Lasers

*Lasers*This article is part of the **Lasers** era.Released: March 7, 2011
Label: 1st & 15th Entertainment / Atlantic RecordsCategory

***Lasers*** (a backronym for ***Love Always Shines, Everytime Remember 2 Smile***) is the third studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, released on March 8, 2011, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. It follows his sophomore studio album *Lupe Fiasco's The Cool* (2007), and features guest appearances from Sarah Green, Skylar Grey, MDMA, Trey Songz, Matt "sELF" Mahaffey, Eric Turner, Sway, and John Legend. He collaborated with various songwriters and producers, including Alex da Kid, The Audibles, King David, Syience, and The Buchanans. Primarily a pop rap album, it incorporates elements from EDM and rock, and was largely panned by critics and fans alike for its commercialized sound. *Lasers* explores themes of self-reflection, rebellion, resistance, and freedom.

The album became Fiasco's first to debut at number one on the US *Billboard* 200, and had a first-week sales of 204,000 copies. It was nominated at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album and was certified Gold on February 4, 2014, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Despite it being known as Fiasco's "hated" work, he mentioned, "The fact still remains that a lot of people really loved LASERS (Me Included)..."

He recalled there being about four phases of the project, piecing together the track list where some songs didn't make the final cut. Problems included creative differences with his label and comparisons made to his commercially successful songs, which made Fiasco want to go independent or switch to another record label. He shared to *Loud and Quiet* magazine, "In the midst of this record I had people dying—all of this extra stuff and then I'd go up to the record label and it was like sitting in an office with Lucifer's minions. So when I look at this record there's a certain level of, 'I've achieved it!', because I'm still here and this record is coming out and the music is positive, but it's bittersweet, and the bitter bit came first."

## Synopsis

Standard edition
Back in the mid-'00s, Lupe Fiasco struck a nerve with his fashion-forward style, matched with cheeky verses and ear-tickling, loop-driven productions. *Lasers* (an acronym for Love Always Shines Everytime Remember 2 Smile) marks his 2011 return. The best joints here are the string-laced, Afro-centric anthem "All Black Everything," ridiculously catchy "Coming Up" featuring MDMA, and "Words I Never Said" with Skylar Grey.

Deluxe edition
Lupe employs a lot more singing, radio-ready choruses, and a heavy, electro-pop influence on his tracks. The best joints here are the string-laced, Afro-centric anthem "All Black Everything," ridiculously catchy "Coming Up" featuring MDMA, and "Words I Never Said" with Skylar Grey. Other guests include John Legend, Trey Songz, and Matt Mahaffey.

## Background

> We wanted *Lasers* to be a humongous record. There are so many ways of doing that. You can approach it in a very sleazy way—just throw money at it, go get a lot of the big-name artists, let them hijack it for you and just ride that wave into success. Or you can knuckle down and try to make a really great, different, classic, Kid A kind of thing, with commercial appeal and broad subject matter. The label wanted to do it the sleazy way.
>
> Lupe Fiasco to *The Guardian*

The record originally had the working title of *We Are Lasers*. It was inspired by his 2009 Lasers manifesto, which was posted to YouTube in 2010 and centers on social activism. The manifesto also appears in a clip from his "Words I Never Said" music video, and fully reads:

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> To every man, woman & child... We want an end to the glamorization of negativity in the media. We want an end to status symbols dictating our worth as individuals. We want a meaningful and universal education system. We want substance in the place of popularity. We will not compromise who we are to be accepted by the crowd. We want the invisible walls that separate by wealth, race & class to be torn down. We want to think our own thoughts. We will be responsible for our environment. We want clarity & truth from our elected officials or they should move aside. We want love not lies. We want an end to all wars foreign & domestic violence. We want an end to the processed culture of exploitation, over-consumption & waste. We want knowledge, understanding & peace. We will not lose because we are not losers, we are lasers! Lasers are revolutionary. Lasers are the future.
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He began recording in March 2009 and tweeted updates to the account, 'wearelasers,' now defunct. On March 22, 2009, he revealed that *Lasers* was "around 60% done" after working for a week in the studio, though warned that the song titles were "gonna be phony." Initially scheduled to be released in June 2009, its delayal brought about traction from fans to demand a release date, including an online petition with over 5,000 signatures on its first day, which resulted in Fiasco dropping the song "B.M.F. (Building Minds Faster)." In addition, a protest was held outside Atlantic's New York headquarters on October 15, 2010, otherwise known as Fiasco Friday. While Atlantic did confirm the release date earlier on October 8, the event was to celebrate and show support for the rapper. In an interview regarding his fans, Fiasco said, "It was amazing, humbling, and inspiring, to the point where I went back in the studio and did more records... it made everything real, that your music is actually something that people want. And it's something that is successful, not in selling records, but the way it moves people and inspires them to do better for themselves."

*Lasers* was assumed to be the final record of Fiasco's musical career, as he mentioned after *The Cool*, his next was going to be called *LupEND* and "likely be his last." He clarified to *Loud and Quiet*, "I had four more records with Atlantic Records, and my thing was that I was gonna do an album that was three records released over a period of time, but all under the same title, like *Star Wars*. This was 'LupE.N.D.'—Everywhere, Nowhere, Down Here, was going to be the thing. It's something that got canned, but it was going to fulfil a majority of my contract, and then I could have done a greatest hits record or whatever, and then I'd become Lupe Fiasco 2 or something like that. So it was never that it was going to be no more records, just that I would be out of my agreement with the record company."

Fiasco relented in putting out mainstream songs, though reassured on radio station KMEL that some tracks will be controversial, reminiscent of *Food & Liquor*'s flow. His record label believed *The Cool* was a failure in sales, and criticized his verse and performance on "Nothin' on You," where Fiasco admitted of the latter moment, "That was the tipping point. It was less about the bruised ego but more the audacity of it. It was mentally destructive. I say it with a certain laissez-faire now because I'm past it, but back then, hearin' that shit, it fucked me up. I was super-depressed, lightly suicidal, at moments medium suicidal—and if not suicidal, willing to just walk away from it all completely." In a 2010 statement to *HipHopDX*, he said of the long-awaited LP, "I literally put it in God's hands. You know what, *Lasers* is a record I poured my heart into. I was actually making my own music, in the studio making the songs, and rapping on them. And at the same time, making the music more acceptable. Not making it more poppy, but making it more popular. Putting it in the position where more people can understand it but at the same time still satisfy my hardcore fanbase."

Fiasco disliked the album because of the process behind it, telling *Complex*: "I know the sneaky business deal that went down behind this song, or the artist or singer or songwriter who wrote this hook and didn't want to give me this song in the first place." They continued to create a few songs after the fans' protest, but he remained indifferent on if the album would be put out or shelved, similar to his neutral view of a lot of its tracks. He added, "I'm happy for the fans, this is their album. This is the album that they fought for and that's what made me do songs like 'Words I Never Said' and 'All Black Everything.' […] That was one of the only reasons the label got on the phone and wanted to have that meeting, they seen the outpouring of support and the critique that was beginning to mobilize via the Internet."

In 2015, Fiasco offered to destroy physical copies of *Lasers*, inspired by Atari's burial of their unsold *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* cartridges. He wrote in a Facebook post:

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> For all you people who really hated my 3rd album LASERS for whatever reason in the universe I want you to send it back to me so I can destroy it with an actual Laser. You not getting any money back or an apology or anything like that. The fact still remains that a lot of people really loved LASERS (Me Included) despite the popular myth that it's one of the worst rap albums ever but sometimes the myth can be stronger than the truth. So yeah....if you have a physical copy of LASERS that you absolutely hate and wish for it to be rendered non-existent then you can send it back to me and I'll have it destroyed with an actual giant laser and send it into next world in spectacular grand fashion!
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## Release and promotion

Fiasco did a promo run through concerts, televised appearances, two tours, and interviews with various publications. He was featured on the covers of *Greedmont Park*, *Highsnobiety*, *Jet*, *Music Connection*, and *YRB Magazine*, where a majority detailed his struggles with Atlantic Records.

He held the promotional hometown concert, Remember 2 Smile, at Congress Theater on October 29, 2009. In the following year he embarked on the Steppin' Laser Tour, which showcased the latest songs "Shining Down," "State Run Radio," "Scream," "Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)," and "I'm Beamin'." He also partnered with the free scanning application, RedLaser, where on February 4, 2011, it was reported in accordance to his tweet, "union square, nyc. just look up to the sky. 7pm." He later elaborated, "University place and 14th look up on the side of the building." This showed the QR code projected on the building that linked to the pre-order of the record. Later, the website 'qrlasers.lupefiasco.com' hosted *Lasers* merchandise. All orders included an MP3 download of "The Show Goes On" and "Words I Never Said" to be delivered digitally on February 8th. *Hits Double Daily* estimated the album to project 220-250k in sales, adding it would be "the second biggest of the year next to Adele." The album sold 204k album-equivalent units in its first week. Upon its release, there was a storm of online comments from disappointed fans who felt it did not exemplify the rapper's best work. Fiasco tweeted out, "I never thought Lasers would inspire so much negativity. Reading the comments and reactions is crushing." Despite the dissatisfied public responses, the album peaked at number one on the *Billboard* 200, being the second hip hop artist, after Nicki Minaj's *Pink Friday*, to top the chart in 2011.

For the album release party, Fiasco hosted a concert on March 7, 2011, at Webster Hall in New York. It featured special guests John Legend, Sway, Dosage, and Black Milk. On March 8, 2011, he performed a special set at The Palazzo in Las Vegas, Nevada. On March 26, 2011, a concert was held at House of Blues in Chicago. Meant to be a party, Fiasco and his team had no hand in organizing the event, and apologized for the long delayal of his performance. *Chicago Reader* summarized of the incident, "Given that the night's entertainment consisted mostly of a DJ and a bunch of rappers who weren't Lupe Fiasco, it's not surprising that things turned ugly. […] During the five or so hours between the start of the show and Lupe's eventual appearance, numerous fights broke out in the general-admission area of the venue, the stage was piled with bottles thrown in protest, and at one point an unidentified man claiming to be part of the Black P. Stones gang came out and threatened the crowd on the mike. Lupe finally took the stage around 1 AM." Fiasco addressed on Twitter and a blog post:

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> To be clear to everyone that attended the House Of Blues Laser release thing in Chicago. It was NEVER supposed to be a show… The promoters didn't stress to the public the fact that it was supposed to just be a party. I had NO hand in organizing the event. Nor did my team. I don't even know who the other performers were until the night before the event.
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> As far as me being late I literally drove about 6 hours to get there and I ran out of gas around Springfield!!!! Shout to AAA 4 the save!!! But anyways my name was on it so I'll take the "L" and rest assured that it will NEVER EVER happen again.
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> I love my fans. I'm sorry u guys had to go thru some BS. Again me and my crew had NOTHING to do w/ how the event was ran or organized. Also all the money for the event from my side is and always was going to be donated to charity so atleast for me it was a free event.
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The second promotional tour, Generation Laser, took place during the Fall of 2011, where several dates happened to coincide with the Occupy Wall Street movement. He supported the movement by donating tents and writing the poem, "Moneyman," which was read at a New York protest.

## Singles

*Lasers* consisted of five singles, where music videos were issued for each. "The Show Goes On" was released as the album's first single on October 26, 2010, sampling "Float On" by Modest Mouse. It peaked at number nine on the US *Billboard* Hot 100, becoming his highest song to chart. The music video, directed by Hiro Murai, premiered on Christmas Day on December 25, 2010.

"Words I Never Said" was released as the second single and contains a pre-written hook by Skylar Grey, where Fiasco chose to talk about world affairs. Its subject matter was considered bold, as he explicitly disagreed with politicians and their actions. During this time, he was blackballed in the industry for his comments on then-president Barack Obama being a "terrorist" for the drone attacks in the Middle East. The song peaked at 89 on the US *Billboard* Hot 100 for a week. The accompanying music video premiered to MTV on April 29, 2011.

"Out of My Head" was the third single, released on May 22, 2011, and features Trey Songz on the chorus. It debuted and peaked at number 40 on the US *Billboard* Hot 100. The music video premiered to MTV on June 29, 2011.

The fourth single "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now" featuring MDMA was released on December 2, 2011. The music video contains footage from his Generation Laser Tour at the Iowa concert.

## Cover artwork

The cover artwork was designed by Spencer Bagley and Dean Nicastro, with photography done by Andrew Zaeh. It was partly inspired by a phrase in the record's manifesto: "Lasers are shining beams of light that burn through the darkness of ignorance." Bagley added, "Because Lupe's message has a revolutionary spirit, we decided to use an anarchist A to change the 'Losers' sign to read 'Lasers.' We really spray painted the sign—because the way light reacts with its environment can never be faked. And we wanted to shoot it in a gallery-type setting, which speaks to the separation of social class in itself: The art world is out of reach for a lot of people. […] We had a vision, and Lupe told us to go with it. He really trusted us, and gave us the freedom to do something a little different."

## Critical reception

*Lasers* received mixed responses from contemporary music critics upon release, many citing his battle with Atlantic to affect the project's creative outcome. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 57 based on 27 reviews. It became his lowest-scoring album until *Drogas Light* in 2017. The album was rated a 5.3 out of 10 on the aggregator AnyDecentMusic?.

Andy Kellman of AllMusic wrote, "For all the concessions one can imagine Lupe making, it's unquestionably the lumbering, overwrought choruses […] If there is one MC whose rhymes should not be dulled for the sake of chasing pop trends, it's Lupe Fiasco." BBC Music's Johnny Sharp was mixed in his review, praising "Words I Never Said" but criticizing tracks like "I Don't Wanna Care Right Now." He concluded that "Lupe remains a singular hip hop voice, and *Lasers* is still worth a listen." Ian Cohen of *Pitchfork* was harsher, stating, "simply sounds bad" and "feels like the flaming wreckage of a project that never had a prayer." Alex Macpherson of *The Guardian* similarly criticized the record's direction of commercial and mainstream rap rather than "retaining his distinctiveness." *Los Angeles Times* called it "a moderate disappointment" that lacked cohesiveness, where some tracks felt like a "filler." They acknowledged that several songs seemed to break away from these constraints, where "[they] illustrate Fiasco has something far more important than a No. 1 hit: an opinion."

A few critics cited his relationship with Atlantic to be a major pitfall for the project. *Boston Globe*'s Carrie Battan wrote that "the final product reflects the drama of this tug of war" with Atlantic, while *Chicago Tribune* remarked, "Its best music shows what it might have been. The rest feels more like an obligation reluctantly met." *Consequence of Sound* lamented over his situation with his label, though positively added, "there's BS everywhere, but true *Lasers* can rise above." *DJBooth* gave a mixed review, writing, "The effect of all that knowledge is to make listening to *Lasers* a sometimes paranoia-invoking experience. Every song, every note, every lyric has a question lingering like a shadow behind it: was that Lupe's decision, or *Atlantic's*?" They praised "All Black Everything" for its production and lyrics, but expressed overall disappointment of the project. Tim Chester of *NME* said of Fiasco's situation with Atlantic: "The truth is they put this damp flannel to their ears and heard a lot of corny rhymes about virtuous living set to mass-produced R&B synth sounds." Aside from the three following tracks "Words I Never Said," "All Black Everything," and "Lasers," Chester believed the rest to "[walk] a fine line between conscious hip-hop and sleepwalking."

*HipHopDX* gave criticism to its execution, writing, "Only traces of Lupe Fiasco's greatness are present on *Lasers*, and even then he sounds less focused." *NOW Magazine* was more positive, penning, "Oddly, *Lasers* is Fiasco's most commercial-sounding album—but think of it as club music with a conscience. The Chicago wordsmith wraps his skillful flow and incendiary rhymes about politics, social strife and race relations around feel-good club beats and massive, singalong choruses. In doing so, he effectively erases the invisible line that separates brain from booty." *PopMatters* gave the lowest score of 10 (out of 100), declaring, "My jaw remains affixed to the ground, my main goal from this point onwards remains to never hear *Lasers* in its entirety again." In contrast, *Entertainment Weekly*'s Brad Wete offered warm praise of the album, awarding an A.

*Rolling Stone* was generally favorable, writing, "Lupe's beats run from Nineties buoyancy to driving rap rock, but his most exciting tracks are operatic brawlers that give his athletic, whiplash flow and rich imagination room to move." *The New York Times* described it as "a chaotic album full of gummy rhymes that look better on the page than they sound to the ear, delivered with a tone of tragic bombast." *The Independent* admitted, "it's a bit of a letdown," continuing, "while his flow has a nice bounce and monotonal glide, too many tracks end with one wondering what exactly he's said, if anything at all." *Slant Magazine* summarized, "Lupe's half-assed, club-ready radicalism is ultimately the most frustrating thing." *Spin*'s Brandon Soderberg commented, "fuses the seething, political rap of the underground with the motivational, occasionally emo fist-pumping that's been at the top of the charts in the past year."

Chad Grischow of *IGN* wrote in support, "it is hard to believe Atlantic Records ever seriously considered shelving it […] anyone that cannot hear the greatness here should probably find a new line of work." *Paste* magazine opined, "is surprisingly polished, poppy and contemporary." *Rukus Magazine* conceded, "For fans of Lupe since his beginnings, this album will have different beats than past Lupe Fiasco releases, in order to fit in with the commercial music of today." They argued, "*Lasers* is not a perfect hip hop album; there are some Euro-club beats which may not be for everybody and Atlantic Records obviously made him include certain tracks. […] Despite this, Lupe manages to keep his essence flowing throughout the album with smart lyrics about the issues of the day. So if you are tired of hearing rap songs about cars, girls, money, and champagne, *Lasers* is a must pick up—just don't expect the beats to blow you away." Alexander Billet, in a post written for *SoCiArts*, observed how relevant the topics in songs are: "In that respect, *Lasers* may be more an album for our times than either artist or label ever intended. Few releases in recent memory have so starkly embodied hip-hop's pain and promise in the same breath. Fewer still can claim its best moments to be the progeny of protest."

## Accolades

Awards and nominations

 2012
 NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Album

Year-end lists

## Track listing

* Pharrell Williams
* Jaco
* Rudolph Lopez
* Jaco

Notes
* "Till I Get There" is written as "'Till I Get There."
* "The Show Goes On" features vocals from JR Get Money on the hook.
* "Break the Chain" is stylized in all caps.

Sample credits
* "Letting Go" contains samples from "Public Enemy No. 1," performed by Public Enemy.
* "The Show Goes On" contains samples from "Float On," performed by Modest Mouse.
* "All Black Everything" contains samples from and portions of "I'll Be Seeing You," performed by Jimmy Durante.

Unreleased songs
In 2018, Fiasco stated, "The OG version of Lasers was much more energetic and genre bending...the original intro was this 8-Bit video game BGM that was sooooo dope...if I can find all the original files I try and put together the OG version..." This included the songs "Scream," "Stereo Sun," "All Systems Go," "You Can Have It All," and "Ghost." In 2021, he revealed some potential collaborations that were rejected or did not occur. He wanted Chris Martin on "Superstar," Eminem turned down the remix version, Chester Bennington to be on "Beautiful Lasers," and Kid Cudi on "Till I Get There." Lady Gaga was "on a version of Lasers," though was taken off because his label told him he was "rapping too fast."

In 2010, DJ Moondawg hosted the mixtape, *Before There Were Lasers*, which compiles unreleased leaks or bootlegs. The material contains tracks predating *Lasers*, and was meant to hype up Fiasco's forthcoming project. The fan-made mixtape, *Extra Lasers*, compiles leftover songs including "Love Letter to the Beat," "Airplanes," and "Army Girl."

## Personnel

Musicians

* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – vocals (all tracks)
* Sarah Green – vocals (track 1)
* Holly "Skylar Grey" Hafermann – vocals (track 2)
* Bradley Bowden – drum programmer (track 3)
* Ricky Rutland – keyboards (track 3)
* Jason "MDMA" Boyd – vocals (tracks 4, 7-8)
* Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – bass guitar (track 5)
* Tremaine "Trey Songz" Neverson – vocals (track 5)
* Daniel "Kane Beatz" Johnson – vocals (track 6)
* Dan Manzoor – bass (tracks 7-8); guitar (track 7)
* David "King David" Manzoor – drums, keyboards (tracks 7-9)
* Trevor Astey – guitar (track 8)
* Matt "sELF" Mahaffey – vocals (track 9)
* Michael Herring – bass, guitar (track 9)
* Prescott Ellison – drums (track 9)
* Eric Turner – vocals (track 10)
* Derek "Sway" Safo – vocals (track 10)
* John "John Legend" Stephens – vocals (track 12)
* Matthew Santos – vocals (track 14)

Production

* Lupe Fiasco – writer (all tracks)
* Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – masterer (all tracks)
* Joe Peluso – additional engineer (tracks 1-4, 10, 12); recording engineer (tracks 1, 3, 9); mixer (tracks 1, 3-4, 7-8)
* King David – writer, producer (tracks 1, 7-9)
* Josh Berg – assistant mixer (tracks 1, 7)
* Tucker Robinson – (tracks 1, 3)
* Skylar Grey – writer, vocal engineer, vocal producer (track 2)
* Alexander "Alex da Kid" Grant – writer, producer (track 2)
* Manny Marroquinn – mixer (track 2)
* Erik Madrid – assistant mixer (track 2)
* Blast Off Productions – recording engineer (track 2)
* Khari "Needlz" Cain – writer, producer (track 3)
* Ricky Rutland – writer (track 3)
* Khalil "Saint Cassius" Walton – writer (track 3)
* MDMA – writer (tracks 4, 7-8); producer (track 7)
* Jimmy "Jimmy G" Giannos – writer (track 4)
* Dominic "DJ Mecca" Jordan – writer (track 4)
* The Audibles – producer (track 4)
* Greg "G-Ball" Magers – recording engineer (tracks 4, 10-11)
* Angelo Caputo – additional recording engineer (track 4)
* Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – writer (track 5); producer (tracks 4, 12)
* Arden Altino – writer (tracks 5, 12); co-producer (track 5); producer (track 12)
* Ronnie Jackson – writer (track 5)
* Jesse Wilson – writer (track 5)
* Miykal Snoddy – writer, producer (track 5)
* Serge Tsai – recording engineer (tracks 5, 12); mixer (track 12)
* Koby Hass – recording engineer (track 5)
* Nathaniel "You Can Ask Giz" Robinson – mixer (track 5)
* Kane Beatz – writer, producer (track 6)
* Isaac Brock – writer (track 6)
* Dustin Brower – writer (track 6)
* Jonathon Brown – writer (track 6)
* Dann Gallucci – writer (track 6)
* Eric Judy – writer (track 6)
* Dave Pensado – mixer (track 6)
* Jaycen-Joshua Fowler – mixer (track 6)
* Trevor Astey – additional engineer (track 7); recording engineer (track 9)
* Claudio Cuenti – recording engineer (track 7)
* Ghazi Hourani – assistant engineer (track 9)
* Matt Mahaffey – vocal engineer, vocal producer (track 9)
* Eshraque "iSHi" Mughal – writer, producer (track 10)
* Eric Turner – writer (track 10)
* Sway – writer (track 10)
* The Buchanans – producer (track 11)
* Wizzo Buchanan – writer, producer (track 11)
* Cory Buchanan – co-producer (track 11)
* Sammy Fain – writer (track 11)
* Irving Kahal – writer (track 11)
* John Legend – writer (track 12)
* Reginald "Syience" Perry – producer (track 12)
* Gabe Robles – assistant mixer (track 12)
* Warren Babson – assistant mixer (track 12); recording engineer (track 12)
* Pharrell Williams – writer (track 13)
* Chad Hugo – writer (track 13)
* The Neptunes – producer (track 13)
* Ramon Rivas – assistant engineer (track 13)
* Andrew Coleman – digital editor, recording engineer (track 13)
* Fabian Marasciullo – mixer (track 13)
* Rudolph "Soundtrakk" Lopez – writer, producer (track 14)

* OAK – art direction, design
* Janice Kinjo – grooming
* Andrew Zaeh – photography
* Brian Ranney – package production
* Charles "Chilly" Patton – executive producer, management
* Darrale Jones – executive producer
* Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
* Marsha St. Hubert – marketing
* Cara Donatto – publicity

## Certifications

 ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

1. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (March 16, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco's 'Lasers' Lands at No. 1 on Billboard 200". *Billboard*.
2. ↑ Grebey, James (September 1, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco Offers to Destroy Hated Copies of His Album 'Lasers' with Real Lasers". *Spin*.
3. ↑ Gregory, Jason (March 9, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: Interview". *Gigwise*.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ramirez, Erika and Hood, Bryan (March 7, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco on *Lasers*, Lame Rap, and His Battles with the Music Industry". *Vulture*.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Stubbs, Stuart (February 25, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco Isn't Retiring, but the Making of His Third Album, 'Lasers', Almost Made Him Wish That He Were". *Loud and Quiet*.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Batey, Angus (March 3, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: 'I Have the Right to Speak Out'". *The Guardian*.
7. ↑ Fleishcer, Adam (October 8, 2010). "Update: Lupe Fiasco's 'Lasers' to Drop on March 8, Label Tweets". *XXL*.
8. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (March 24, 2009). "Lupe Fiasco Recording 'Lasers'". *Entertainment Weekly*.
9. ↑ "The Release of the Lasers Album". *Petition Online*. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011.
10. ↑ "Atlantic Records (@AtlanticRecords)". *Twitter*. October 8, 2010.
11. ↑ Adams, Gregory (October 8, 2010). "Lupe Fiasco's *Lasers* Finally Earns Legitimate Release Date". *Exclaim!*
12. ↑ Burgess, Omar (January 19, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco Promises Club Tracks and Controversy on "Lasers", Cover Art Revealed". *HipHopDX*.
13. ↑ Cooper, Roman (September 9, 2010). "Lupe Fiasco Talks "Lasers," "Food & Liquor II"". *HipHopDX*.
14. ↑ Ahmed, Insanul (February 28, 2011). "Interview: Lupe Fiasco Hates His Own Album". *Complex*.
15. ↑ Charity, Justin (August 31, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco Offers to Destroy Copies of His Worst Album, 'Lasers,' with a Laser". *Complex*.
16. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Facebook*. August 31, 2015.
17. ↑ "Lupe's Laser Show in Union Square". *Rap Radar*. February 4, 2011.
18. ↑ "Hang on Lupe". *Hits Double Daily*. March 9, 2011.
19. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Played Webster Hall w/ Help from Black Milk, John Legend, Sway & Dosage". *Brooklyn Vegan*. March 8, 2011.
20. ↑ Shaw, A.R. (March 27, 2011). / "Lupe Fiasco Performs Live at the House of Blues in Chicago". *Rolling Out*.
21. ↑ Raymer, Miles (March 28, 2011). "Lupe's Buzzkill of a "Concert"". *Chicago Reader*.
22. ↑ Duong, Paul (March 27, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco at House of Blues (Chicago)". *Rap Radar*.
23. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Talks Family Upbringing, Occupy Wall Street". *HipHopDX*. November 11, 2011.
24. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco | Billboard"
25. ↑ Gary, Kevin (January 3, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco Reveals "Lasers" Guest List". *HipHopDX*.
26. ↑ Banks, Alec (December 3, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco Featuring MDMA - I Don't Wanna Care Right Now Video". Hypebeast.
27. ↑ Wolk, Douglas (June 2011). "Lupe Fiasco/Lasers." *PRINT*, vol. 65, no. 3, p. 108.
28. ↑ "Lasers by Lupe Fiasco". *Metacritic*.
29. ↑ "Lasers by Lupe Fiasco Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?.
30. ↑ Kellman, Andy (March 8, 2011). "Lasers Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic.
31. ↑ Sharp, Johnny (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco Lasers Review". BBC Music.
32. ↑ Cohen, Ian (March 16, 2011). "*Lasers* by Lupe Fiasco". *Pitchfork*.
33. ↑ Macpherson, Alex (March 3, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: Lasers – Review". *The Guardian*.
34. ↑ Martens, Todd (March 7, 2011). "Album Review: Lupe Fiasco's 'Lasers'". *Los Angeles Times*.
35. ↑ Battan, Carrie (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: "Lasers"". *Boston Globe*.
36. ↑ Kot, Greg (March 1, 2011). "Album Review: Lupe Fiasco, 'L.A.S.E.R.S.'". *Chicago Tribune*. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011.
37. ↑ Coplan, Chris (March 9, 2011). "Album Review: Lupe Fiasco – Lasers". *Consequence*.
38. ↑ Slavik, Nathan (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco - Lasers". *DJBooth*. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011.
39. ↑ Chester, Tim (March 23, 2011). "Album Review: Lupe Fiasco – Lasers (Atlantic)". *NME*.
40. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco - Lasers". *HipHopDX*. March 4, 2011.
41. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco – Lasers". *NOW Magazine*. March 3, 2011.
42. ↑ Amidon, David (March 9, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: Lasers". *PopMatters*.
43. ↑ Wete, Brad (Maerch 2, 2011). "Lasers". *Entertainment Weekly*.
44. ↑ Dolan, Jon (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco Lasers Review". *Rolling Stone*. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011.
45. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (March 8, 2011). "Bombastic, Boisterous and Triumphant". *The New York Times*.
46. ↑ Gill, Andy (March 4, 2011). "Album: Lupe Fiasco, Lasers (Atlantic)". *The Independent*.
47. ↑ Cole, Matthew (March 11, 2011). "Review: Lupe Fiasco, *Lasers*". *Slant Magazine*.
48. ↑ Soderberg, Brandon (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco, 'Lasers'". *Spin*.
49. ↑ Grishow, Chad (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: Lasers Review". *IGN*.
50. ↑ Levin, Jeff (March 22, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: *Lasers*". *Paste*.
51. ↑ Weeden, Jeremy (April 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: Lasers, Album Review". *RUKUS Magazine*. May 2011.
52. ↑ Billet, Alexander (March 14, 2011). "Pain, Promise and Protest on Lupe's Lasers". *SoCiArts*.
53. ↑ "The 2011 HipHopDX Year End Awards". *HipHopDX*. December 19, 2011.
54. ↑ "The 20 Worst Albums of 2011". *PopMatters*. December 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012.
55. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. March 26, 2018.
56. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. July 16, 2013.
57. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. December 10, 2021.
58. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. July 16, 2013.
59. ↑ Barber, Andrew (June 5, 2010). "Mixtape; Lupe Fiasco + DJ Moondawg - Before There Were Lasers". Fake Shore Drive.
60. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. July 3, 2014.
61. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". *Twitter*. July 16, 2013.