Jump to content

User:ModernDayTrilobite/Drill Music in Zion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Drill Music in Zion
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
Genre
Length40:57
Label
ProducerSoundtrakk
Lupe Fiasco chronology
DROGAS Wave
(2018)
Drill Music in Zion
(2022)

Drill Music in Zion is the eighth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released by 1st and 15th Productions and Thirty Tigers on June 24, 2022. The album was preceded by two singles, "Autoboto" and "Drill Music in Zion".

Background[edit]

Lupe Fiasco recorded Drill Music in Zion in August 2021. He intended to write and record the entire album in 24 hours, but the process ended up taking three days.[1] Lupe's decision to record the album over such a short timespan was inspired by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, or appreciating the beauty in imperfection.[2] In a tweet on August 12, 2021, Lupe Fiasco described the album as "my Illmatic".[3] He also stated that the full album would be produced by Soundtrakk, whose past collaborations with Lupe include "Kick, Push" and "Superstar".

In an interview with Okayplayer, Lupe has stated that – despite the title – Drill Music in Zion is "not meant to be a 'drill music' album. In some cases, it's not even an album about drill music." He went on to state that the album title was inspired by a scene in The Matrix Reloaded in which "robots drill down into Zion. The last place where humanity can live and survive in the matrix world, they call it Zion".[1] Lupe has also stated that his goal with the album was "to find a balance between the whimsy and the profound".[4]

Lyrics and themes[edit]

A HipHopDX review identified the album's principal theme as "the grim, almost macabre state of Hip Hop". The review goes on to identify that theme as appearing most strongly on "No Faux Nem," where Lupe "longs for the culturally destructive bars he hears... to be lies rather than rooted in real-world beef", and on "Ms. Mural", where Lupe "describes the current state of 'art' and ethical dilemmas he faces" as an artist.[5] The album has also been perceived as critical of capitalism, with the track "Drill Music in Zion" discussing how "mass consumerism power[s] the greed of the few" and "Kiosk" criticizing the market for diamonds.[6][5]

The opening track of Drill Music in Zion, "The Lion's Deen", is a spoken word monologue by Lupe's sister, Ayesha Jaco. In that track, she introduces the themes of the record by discussing "the different facets of what drill music is[,] the different types of drilling, the different types of what 'Zion' means".[1]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[6]
HipHopDX4.1/5[5]
The Observer3/5[2]
Sputnikmusic3.9/5[8]

Drill Music in Zion received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 5 reviews.[7]

A review from Clash characterized the album as "deliver[ing] an emotionally controlled, thought-provoking display of virtuosic lyricism" that "merges the modern with the classic".[6] HipHopDX describes Lupe as sounding "like a wise sage, reporting from an elevated vantage point... without brooding in old-head energy".[5] A staff review on Sputnikmusic describes the album as sounding "unhurried and easy".[8] Soundtrakk's production on the album has been described as "lush [and] jazz-centric", leading the album to be characterized as jazz rap.[1][6][9]

Critics also observed the short runtime of Drill Music in Zion compared to Lupe's previous albums. HipHopDX remarked that the album contained "no filler or fluff", while a review by The Observer describes the album as "blessedly short".[5][2]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks produced by Soundtrakk.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."THE LION'S DEEN" (featuring Ayesha Jaco)Ayesha Jaco2:36
2."GHOTI"Wasalu Jaco1:52
3."AUTOBOTO" (featuring Nayirah)W. Jaco4:31
4."PRECIOUS THINGS" (featuring Nayirah)W. Jaco4:21
5."KIOSK"W. Jaco3:43
6."MS. MURAL"W. Jaco5:33
7."NAOMI"W. Jaco2:48
8."DRILL MUSIC IN ZION"W. Jaco4:32
9."SEATTLE" (featuring Nayirah)W. Jaco5:17
10."ON FAUX NEM"W. Jaco5:39
Total length:40:57

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Turner-Williams, Jaelani (2022-06-25). "Lupe Fiasco Is On To His Next Chapter". Okayplayer. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  2. ^ a b c Morris, Damien (2022-06-26). "Lupe Fiasco: Drill Music in Zion review – enjoyable trip through a mazy mind". The Observer. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  3. ^ Rose, Jordan (2021-08-12). "Lupe Fiasco Calls Upcoming Album His 'Illmatic': 'I'm Not at All Exaggerating'". Complex. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  4. ^ Mahadevan, Tara C. (2022-06-24). "Stream Lupe Fiasco's New Album 'Drill Music in Zion' f/ Nayirah". Complex. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  5. ^ a b c d e Wallace, Riley (2022-06-23). "Review: Lupe Fiascos 'Drill Music in Zion' Reflects on the Ills of the Industry with Impeccable Lyricism". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  6. ^ a b c d Zihle, Ath'e (2022-06-23). "Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music In Zion". Clash. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  7. ^ a b "Drill Music in Zion by Lupe Fiasco Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  8. ^ a b Rowan5215 (2022-06-25). "Lupe Fiasco - Drill Music in Zion". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2022-06-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Cole, Alexander (2022-06-24). "Lupe Fiasco Pays Homage To His Hometown On "DRILL MUSIC IN ZION"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2022-06-28.