Lupe Fiasco “N.E.R.D.” Freestyle | Complex

Just a week after Lupe Fiasco released a track called “Killers,” the Chicago rapper surprised fans with a new and controversial cut called “N.E.R.D.”

In the unmixed song, Lupe can be heard rapping over J. Cole’s “Everybody Dies” track, which samples A Tribe Called Quest’s “Lyrics to Go.” Cole’s original version was a response to a group of artists he referred to as “amateur eight week rappers, Lil’ whatever—just another short bus rapper.” It was some pretty harsh commentary on the new generation of rappers; however, Lupe wasn’t about to let Cole dish out all the criticism.

In his rendition, the 34-year-old rapper goes in on some of hip-hop’s rising stars—calling out their skill level as well as naivety. 

“Too many best rappers, not enough best rhymes tho/Guess I’m delusional, used to doing it all the time so/Maybe I’m just jaded, out of touch and unrelated/Unable to connect greatness based on the person who makes it,” he raps. “Or maybe I just hate it/And that would make me hater Maybe it is great but that don’t mean it’s raider/Having your profile raised doesn’t make you a raiser/Being ambiguous with assertions isn’t making you safer.”

He also raps about artists being easily deceived by record labels.

“Artist gettin’ robbed before they publish/By dirty Jewish execs that think his alms from the covenant/I’ll retire when I’m tired, that’s a Firestone death/Easy to say when nobody’s there, like a microphone check.”

Unsurprisingly, the verse was criticized for being anti-Semitic. But Lupe denied the accusations—kind of. 

You can listen to “N.E.R.D.” above. Lupe’s is reportedly working on three albums—Drogas, Drogas Light, and Skulls—which were originally slated to drop in 2016, but have since been delayed.