Album Review: Lupe Fiasco – Pharaoh Height 2/30
By Nichole Moorman, Contributor
[Self-released; 2015]
Rating: 4/5
Key Tracks: “Valleys,” “Schemes”
Lupe Fiasco stirred social media back in June when he announced Pharaoh Height 2/30, the possible sequel to the 2006 mixtape Fahrenheit 1/15. The EP, featuring a low-resolution image of King Tut for its cover art, is Fiasco’s first release since his fifth studio album, Tetsuo and Youth, released back in January.
Pharaoh is full of pop culture references, showing Fiasco is not out of touch just yet. He’s political as ever, especially on standout soulful track “Valleys.” Fiasco expresses pessimism toward presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and his support for African American communities. “Bernie Sanders need a Nike deal / Then I might consider that he might be real.” Continuous throughout Pharaoh are comments on standards of beauty (“Aye, you got a fine face, also a dime in your behind”) and religious stereotypes (“Vines with turbans and removes the minds of serpents”).
Pharaoh is a far cry from the mainstream top 40 hip-hop singles Fiasco has been known to release (“Old School Love,” “Out Of My Head”) and it’s great that he’s finally gotten that out of his system. Not one pop singer is featured on a hook and the production is fluid, from the soulful “Valleys” sample to the eccentric boom-bap of “Schemes.” With this release, it might just be worthwhile to check out Tetsuo and Youth. Fiasco knows what’s going on in the world, and it’s good to hear what he has to say.
