— With over two decades of tenure in the rap game, Lupe Fiasco is a savvy veteran of Hip-Hop, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take the time to hone and perfect his craft at every turn. Now, the Chicago MC shares the video for “Palaces” (Remix), a highlight track from his recent album Samurai.
“Palaces” (Remix) is arguably the most emotive and personal on the project, finding Lupe using metaphors to relay lessons he’s learned over the years over sentimental percussions and keys as he raps,
“I should’ve put it towards some plans
Want a forest, gotta water some plants, huh
Normally, ignoring the branch
Is par for the course, but when you hold a culture, you can’t.”
In the “Palaces” video, directed by Chris & Blaq, Lupe shares his wisdom from a rocky beachfront. The video then cuts to the faces of people of all ages, races, and positions, signifying that everyone is going through their own struggles, no matter how strong they appear on the outside — they’re all “just palaces made out of flesh and bone.” Rising Milwaukee R&B singer Troy Tyler, who’s vocals are featured on the track, also appears in the video.
“Palaces” appears on Lupe Fiasco’s latest album Samurai, a smooth, yet cerebral, 8-track album brimming with ideas, that radiates Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. The project is Lupe’s ninth studio album and is produced in full by Soundtrakk, making it their second full album collaboration following 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, and the first album that Lupe and Soundtrakk worked on with their longtime manager, and 1st & 15th co-CEO Charles “Chill” Patton, since 2007’s The Cool. Patton also serves as executive producer on the album. It’s home to recent singles such as the title track, “Samurai,” praised by Rolling Stone, Complex, Billboard, HYPEBEAST, Clash, and more, plus the lyrical beatdown, “Cake,” which shows off Lupe’s supreme ability to attack the beat with poetic and energetic bars. Other highlights include the orchestral, street freestyle-esque “No. 1 Headband” and the experimental “Mumble Rap.”
The “Palaces” (Remix) video also arrives amidst Lupe Fiasco’s “Samurai Tour,” which kicked off earlier this month in New York and will be making stops in Lupe’s hometown of Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and more in November.
Samurai is Lupe’s first new album since 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, which earned critical acclaim from NPR, Complex, The FADER, and many others, including Vinyl Me Please, who wrote “At their best, Lupe’s bars are as visually and phonetically pleasing as popped bubble wrap.” The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created DRILL MUSIC IN ZION over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully-realized album in just three days. In 2023, Lupe kept busy by releasing tracks like “Wild Child (Remix),” a new version of his 2017 track created in collaboration with Chicago house luminary Vince Lawrence, and “Out There,” an archival track from the 1st & 15th vault. The iconic Chicago native also settled into his position as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches “Rap Theory and Practice.” Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV.