"Old School Love" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Lupe Fiasco. The song was released on October 14, 2013, in promotion of his fifth studio album ''

Tetsuo & Youth ''Tetsuo & Youth'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco. The album was released on January 20, 2015, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. ''Tetsuo & Youth'' was supported by the lead single, "Deliver". The albu ...

''. English singer

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

contributed vocals to the song's

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

. The song peaked at number 93 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number 18 on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

Background

In February 2013, English singer-songwriter

said that he was working in the studio with Lupe Fiasco. He told

pressparty Pressparty is a London and New York-based press release hosting platform used by the music and entertainment industry globally. Registered users have the ability to upload and read content but unregistered users can only read it. Users are able t ...

, "We have the same A&R in America and he just gave me about seven beats and said write choruses to all of these beats. Lupe loved one of them and is going to hop on it. I'm a massive Lupe Fiasco fan, so it's cool." On October 9, 2013, Fiasco announced that the first single from his fifth studio album ''Tetsuo & Youth'', would be a song featuring Ed Sheeran titled "Old School Love". Along with releasing the cover artwork for the single, he revealed it would be released to iTunes on October 14, 2013.

Composition

In the song, Fiasco professes his love for

old-school hip hop Old-school hip hop (also spelled old skool) is the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music and original style of the genre. It typically refers to the music created around 1979 to 1983, as well as any hip hop that does not adhere to contem ...

through his lyrics, as

sings the soulful, laid-back hook. Fiasco's lyrics reflect the changes hip-hop has gone through since the 1980s and 1990s, relating hip hop's loss of innocence to the crime and struggle currently plaguing his hometown Chicago. Also, Fiasco gives reasons for his move from making political music and "runs through hip-hop's roots and gently critiques the present" era of hip hop. Additionally, he references

The Fat Boys The Fat Boys were an American hip hop trio from Brooklyn, New York, who emerged in the early 1980s. The group was briefly known originally as the Disco 3, originally composed of Mark " Prince Markie Dee" Morales, Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley, ...

Melle Mel Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961 in The Bronx), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel (or simply Melle Mel) () is an American hip hop recording artist who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furio ...

and pre- Law & Order Ice-T. The

DJ Frank E Justin Franks, known professionally as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado. Frank E started working closely with Adelio Lombardi, founder of Side 3 Entertainment and owner of Side 3 Studios in Denver, while ...

production is backed by a spare R&B-tinged, melodic piano-based instrumental. Multiple publications such as '' Billboard'' and the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' compared its production sound to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's "Family Business" from West's debut album ''

The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received pr ...

''. '' XXL'' referred to the song as a "sticky sweet ballad."

Critical reception

Chris Payne of '' Billboard'' praised the song's crossover appeal. John Sakamoto of ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' said, the "song's affection is old-school hip-hop, which means this smooth, frictionless ballad is 4 1/2 minutes of pure nostalgia."

Music video

The song's music video was directed by

Coodie & Chike Coodie Simmons (born January 18, 1971) and Chike Ozah (born April 6, 1978) are film directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and producers. Coodie and Chike started directing together with their music video for Kanye West entitled "Through the ...

and filmed with Ed Sheeran in New York City.

finished the video in Lupe Fiasco's hometown Chicago. It was premiered on December 9, 2013 on MTV.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Ed Sheeran songs 2013 singles Ed Sheeran songs Lupe Fiasco songs Song recordings produced by DJ Frank E Songs written by Lupe Fiasco Songs written by Ed Sheeran Atlantic Records singles Songs written by DJ Frank E 2013 songs 2010s ballads