http://lisafordblog.com

LUPE FIASCO’s “Around My Way” takes a sample from, and is basically a remake of Pete Rock’s & C.L. Smooth’s iconic hit, “They Reminisce Over You”. Leave it to Lupe to take a classic Hip Hop beat and restore it with something with just as much class and genuineness as the original. Lupe keeps his lyrics political as usual, making references towards removing Columbus Day off the calendar and how it shouldn’t be celebrated. Lupe Fiasco has always been an artistic rapper using music to poetically express thought-provoking ideas, and this time, it’s no different. It’s been rumored that Lupe and Pete Rock beefed over the use of this beat. But Pete, too, sampled this beat from someone else. Nevertheless, this tune is a representation of pure Hip Hop and I think Lupe was honoring Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth, and the culture Hip Hop with the release of “Around My Way”. The video was directed by Alex Nazari. “Around My Way” is the first video off of Lupe’s, “Food & Liquor 2″, dropping on Sept 25.