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Drill Music in Zion is the eighth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released on June 24, 2022, through 1st & 15th and Thirty Tigers. The album was preceded by two singles, "Autoboto" and "Drill Music in Zion".

Drill Music in Zion
Studio album by Lupe Fiasco
Released	June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
Recorded	August 9–12, 2021
Genre	Conscious hip hop jazz rap
Length	40:57
Label	1st & 15th Thirty Tigers
Producer	Lupe Fiasco Soundtrakk
Lupe Fiasco chronology
Drogas Wave (2018) Drill Music in Zion (2022)
Singles from Drill Music in Zion
"Autoboto" Released: May 19, 2022 "Drill Music in Zion" Released: June 16, 2022

Background

Lupe Fiasco recorded Drill Music in Zion in August 2021. He intended to write and record the entire album in 24 hours, but the process ended up taking three days.[1] Lupe's decision to record the album over such a short timespan was inspired by the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, or appreciating the beauty in imperfection.[2] In a tweet on August 12, 2021, Lupe Fiasco described the album as "my Illmatic".[3] He also stated that the full album would be produced by Soundtrakk, whose past collaborations with Lupe include "Kick, Push" and "Superstar".

In an interview with Okayplayer, Lupe has stated that – despite the title – Drill Music in Zion is "not meant to be a 'drill music' album. In some cases, it's not even an album about drill music." He went on to state that the album title was inspired by a scene in The Matrix Reloaded in which "robots drill down into Zion. The last place where humanity can live and survive in the Matrix world, they call it Zion".[1] Lupe has also stated that his goal with the album was "to find a balance between the whimsy and the profound".[4]

Lyrics and themes

A HipHopDX review identified the album's principal theme as "the grim, almost macabre state of Hip Hop". The review goes on to identify that theme as appearing most strongly on "On Faux Nem," where Lupe "longs for the culturally destructive bars he hears... to be lies rather than rooted in real-world beef", and on "Ms. Mural", where Lupe "describes the current state of 'art' and ethical dilemmas he faces" as an artist.[5] The album has also been perceived as critical of capitalism, with the track "Drill Music in Zion" discussing how "mass consumerism power[s] the greed of the few" and "Kiosk" criticizing the market for diamonds.[6][5]

The opening track of Drill Music in Zion, "The Lion's Deen", is a spoken word monologue by Lupe's sister, Ayesha Jaco. In that track, she introduces the themes of the record by discussing "the different facets of what drill music is[,] the different types of drilling, the different types of what 'Zion' means".[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	74/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	7/10[6]
HipHopDX	4.1/5[5]
The Observer	[2]
Pitchfork	6.8/10[8]
Sputnikmusic	3.9/5[9]

Drill Music in Zion received generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on 7 reviews.[7]

A review from Clash characterized the album as "deliver[ing] an emotionally controlled, thought-provoking display of virtuosic lyricism" that "merges the modern with the classic".[6] HipHopDX describes Lupe as sounding "like a wise sage, reporting from an elevated vantage point... without brooding in old-head energy".[5] A staff review on Sputnikmusic describes the album as sounding "unhurried and easy".[9] Soundtrakk's production on the album has been described as "lush [and] jazz-centric", leading the album to be characterized as jazz rap.[1][6][10]

Critics also observed the short runtime of Drill Music in Zion compared to Lupe's previous albums. HipHopDX remarked that the album contained "no filler or fluff", while a review by The Observer describes the album as "blessedly short".[5][2]

Track listing

All tracks written by Wasalu Jaco, except "The Lion's Deen" written by Ayesha Jaco. All tracks produced by Lupe Fiasco and Soundtrakk.

Charts

Chart performance for Drill Music in Zion

Chart (2022)	Peak position
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[11]	26

References

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