Back in 2007, Lupe Fiasco formed a group with Pharrell and Kanye West called Child Rebel Soldier, which disbanded after releasing a pair of singles. Now, Lupe’s rebooted the project as a solo endeavor rapping over Radiohead beats with his new song, “Shrink.”
Spitting over a flip of the Kid A cut “Optimistic,” Lupe describes the difficulties of upkeep that come with owning expensive clothes: “Saint Laurent shirt, short enough to fit a bare brick/ Overzealous fluffing, fold ruin the hysterics/ Holdin’ up the Balmains like ‘I can’t even wear this’.” Stream the track below.
Get Lupe Fiasco Tickets Here
“Shrink” was uploaded to YouTube with a lengthy statement explaining the track’s premise. “In the glittering world of luxury, where every item whispers of opulence and exclusivity, there lurks a shadowy side that few dare to speak of: the tragic fall of the flawless,” it reads in part. “These are not mere objects — they are the stuff of dreams, painstakingly crafted and cherished. Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, they are as fragile as the moments they adorn.”
Child Rebel Soldier released the singles “Us Placers” in 2007 and “Don’t Stop!” in 2010 before the project was abandoned. In a July interview with Stereogum, Lupe said his original concept for CRS was for Pharrell and Kanye to produce beats for him to rap about “the downfall of being famous,” but the group “kept getting lost in the sauce” as his collaborators focused on their fashion work.
“I’m gonna reboot CRS in the next six months, maybe next year,” Lupe teased, “but it’s gonna go back to the original energy, which was me rapping over Radiohead beats.”
Based on the artwork, it looks like Lupe decided to move up the timeline to promote his fall “Samurai Tour” in support of his album of the same name. See the full schedule below, and grab tickets here.
Editor’s Note: See where Lupe Fiasco’s classic “Kick, Push” landed on our list of the best hip-hop songs of all time.
Lupe Fiasco 2024 Tour Dates:
10/03 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
10/04 – Hartford, CT @ The Webster
10/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
10/06 – Boston, MA @ Royale
10/10 – Columbus, OH @ Columbus Athenaeum
10/11 – Cleveland, OH @ TempleLive Cleveland Masonic
10/18 – Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s FoCo
10/19 – Denver, CO @ Summit
10/24 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
10/25 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall
10/26 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater Pomona
11/09 – St. Louis, MO @ The Factory at The District
11/10 – Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed
11/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
11/15 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
11/16 – Washington, D.C. @ The Howard Theatre
11/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
11/22 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
11/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
