?!

     

    December 3rd, 2009
    at 11:58 am

    caino says:

    The Cool, was one of the best cds a few years back, l still got it on rotation! looking forward to Lasers !! YEAH !

     

    December 4th, 2009
    at 10:54 am

    KingPoetic says:

    Annnd you get the just-not-good, are you just doing this to say you did it award.

     

    December 4th, 2009
    at 11:24 am

    Moving Sideways says:

    I usually don’t speak up about reviews, but anything short of a XXL on lyrics is stupid. Dude is wicked with the metaphors and rhyme schemes, or to put it in his words, “on point like the eating end of a fork.”

     

    December 8th, 2009
    at 12:50 pm

    Apollo Moses says:

    This mixtape is a banga…XXL no doubt…not long and fire lyrics, best I’ve heard this year.

     

    December 22nd, 2009
    at 3:24 pm

    KS says:

    Lupe and J. Cole both had FIRE mixtapes this year

     

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