6.27.2025
Lupe Fiasco Announces Samurai DX, an Expanded Version of His Acclaimed 2024 Album, Coming August 22nd via 1st & 15th / Thirty Tigers
The Chicago Rap Legend Shares Remixes for Project Highlights, “Samurai” and “Palaces”
Samurai Earned Critical Acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, and More, Illustrating Lupe’s Intent to Elevate Rap to Fine Art With Lyrical Craftsmanship and Conceptual Depth
Critical Praise:
“Samurai is expected to be one of Fiasco’s most intrinsic works, as he is known for his conceptualized approach in his albums.” – Forbes
“The Chicago legend’s ninth album is inspired by battle rap and Japanese culture…” – CLASH Magazine
The Announcement:
Lupe Fiasco’s Samurai proved the veteran rapper’s unparalleled ability to pen deeply conceptual rhymes without sacrificing soul. Produced in full by longtime collaborator Soundtrakk, the 8-song project earned widespread critical acclaim, with praise from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and more for its cerebral lyricism and warm sonic palette.
Today (June 27th), to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Samurai, Lupe announces Samurai DX, an alternate version of the acclaimed album. The DX version of the album offers two new songs from the Samurai sessions, the Soundtrakk-produced “High Note” and “SOS,” produced by Lupe himself, plus remixes to original album highlights “Samurai,” “Palaces,” and “Bigfoot” (now featuring a hook sung by singer-songwriter Troy Tyler). Originally intended for the Samurai tracklist, “SOS” and “High Note” were cut for sake of brevity, but Lupe and manager Chill Patton recognized their quality, keeping them in the vault until the time was right. In addition, the vinyl release of Samurai DX offers instrumental versions of all five newly-recorded songs. Samurai DX continues Lupe’s exploration of the boundaries of hip-hop as an artform, as the legendary Chicago rapper seeks to prove that a rap album can be as exquisitely crafted and delicately designed as fine art. Expanding the story of what Lupe Fiasco calls one of his “most personal projects to date,” Samurai DX arrives in digital and physical formats on August 22nd via 1st & 15th / Thirty Tigers.
Along with the announcement of Samurai DX, Lupe shares a new remix for “Samurai.” Flipping the album’s introductory track, inspired by a line delivered by Amy Winehouse to Salaam Remi in the documentary, Amy, the new “Samurai” remix transforms the original’s wistful and soulful atmosphere into something a bit darker, changing the perspective on Lupe’s look at an artist’s life and the tragedies that can accompany the triumphs. The remix also adds a brand new verse from Lupe, reflecting the moodier instrumental, and new vocals from singer-songwriter Troy Tyler. The remix to “Samurai” follows last year’s release of “Palaces” (Remix), which arrived with a music video.
A smooth, yet cerebral, 8-track album brimming with ideas, that radiates Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. The project is Lupe’s ninth studio album and is produced in full by Soundtrakk, making it their second full album collaboration following 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION. In addition, Samurai was the first album that Lupe, Soundtrakk, and their longtime manager, and 1st & 15th co-CEO Charles “Chill” Patton, who also served as the album’s executive producer, worked on in the studio together since 2007’s The Cool. It’s home to singles such as the title track, “Samurai,” praised by Rolling Stone, Complex, Billboard, HYPEBEAST, Clash, The Needle Drop, and more, plus the lyrical beatdown, “Cake,” which shows off Lupe’s supreme ability to attack the beat with poetic and energetic bars. Other highlights include the orchestral, street freestyle-esque “No. 1 Headband” and the experimental “Mumble Rap.”
Recently, Lupe Fiasco has kept busy with performances, including on last Fall’s “Samurai Tour,” and a special performance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is a visiting professor teaching “Rap Theory and Practice,” in May. Lupe Fiasco’s MIT concert was an element of the artist’s “GHOTIING MIT: Public Art,” which transforms public art into a living sonic experience—where rap and visual art intersect in real time. The Chicago native recorded 9 new songs for the art project, overseen by the MIT List Visual Arts Center, each taking inspiration from a different piece of art around MIT’s campus. Lupe recorded each piece on site, at the location of each artwork, incorporating field sounds into the recording and crafting lyrics that spontaneously respond to the scene’s unique environment. Earlier this year, Lupe bolstered his burgeoning academic reputation by joining the faculty of the world famous Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
This August, Lupe Fiasco joins the legendary Cypress Hill and underground heroes Atmosphere on their “Dank Daze of Summer Tour.” Also featuring support from The Pharcyde, tickets for the “Dank Daze Of Summer Tour” are available HERE
With more music on the way this year, Lupe Fiasco never stops pushing the boundaries of his creativity. Stay tuned and watch his next move.
Pre-save Samurai DX and stream “Samurai (Remix)”: https://lupefiasco.ffm.to/samurai-palaces
Pre-order a physical copy of Samurai DX: https://lupefiasco.ffm.to/samuraidx
Watch “Palaces” (Remix): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS7Ii49ai04
Samurai DX tracklist:
*denotes vinyl-only track
- SOS
- Samurai (Remix)
- Palaces (Remix)
- High Note
- Bigfoot (Remix)
- SOS [Instrumental]*
- Samurai (Remix) [Instrumental]*
- Palaces (Remix) [Instrumental]*
- High Note [Instrumental]*
- Bigfoot (Remix) [Instrumental]*
Credit: Karl Ray
Please contact Michelle or Kevin for more info.
The Background:
With over two decades of tenure in the rap game, Lupe Fiasco is a savvy veteran of hip-hop, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take the time to hone and perfect his craft at every turn. 2024 saw the release of his acclaimed album Samurai, named one of the best albums of 2024 by The Needle Drop, Okayplayer, FLOOD, and more, which earned praise for its dense lyricism and Amy Winehouse-inspired concept. Samurai was Lupe’s first new album since 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, which earned critical acclaim from NPR, Complex, The FADER, and many others, including Vinyl Me Please, who wrote “At their best, Lupe’s bars are as visually and phonetically pleasing as popped bubble wrap.” In 2023, the iconic Chicago native also settled into his position as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches “Rap Theory and Practice.” Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV. Most recently, Lupe’s single “Pound For Pound” became the theme song for the AAA video game Undisputed. Lupe plans to perform throughout the year, including an upcoming performance at MIT’s Artfinity festival on May 2nd.
Links:
official site | store | instagram | twitter | facebook | spotify | youtube | apple
“Palaces” (Remix): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS7Ii49ai04
Samurai: https://orcd.co/lupe-samurai
“No. 1 Headband”: https://youtu.be/-qpInC2hSSw
“Cake”: https://orcd.co/lupe-cake
“Samurai”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcoRc2ieFzE
DRILL MUSIC IN ZION: https://orcd.co/dmiz