Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
LUPE FIASCO | Tetsuo & Youth
1st & 15th/Atlantic (2015)
Selected by Jesse Ducker
Sometimes ambition is rewarded. Tetsuo & Youth is Lupe’s Fiasco’s sprawling masterpiece, made up of intricately constructed lyrical epics and high-concept compositions on spirituality, prison life, politics, and relationships. Even with its ample length, it’s one of the best and tightly constructed lyrical albums of the decade, where every single line seems to serve a purpose. And like Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN (2017), it plays just well in reverse order as forwards.
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