Music

Lupe Fiasco Drops New Single, Samples Modest Mouse

After spending more than a year in record company hell, Lupe Fiasco’s new record, “Lasers,” was finally given a release date of March 8, 2011. Lupe released the first single, “The Show Goes On,” on his blog Tuesday. As ever, his flow and diction is effortless, and while not his best lyrical effort (check out the second verse on “I’m Beamin,'” which was released earlier this year), he is still far and above most mainstream hip-hop. Better yet, the chorus samples Modest Mouse’s “Float On.” Give it a listen:

  • Louzlounge

    The verse is sampling Phil Manzanera’s “Peru” off of his Diamond Head album

    • http://twitter.com/thisisjohnbook John Book

      There is no song on Diamond Head called “Peru”. You sure you have the correct song?

      • Louzlounge

        You’re right. The song’s called Big Day off of Diamond Head. The chorus is “In Peru…”

        • Kieth7532003

          Modest Mouse’s cut, ‘Float On’, is just being applied like all other good samples have been used in rap. It’s fundamentally true to the art of Rap music. And Modest Mouse will not complain when those royalties roll in; they won’t complain too much!

  • http://twitter.com/EmpressEricka Queen Regnant.

    This is currently MTVJams’ “Jam of the Week:” I KNEW it sounded like Modest Mouse immediately. Thanks for confirming.

    • mad as fuck

      fuck you lupe

  • Lu p ser

    stealing modest mouse like that? really? lupe is gonna get money ripped out from under him for this stupidity

    • http://twitter.com/addictedtotext Shelley

      Sampling is not stealing, you pay to sample. Some groups like Girl Talk don’t pay and that’s why they get into huge legal battles and if they want to play music they release their albums for free like they did their last one.

      • Random Observer

        Sampling is fine. making a song which has its entire hook sampled from another begs the question of why he didn’t just outright cover the song. Or why he can’t sit in front of the piano for an hour and come up with a riff of his own. The roots and the jurassic 5 know how to sample, Lupe (or more likely his record company/ producer) was just lazy.

      • Andrew

        Girl Talk isn’t a group…

  • Blazeman139

    horrible, lupe fiascos gona take this song and blow it up, when modest mouse should be the ones getting blown up…fucked up

    • Ernestonetoalonso

      you do know that Modest mouse still gets money off of this just cause they’re sampled.

    • http://twitter.com/addictedtotext Shelley

      you do realize Float On was one of the best songs of the 2000’s rolling stone put it at 39/100.
      for a hip hop artist to sample an indie rock song is pretty awesome and not very common.
      Personally I used to listen to hip hop in the late 80’s early 90’s till “gangsta rap” started up and hip hop got lost in the shuffle. Lupe is something different than anything out there and to say anything less is pretty out there. If you haven’t yet listen to Food and Liquor and not just the music, listen to what it’s saying and maybe you’ll see it. (I never really see the message in music, or listen to lyrics much besides this album so its kind of a big deal to me.

      • Heatherep2009

        She Wrote: “for a hip hop artist to sample an indie rock song is pretty awesome and not very common.” Give me a break! It’s so common and the current hiphop music is unoriginal ……hip hop artists in the 80’s and 90’s were unique and did their own thing!

  • Drvonfrie

    SURPRISE another unoriginal aritst, idc if your paying the guys who did it or not its not about the money itas the fac tthat yuo cant just make up your own riffs like sampling is pathetic! hell even if it sounded like the song but with a difference at least he accidently wqould have done it rather then intentionally took another artists work

  • Mmrjkjrj

    he didn’t credit MM on the album

  • KhaarFace39

    i love modest mouse and this song aint bad im kinda glad modest mouse got something outta this

  • Drizzle

    All of you guys are morons. Lupe is probably the best rapper in the game. He is a very intelligent person and would know the difference between sampling and stealing. Besides would you rather have Lupe or Lil wayne sample this song. 

  • Heatherep2009

    Damn it! I knew it reminded me of Modest Mouse.  What a copy cat! I wonder how modest mouse feels about that?

  • LockANDLoad

    Lupe Fiasco DID sample Modest Mouse, do your research. From what I’ve found, MM gets a portion of the royalties for the song.