LUPE's highly accessible take on hip-hop (pop-rap) has never appealed to me, though Kick Push from his Grammy-winning 2006 debut Food & Liquor wasn't bad.
His new album Losers, sorry Lasers - featuring the painfully dreary single The Show Goes On - is as safe and bland as ever - even Lupe is unimpressed, having publicly disowned the majority of it.
The 29-year-old Chicagoan (christened Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) stated decisions concerning producers, vocalists and even raps were forced on him by executives looking to create a commercial hit.
It will be interesting to see what direction he takes on a possible fourth album.
Sara Fitzpatrick