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20 years ago Outlast released their last proper album (Idlewild would be released as a soundtrack). I say proper album but even that is a bit dubious as this was essentially 2 solo albums released as a double album.

The album was released to critical acclaim, went diamond, won best album at the Grammy's and has a single that was everywhere in Hey Ya!

Speakerboxxx:

1. Intro

2. GhettoMusick

3. Unhappy

4. Bowtie Featuring Sleepy Brown & Jazze Pha

5. The Way You Move Featuring Sleepy Brown

6. The Rooster

7. Bust Featuring Killer Mike

8. War

9. Church

10. Bamboo (Interlude)

11. Tomb Of The Boom Featuring Konkrete, Big Gipp & Ludacris

12. E-Mac (Interlude)

13. Knowing

14. Flip Flop Rock Featuring Killer Mike & Jay-15. Interlude

15. Reset Featuring Khujo Goodie & Cee-Lo

16. D-Boi (Interlude)

17. Last Call Featuring Slimm Calhoun, Lil’ Jon & The East Side Boyz & Mello

18. Bowtie (Postlude)

The Love Below

1.The Love Below (Intro) 2. Love Hater 3. God (Interlude) 4.Happy Valentine’s Day 5.Spread 6. Where Are My Panties? 7. Prototype 8. She Lives In My Lap 9. Hey Ya! 10. Roses 11. Good Day, Good Sir 12. Behold A Lady 13. Pink & Blue 14. Love In War 15. She’s Alive 16. Dracula’s Wedding Featuring Kelis 17. My Favorite Things 18. Take Off Your Cool Featuring Norah Jones 19. Vibrate 20. A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre

5 years ago Lupe Fiasco released his 7th studio album DROGAS WAVE. The double disc album was released a week early after the album was leaked. DROGAS WAVE has a loose structure, as part of the album tells a story that Lupe described:

"Drogas Wave is based on a story about a group of slaves that jumped off a slave ship transporting them from Africa. The slaves did not drown, and instead somehow managed to live under the sea. They spent the rest of their underwater existence sinking slave ships. ‘Drogas’ is the Spanish word for drugs. I made it an acronym which stands for ‘Don’t Ruin Us God Said’"

While the story is a loose concept, there are other songs with very powerful themes. Alan Forever imagines Alan Kurdi's life had he not drowned. Similarly Jonylah Forever depicts Jonylah Watkins' life had she not been killed at a young age.

Other highlights include Mural Jr., the sequel to Lupe's classic Mural from Tetsuo and Youth. Speaking of sequels, we get one to Hip Hop Saved My Life, with Stack That Cheese, where instead of chronicling the come up, it now discusses the experience of being an accomplished rapper. And Damian Marley makes an appearance on another of the highlights of the album, Kingdom.

Me personally, this album holds a special place, this and Carter V, for being the soundtracks for my very delayed honeymoon in the Maldives.

Tracklist

1. In the Event of Typhoon

2. Drogas

3. Manilla

4. Gold vs the Right Things to Do

5. Slave Ship (Interlude)

6. Wav Files

7. Down (feat. Nikki Jean)

8. Haile Selassie (feat. Nikki Jean)

9. Alan Forever (feat. Crystal Torres)

10. Helter Skelter (Interlude)

11. Stronger (feat. Nikki Jean)

12. Sun God Sam & The California Drug Deals (feat. Nikki Jean)

13. Xo (feat. Troi Irons)

14. Don't Mess up the Children (Interlude)

15. Jonylah Forever

16. Kingdom (feat. Damian Marley)

17. Baba Kwesi (Interlude)

18. Imagine (feat. Simon Sayz & Crystal Torres)

19. Stack That Cheese (feat. Nikki Jean)

20. Cripple (feat. Elena Pinderhughes)

21. King Nas

22. Quotations from Chairman Fred (feat. Nikki Jean & Bishop Edgar Jackson)

23. Happy Timbuck2 Day

24. Mural Jr.