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Wikipedia

Lupe Fiasco

May 21, 2023

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco (/ˈluːpeɪ/ LOO-pay), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco was the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment.

Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco performing in 2012
Background information
Birth nameWasalu Muhammad Jaco
Also known asDouble J[1]
Born (1982-02-16) February 16, 1982 (age 41)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • entrepreneur
Years active2000–present
Labels
Member ofJapanese Cartoon
Formerly of
Websitelupefiasco.com

Raised in Chicago, Jaco developed an interest in hip hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity and misogyny. After adopting the name Lupe Fiasco and recording songs in his father's basement, 19-year-old Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak. The group disbanded shortly after its inception, and Fiasco soon met rapper Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records. In September 2006, Fiasco released his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on the label, which received three Grammy nominations. He released his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, in December 2007. The lead single "Superstar" became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. After a two-year delay, his third album, Lasers, was released in May 2011 to mixed reviews; however, it became his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was preceded by his highest charting single, "The Show Goes On", which peaked at number 9. His latest album, Drill Music in Zion, was released in June 2022.

In addition to music, Fiasco has pursued other business ventures, including fashion. He runs two clothing lines, Righteous Kung-Fu and Trilly & Truly; he has designed sneakers for Reebok. He has been involved with charitable activities, including the Summit on the Summit expedition, and in 2010 he recorded a benefit single for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Fiasco is also noted for his anti-establishment views, which he has expressed in both interviews and his music.

Life and career

1982–1999: Early life

I grew up in the hood around prostitutes, drug dealers, killers, and gangbangers, but I also grew up juxtaposed: On the doorknob outside of our apartment, there was blood from some guy who got shot; but inside, there was National Geographic magazines and encyclopedias and a little library bookshelf situation. And we didn't have cable, so we didn't have the luxury of having our brains washed by MTV. We watched public television – cooking shows and stuff like that.

– Fiasco, on his childhood.[2]

Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 16, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois.[3][4] Fiasco is of West African descent,[5] one of nine children of Shirley, a chef, and Gregory, an engineer.[2][4] His father, a member of the Black Panther Party, was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher, operating plant engineer, and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores.[6][7][8] Fiasco was raised Muslim on the West Side of Chicago on Madison Terrace housing project.[7][9] At the age of three, Fiasco began taking martial arts classes.[2][10] His parents divorced when he was five, and he went on to live with his mother, but his father still remained an important part of his life. He described his father's influence over the family by saying, "After school, my father would come and get us and take us out into the world—one day, we're listening to N.W.A, the next day we're listening to Ravi Shankar, the next day, he's teaching us how to shoot an AK-47, the next day, we're at karate class, the next day, we're in Chinatown...".[7]

In sixth grade, he went to live with his father full-time in Harvey, Illinois.[11] His father lived next door to a crack house and taught Fiasco to use guns to defend himself from drug dealers.[2] Despite his unstable upbringing, Fiasco states that he was well-educated as a child, asserting that his parents exposed him to a diverse array of subjects and that reading was highly encouraged in his household.[2] As a teenager, Fiasco participated in Academic Decathlon competitions.[4] His mother described him by saying, "He was a great spirited child. Smart, a bit complex; he kind of was a loner; he didn't hang with a lot of people...He always had the glasses. Always had a book bag over his shoulder and some type of a writing tablet."[4] Fiasco initially disliked hip hop music for its use of vulgarity, and preferred to listen to jazz; he idolized clarinet player Benny Goodman.[2][9] His struggle to learn to play an instrument led him to create poetry instead, which led to his interest in the lyrical aspects of music.[12]

He began rapping his poems in the eighth grade, and upon hearing Nas' 1996 album, It Was Written, began to pursue hip hop.[8] While attending Thornton Township High School, Fiasco met gang member Bishop G. The two became friends due to their shared interest in music.[4] Fiasco's father allowed him and Bishop to make mixtapes in his basement, and the two gained notoriety at the school for their music. However, they were kicked off stage during their first performance because their eclectic musical style was not embraced by the hip hop community.[4] Early in his career, he went by stage names Little Lu and Lu tha Underdog.[13] Growing up, Fiasco was given the nickname "Lu", the last part of his first name, by his mother. "Lupe" is an extension of this nickname, which he borrowed from a friend from high school. "Fiasco" is a reference to The Firm song "Firm Fiasco"; the rapper "liked the way it looked on paper."[14] He also said of his name, "You know how rappers always have names like MC Terrorist—like they're 'terrorizing' other rappers? I knew fiasco meant a great disaster or something like that, but I didn't realize that the person named Fiasco would be the disaster, and that you should be calling other MCs fiascos—not yourself...it kind of humbled me in a sense. It taught me like, 'Yo, stop rushing, or you're going to have some fiascos.'"[13]

2000–2005: Career beginnings

 
Lupe Fiasco performing at the Intonation Music Festival, 2006.

When Fiasco was 18, he began creating music as a solo artist in his father's basement, even though his parents were not keen on having their son be a rapper. He scoured flea markets and secondhand stores, where he was able to find an old mixing board and a record player, stacks of vinyl records, and mic stands.[13] At age 19, Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak, which was influenced by other California gangsta rappers such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube. Da Pak signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up.[3] Fiasco later described the experience, saying "We had a song out about cocaine, guns, and women, and I would go to a record store and look at it and think, 'What are you doing?' I felt like a hypocrite. I was acting like this rapper who would never be judged, and I had to destroy that guy. Because what Lupe Fiasco says on this microphone is going to come back to Wasalu Jaco. When the music cuts off, you have to go home and live with what you say."[15]

After turning away from gangsta rap, he developed a greater appreciation of the lyricism of Jay Z and Nas. His mother also gave him a record of the influential group The Watts Prophets, one of the first bands to use spoken words with music.[16] Although he was without a group for the first time, Fiasco continued to record music. One of these first self-recorded tracks was "Could Have Been", which described the career options he could have pursued had he not begun rapping.[17] He viewed the song as a turning point in his career that marked a drastic change in the subject matter of his music.[17] "Could Have Been" was released as a demo tape and discovered by MTV despite the fact that no video was created for the song.[17]

Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L.A. Reid was fired.[3] During his short tenure at Arista, he met Jay-Z, who was the president of Def Jam Recordings at the time. Jay-Z referred to him as a "breath of fresh air", saying that he reminded him of a younger version of himself.[16] Jay-Z later helped him get a record deal at Atlantic Records.[16] While Fiasco was working on his debut solo album, he released his mixtape series Fahrenheit 1/15 over the internet, which gained notoriety by word-of-mouth.

He remixed Kanye West's song, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", renaming the new version as "Conflict Diamonds". With this remix, Fiasco wished to raise awareness of the conflict diamond business.[18] This caught West's attention, and he asked Fiasco to perform on the song "Touch the Sky" for West's album Late Registration. The song, which sampled Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up", became a hit in the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number forty-two.[19] After this success, Fiasco's first single "Kick, Push" was released earlier than expected. The song was a love story about two people sharing a passion for skateboarding, a topic generally not discussed in hip-hop.[20] Fiasco explained, "[Skateboarding culture is] just as deep as hip-hop. I'm not the greatest skateboarder, but I'm a damn good rapper, so I made a damn good skateboarding song."[20] The single, and its accompanying music video, helped Fiasco get attention in the hip-hop community, and was later nominated for two 2007 Grammy Awards.[12][21] During this time, he recorded guest performances on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" singles, and also on K Foxx's 2004 "This Life".

2006–2008: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor and The Cool

Jay Z assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.[22] The title of the album is a reference to 'Food and Liquor' stores common in Chicago. He explains, "The store is where everything is at...Food to me represents growth and progression. You eat food and you get strength. You need it to live. Liquor is not a necessity; it is a want. It destroys you. It breaks you down. I can see why it's prohibited in Islam...I've always felt like liquor represents the bad, the food represents the good, and everyone is made up of a little of both."[23] Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor was officially released on September 19, 2006. The album featured production from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, The Neptunes, Prolyfic, among others. The record spawned the singles "Kick, Push", "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott. The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album.[4] Fiasco won "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" for "Daydreamin'".[24] In the same year, he was voted by GQ magazine as the "Breakout Man of the Year."[17] He also received four BET Hip Hop Award nominations, and it made it to number eight on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[25] That same year he participated in the first Cypher at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

It was a lot of tragedy coming into this album. In the midst of a lot of success, I was so busy I didn't have time to properly mourn. Talking to yourself, having some therapy with yourself – it was the hardest record to write because of the emotions.

- Lupe Fiasco, on Lupe Fiasco's The Cool[26]

In 2007, Fiasco announced his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. While recording this album, Fiasco's father died of type II diabetes and his business partner, Charles "Chilly" Patton, was convicted of attempting to supply heroin to a drug ring and was eventually sentenced to 44 years in a correctional facility.[6][27] These events greatly affected Fiasco and the subsequent themes discussed on the record.[26] The disc was released in December 2007 in United States while the first single and video from the album, "Superstar" featuring Matthew Santos was released the first week of November 2007. Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expanded upon recurring themes in Food & Liquor, is about "a hustler who dies and comes back to life, only to get robbed by two little kids with the same gun that killed him."[28] For the record, Fiasco decided not to work with well-known producers as he considered it to be "too expensive", noting the commercial failure of his Pharrell collaboration, "I Gotcha".[28]

 
Fiasco performing in Commerce City, Colorado, on July 19, 2008.

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool was very well received by critics and was referred to as "one of the year's best hip-hop albums" by The New York Times.[29] "Superstar", a semi-autobiographical account of his rise to fame, was released as the first single from the album, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.[17][30] Baseball's Hanley Ramírez, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Gerald Laird and Ryan Braun have used "Superstar" as their at-bat song.[31] The album's second single (released in the UK in April 2008) was "Paris, Tokyo" – a song based around Fiasco's experiences of touring the world between his first and second albums.[17] Moreover, in 2007 it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had formed a group called Child Rebel Soldier.[32][33] CRS initially released one single, entitled "US Placers" and featuring a Thom Yorke sample. In an interview with The Village Voice, Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer, aptly titled Reflections of a Window Washer.[34] In 2008, Fiasco and his band 1500 or Nothin joined Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour which also featured Rihanna and N.E.R.D. The tour stopped in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago. In 2008, MTV named Fiasco the 7th Hottest MC in the Game[35] and announced that he was remixing The Cool with French electro house act Justice.[36]

2009–2011: Lasers

All City Chess Club
Genres
Years active2010–2015[37]
Labels1st & 15th
Past members

At a performance in New Zealand in February 2010, Fiasco performed new material from the then-titled We Are Lasers for the first time.[38] He claimed that the album was complete and waiting for a release date from his label, Atlantic Records.[38] However, Atlantic feared that the record lacked commercial singles, and presented Fiasco with songs the label wanted him to record.[39] Fiasco declined, as he was told he would not have any ownership of the songs.[39] He explained, "I don't think the label cares about an album...People just want their number-one record."[39] For six months, the cause of the album's delay remained unclear to the public. In response, Fiasco's fans created an online petition demanding that Atlantic Records release Lasers. The petition garnered considerable attention on hip hop blog sites as well as over 16,000 signatures.[39] Fiasco stated that the petition "brought [him] to tears", and in response to the petition, Fiasco released a song titled "B.M.F-Building Minds Faster" to thank his fans.[39]

While waiting for Lasers to be released, Fiasco completed another album, titled Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album.[40] He was unsure if the Food and Liquor II would ever be released, though he released the song "Go To Sleep" from the record "out of desperation" to put out new music.[40] He also pursued numerous side projects in the midst of the delay. In April 2010, Fiasco formed the hip hop collective All City Chess Club along with Pharrell, Asher Roth, B.o.B, The Cool Kids, Charles Hamilton, Blu, Diggy Simmons, Wale, J. Cole, & Dosage.[41] The group has so far made one song, a remix of Fiasco's "I'm Beamin".[42] Additionally, On July 16, 2010, Fiasco released his rock side-project Japanese Cartoon's debut EP In The Jaws of the Lords of Death. Japanese Cartoon was influenced by a variety of musical genres, with Fiasco saying, "I've always been a fan of all music...Hip hop is just something I actually know how to do but I always had aspirations to participate in other forms of music. Once I got to create some hip hop, it was like, 'Okay, what am I going to do now?' So my artistic side was like, 'Yo, let's do some rock music.'"[40]

More than two and a half years after the album's completion, Lasers was released on March 8, 2011. The first single from the record was "The Show Goes On", which samples "Float On" by Modest Mouse. "The Show Goes On" debuted at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100.[43] The lead single peaked at number 9 since then. The producers involved on the album include Alex Da Kidd, King David "The Future" and Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, while featured artists include Skylar Grey, Trey Songz, and John Legend.[17] Upon the album's release, Lasers debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 204,000 copies.[44][45] Despite the album's commercial success, Lasers received mixed reviews from most music critics.[46] Writing for AllMusic, editor Andy Kellman gave the record three out of five stars and criticized its "lumbering, overwrought choruses", writing that "If there is one MC whose rhymes should not be dulled for the sake of chasing pop trends, it's Lupe Fiasco".[47] Lasers, however, was nominated Best Rap Album, with "The Show Goes On" nominated for Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song at the 2012 Grammy Awards. Lupe Fiasco later involved himself at the Occupy Wall Street movement where he donated tents and released a poem in support of the protesters. He also released his "Friend of the People: I Fight Evil" mixtape on Thanksgiving Day.

2012–2013: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album

Fiasco subsequently released Food & Liquor 2, as well as put work into a joint album with fellow Child Rebel Soldier & All City Chess Club member Pharrell.[48] Prior to the album's release, he revealed that there would be no more mixtapes after "Friend Of The People: I Fight Evil" prior to Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, which was planned to be a double-disc with Part I set to release in fall 2012. Its lead single, the Simonsayz and B-Side produced track Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free), was released on May 21, which stirred controversy from an infuriated Pete Rock for using a sample from They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.). Rock said that he felt "so violated" by the use of the sample,[49] although the original track itself used samples from Tom Scott and James Brown.

In 2012, Fiasco also collaborated with Australian singer Guy Sebastian on the single "Battle Scars". The single was recorded in Sebastian's Sydney studio when Fiasco was in Australia for Supafest, and is featured on Sebastian's album Armageddon.[50] It debuted at number one in Australia in its first week, becoming Fiasco's first number one single.[51] On 21 August it was announced "Battle Scars" would be included on Fiasco's fourth album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, and was released as the fourth single in the United States on 28 August 2012.[52][53] It reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, number 23 on the Billboard Digital Song Chart and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Chart.[54][55] The song spent 20 nonconsecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, and reached platinum certification.[56][57] "Battle Scars" spent six weeks at number one in Australia, and has been certified 9× platinum by ARIA.[51][58] It also reached number two and double platinum in New Zealand and number two in Norway.[59][60][61]

Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 was released on September 25, 2012. The songs "Go to Sleep" and "Bitch Bad" were also released as singles. The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics.[62][63] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews.[62] It was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards.[64] Originally, the album was set to be released as a double-disc album, but Atlantic Records did not allow this arrangement, so the album was divided into two. It was confirmed that a Part 2 will be released in Spring 2013.[65] Lupe has said the album showcases more of his dexterity and lyrical substance.[66] S1 has confirmed to be producing on the album.[67] On January 17, 2013, he canceled the plan for the release of the second part of the original double disk. He then said that he would release another studio album in 2013.[68]

2013–2015: Tetsuo & Youth

On February 10, 2013, on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards he announced his fifth studio album would be titled Tetsuo & Youth.[69] Since then, he has released songs that are not slated to be on Tetsuo & Youth. These songs are "Light Blue" and "Jonylah Forever." Upon hearing her name in Lupe's song Form Follows Function, Imogen Heap reached out to Lupe on Twitter to give a thank you which led to Fiasco asking her to appear on his next album making her a possible guest artist on Tetsuo and Youth.[70] On August 4, 2013, Lupe Fiasco revealed a new song would be released on September 11, titled "Peace of Paper/Cup of Jayzus".[71]

On August 24, 2013, Fiasco revealed the first song from Tetsuo & Youth, "Crack", featuring Chris Brown.[72] Then on October 3, 2013, Fiasco announced the Tetsuo & Youth Preview tour to take place between November 2 and December 15, 2013. The tour featuring label-mate Stalley as a supporting act, and The Boy Illinois as an opening act.[73] He also revealed the album Tetsuo & Youth would be released in early 2014, but was later postponed to 2015.[74] On October 14, 2013, Fiasco released the first supposed song from the album, "Old School Love", featuring singer Ed Sheeran.[75] Then on October 21, 2013, Fiasco revealed that Big K.R.I.T. and Rick Ross would also be featured on the album.[76]

On May 19, 2014, Fiasco released the first promotional single before the announcement of the album's track list. "Mission" is a track to empower those facing cancer, revere cancer survivors, and remember those who have passed due to cancer-related illnesses," he explains. He has teamed up with Stand Up to Cancer as a celebrity ambassador. Together, they are planning collaborations tied to the track that will be unveiled the same year.[77] On June 24, 2014, Fiasco released a second promotional single titled "Next to It" which features Ty Dolla Sign on the hook.[78]

Most recently due to the Ferguson riots of 2014, Lupe Fiasco has ended up on Twitter feuds with fellow rappers Azealia Banks and Kid Cudi.[79] The feud between Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco has not been resolved and has reportedly become worse, with Lupe Fiasco making threats on MTV.[80]

On August 29, 2015, Lupe surprised fans with a new free mixtape, entitled Pharaoh Height, featuring six new tracks that carry Egyptian-themed titles with cuts like "Valleys," "Kings," and "Pyramid."[81]

2016–2018: Drogas Light and Drogas Wave

In April 2016, Fiasco announced that he would release a final three albums (Drogas, Skulls, and Roy),[82] later becoming Drogas, Drogas Light, and Skulls, but in October 2016, he announced he wouldn't release those albums between October and January and past 2017 would release new music.[83]

On December 12, 2016, Lupe released his "N.E.R.D" freestyle (named after the funk rock duo of that name and over the instrumental to J. Cole's "Everybody Dies"), which included the line "Artist gettin' robbed for their publishing/By dirty Jewish execs that think his alms from the covenant."[84] Brian "DJ Z" Zisook of hip-hop website DJBooth, who is Jewish, wrote an editorial denouncing that line for its alleged anti-Semitism.[85] After "N.E.R.D" was apparently removed by SoundCloud for "hate speech," Lupe ultimately tweeted that he saw the situation as a sign from God to retire from music for good, announcing the cancellation of Drogas, Drogas Light and Skulls.[86] However, he announced DROGAS light would be released on 10 February 2017.[87] The new album will be distributed through the record label Thirty Tigers.[88]

In March 2018, Fiasco premiered a three-part television documentary called Beat N Path where he embarked on a journey around China to follow his passion for martial arts. This documentary is a tribute to his late father who was a grand master and ran a martial arts school in Chicago. His experiences will help him write his next single called "Air China". The documentary aired exclusively on KIX in Southeast Asia.[89][90][91]

On September 13, 2018, Fiasco announced that Drogas Wave will be released on September 21, 2018.[92] The album is the second part of a planned trilogy of albums, with Drogas Light as its predecessor followed by Skulls.[93]

2022-Present: Drill Music in Zion

Fiasco released Drill Music in Zion on June 24, 2022, through 1st & 15th Too and Thirty Tigers. It was preceded by two singles, "Autoboto" and "Drill Music in Zion". On 9 December 2022, Fiasco was featured on Aesop Rock's song “Pumpkin Seeds”, produced by Blockhead. The song is a fundraiser for the Collaboratory, an organization promoting two local DIY skateparks in Dayton, Ohio.[94]

On 28 April 2023, Fiasco released the song "SentRock" in collaboration with the Chicago visual artist SentRock. The song was written and produced by Fiasco, while SentRock painted a piece with references to the song's lyrics.[95]

Artistry

Influences

Jaco's influence include Nas, Jay Z, Common, AZ, De La Soul, N.W.A, Mos Def, Pharrell Williams, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Linkin Park[96][97] and Gang Starr.[citation needed]

Lyrical style

Fiasco, along with rappers Common, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, has been credited as a pioneer of the conscious hip hop movement, which focuses on social issues.[98] Subjects touched upon on Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor include absent parents, terrorism, Islam and religion, war, and prostitution.[98] Fiasco attributes his interest in social issues to his highly cultured upbringing, as he describes his mother as "very intellectual" and his father as a "Renaissance man".[98] He rejects the misogyny common in hip hop, which he discusses in the song "Hurt Me Soul".[99] Despite this, Fiasco is strongly opposed to censorship in music: "If we're going to [censor things] that are offensive, then we are going to have to blind and deafen everyone. Come on, man. Let's focus on education and literacy and poverty."[100]

Fiasco employs various lyrical techniques in his songwriting. The rapper views hip-hop as a medium conducive to storytelling, a primary element of his lyrics due to his background in theater.[98] He wrote plays as a child, which had a strong effect on his songwriting approaches.[98] Fiasco utilizes both metaphors and literal statements in his work, which he describes as "getting from point A to point B in as few words as possible".[98] His use of metaphors is exemplified by the song "Gotta Eat" from Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, which is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger and addresses the poor nutrition in black communities in the United States,[27] while using a continuous metaphor of drug dealing and hustling.

Philanthropy and business ventures

In 2001, Fiasco co-founded 1st & 15th Entertainment with Charles "Chilly" Patton. 1st & 15th is an independent record label separate from Atlantic Records named after the traditional twice-monthly paycheck dates.[16] Although his albums are released by Atlantic since he is under contract with it, most of his works are usually produced by 1st & 15th and its in-house producers. Although Fiasco was initially to serve as vice-president, he became CEO after Patton was convicted on drug charges.[101][102] Fiasco and singer Matthew Santos were two of the most recognizable signed artists. In November 2009, Fiasco announced he would discontinue the 1st & 15th label: "It was just such a 'this isn't right for you right now. This isn't gonna work for you right now. You need to be focused on you. Do you really want that, do you really have the capacity to do it?'"[103] In March 2013 Fiasco took to Twitter to announce that he had become the Creative Director at Higi, a scoring system based in the Chicago area that helps you to discover more about yourself so you can look, live and feel better.

In 2005, he founded Righteous Kung-Fu, a company that designs fashions, sneakers, toys, video games, comic books, and graphics for album covers and skateboard decks. Fiasco also runs a fashion line out of Righteous Kung-Fu called Trilly & Truly.[104] He has sponsored a skateboard team and has endorsements from DGK Skateboards.[105] In January 2006, Fiasco signed with major footwear and apparel corporation Reebok, becoming part of the "O.G" marketing campaign where rap artists such as Lil Wayne and Mike Jones designed their own personal colorway of the Reebok "O.G" model.[104]

In 2009, Fiasco performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that employs musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.[106] On January 7, 2010, Fiasco joined musician Kenna, actress Jessica Biel, and other celebrities and activists for an expedition to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro called Summit on the Summit to raise awareness of the billions of people worldwide who lack access to sanitary drinking water.[107] On January 20, 2010, Fiasco released a track called "Resurrection" with Kenna in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The song, part of a compilation released through the charity Music for Relief, aimed to encourage donations for immediate relief and long-term recovery following the disaster.[108]

Between 2020 and 2023, Fiasco has been a visiting scholar and artist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, often in collaboration with Professor of Digital Media Nick Montfort.[109]

Personal life

Gaming

Lupe Fiasco is an avid gamer and likes to play the Street Fighter series of fighting games. He surprisingly won an exhibition match of Street Fighter V against professional player Daigo Umehara in 2016, defeating him 3-2 using Ken.[110][111]

Mixed Martial Arts

During a 2008 interview with methodshop, Lupe Fiasco revealed that he has “a black belt in karate, two black belts in the styles of samurai sword fighting, kendo and aido” as well as “the equivalent of a black belt in Chinese wushu.”

Fiasco is such a fan of Martial Arts, he named one of his companies “Righteous Kung-Fu,” a brand that does fashion design, sneakers, toys, video games, comic books and more. He also once revealed on Facebook that his family is “three generations deep in the martial arts” and they have 5 Karate schools in Chicago.

Religion

...I'm not like the poster boy for Islam... I still got my flaws and stuff like that, so I don't really wear that on my sleeve... I don't go to clubs, I don't drink, I don't smoke, you know like my whole - the whole groupie situation is shut down.

– Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, on his faith.[112]

Lupe Fiasco has stated on MTV's Rap Fix, as well as in various other media, that he is Muslim and that Islam "plays a part in my life and everything I do, to a certain extent... I don't like putting my religion out there, I don't like wearing it like that, because I don't want people to look at me as the poster child for Islam. I'm not. I don't want them to look at my flaws and be like, 'oh, that's the flaws of Islam'."[112][113][114][115] His mixtape series Fahrenheit 1/15 featured a remix of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" entitled "Muhammad Walks", which went on to become very popular in the Muslim community.[116] He can be heard using Islamic recitals in "Hurt Me Soul", "Little Weapon", "Hi-Definition" as well as the intro and outro tracks to Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Lupe Fiasco has endorsed the idea that Islam will some day "be the world's religion and conquer the world."[117]

Political views

In an interview with Stephen Colbert on the satirical news show The Colbert Report, Fiasco stated his credo on political philosophy: "You should criticize power even if you agree with it."[118] In another interview in June 2011 on the CBS program What's Trending, Fiasco discussed the political content of his music, stating, "My fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama and the United States of America. I'm trying to fight the terrorism that's actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen. The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists."[119] He additionally criticized Obama for his stance on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[120] Fiasco says he did not vote in U.S. elections until 2018.[121] He said on Twitter that he now votes due to the racial views of Donald Trump, and that he generally votes for Democratic candidates.[122] On January 20, 2013, he was removed from the stage by the security for refusing to move onto the next song after performing a 30-minute version of "Words I Never Said", which contains anti-Obama lyrics, in Washington D.C., during Obama's second presidential inauguration.[123][124] In June 2015, Lupe Fiasco wrote an open letter about white supremacy.[125]

Discography

Main article: Lupe Fiasco discography

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Beat N Path Himself 3 episodes; also executive producer
Empire Himself Cameo

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Lupe Fiasco

In 2006, Lupe was named one of GQ's Men of the Year along with being awarded one Grammy in 2008 along with 12 nominations. He has been nominated for numerous other awards and has also been awarded the Character Approved Award for a Musician by USA in 2009.[126]

References

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Further reading

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Lupe Fiasco.
  • Official website
  • Lupe Fiasco at IMDb
  • Lupe Fiasco's channel on YouTube
  • The People Speak at IMDb

May 21, 2023
lupe, fiasco, wasalu, muhammad, jaco, born, february, 1982, better, known, stage, name, american, rapper, record, producer, rose, fame, 2006, following, success, debut, album, food, liquor, also, performs, frontman, rock, band, japanese, cartoon, under, real, . Wasalu Muhammad Jaco born February 16 1982 better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ˈ l uː p eɪ LOO pay is an American rapper and record producer He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name As an entrepreneur Fiasco was the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment Lupe FiascoLupe Fiasco performing in 2012Background informationBirth nameWasalu Muhammad JacoAlso known asDouble J 1 Born 1982 02 16 February 16 1982 age 41 Chicago Illinois U S GenresHip hopOccupation s Rapper singer songwriter record producer entrepreneurYears active2000 presentLabels1st amp 15th The Orchard Thirty Tigers current Atlantic former Member ofJapanese CartoonFormerly ofAll City Chess ClubChild Rebel SoldierWebsitelupefiasco wbr comRaised in Chicago Jaco developed an interest in hip hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity and misogyny After adopting the name Lupe Fiasco and recording songs in his father s basement 19 year old Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak The group disbanded shortly after its inception and Fiasco soon met rapper Jay Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records In September 2006 Fiasco released his debut album Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor on the label which received three Grammy nominations He released his second album Lupe Fiasco s The Cool in December 2007 The lead single Superstar became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 After a two year delay his third album Lasers was released in May 2011 to mixed reviews however it became his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 The album was preceded by his highest charting single The Show Goes On which peaked at number 9 His latest album Drill Music in Zion was released in June 2022 In addition to music Fiasco has pursued other business ventures including fashion He runs two clothing lines Righteous Kung Fu and Trilly amp Truly he has designed sneakers for Reebok He has been involved with charitable activities including the Summit on the Summit expedition and in 2010 he recorded a benefit single for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake Fiasco is also noted for his anti establishment views which he has expressed in both interviews and his music Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 1982 1999 Early life 1 2 2000 2005 Career beginnings 1 3 2006 2008 Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor and The Cool 1 4 2009 2011 Lasers 1 5 2012 2013 Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album 1 6 2013 2015 Tetsuo amp Youth 1 7 2016 2018 Drogas Light and Drogas Wave 1 8 2022 Present Drill Music in Zion 2 Artistry 2 1 Influences 2 2 Lyrical style 3 Philanthropy and business ventures 4 Personal life 4 1 Gaming 4 2 Mixed Martial Arts 4 3 Religion 4 4 Political views 5 Discography 6 Filmography 6 1 Television 7 Awards 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksLife and career1982 1999 Early life I grew up in the hood around prostitutes drug dealers killers and gangbangers but I also grew up juxtaposed On the doorknob outside of our apartment there was blood from some guy who got shot but inside there was National Geographic magazines and encyclopedias and a little library bookshelf situation And we didn t have cable so we didn t have the luxury of having our brains washed by MTV We watched public television cooking shows and stuff like that Fiasco on his childhood 2 Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 16 1982 in Chicago Illinois 3 4 Fiasco is of West African descent 5 one of nine children of Shirley a chef and Gregory an engineer 2 4 His father a member of the Black Panther Party was a prolific African drummer karate teacher operating plant engineer and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores 6 7 8 Fiasco was raised Muslim on the West Side of Chicago on Madison Terrace housing project 7 9 At the age of three Fiasco began taking martial arts classes 2 10 His parents divorced when he was five and he went on to live with his mother but his father still remained an important part of his life He described his father s influence over the family by saying After school my father would come and get us and take us out into the world one day we re listening to N W A the next day we re listening to Ravi Shankar the next day he s teaching us how to shoot an AK 47 the next day we re at karate class the next day we re in Chinatown 7 In sixth grade he went to live with his father full time in Harvey Illinois 11 His father lived next door to a crack house and taught Fiasco to use guns to defend himself from drug dealers 2 Despite his unstable upbringing Fiasco states that he was well educated as a child asserting that his parents exposed him to a diverse array of subjects and that reading was highly encouraged in his household 2 As a teenager Fiasco participated in Academic Decathlon competitions 4 His mother described him by saying He was a great spirited child Smart a bit complex he kind of was a loner he didn t hang with a lot of people He always had the glasses Always had a book bag over his shoulder and some type of a writing tablet 4 Fiasco initially disliked hip hop music for its use of vulgarity and preferred to listen to jazz he idolized clarinet player Benny Goodman 2 9 His struggle to learn to play an instrument led him to create poetry instead which led to his interest in the lyrical aspects of music 12 He began rapping his poems in the eighth grade and upon hearing Nas 1996 album It Was Written began to pursue hip hop 8 While attending Thornton Township High School Fiasco met gang member Bishop G The two became friends due to their shared interest in music 4 Fiasco s father allowed him and Bishop to make mixtapes in his basement and the two gained notoriety at the school for their music However they were kicked off stage during their first performance because their eclectic musical style was not embraced by the hip hop community 4 Early in his career he went by stage names Little Lu and Lu tha Underdog 13 Growing up Fiasco was given the nickname Lu the last part of his first name by his mother Lupe is an extension of this nickname which he borrowed from a friend from high school Fiasco is a reference to The Firm song Firm Fiasco the rapper liked the way it looked on paper 14 He also said of his name You know how rappers always have names like MC Terrorist like they re terrorizing other rappers I knew fiasco meant a great disaster or something like that but I didn t realize that the person named Fiasco would be the disaster and that you should be calling other MCs fiascos not yourself it kind of humbled me in a sense It taught me like Yo stop rushing or you re going to have some fiascos 13 2000 2005 Career beginnings Lupe Fiasco performing at the Intonation Music Festival 2006 When Fiasco was 18 he began creating music as a solo artist in his father s basement even though his parents were not keen on having their son be a rapper He scoured flea markets and secondhand stores where he was able to find an old mixing board and a record player stacks of vinyl records and mic stands 13 At age 19 Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak which was influenced by other California gangsta rappers such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube Da Pak signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up 3 Fiasco later described the experience saying We had a song out about cocaine guns and women and I would go to a record store and look at it and think What are you doing I felt like a hypocrite I was acting like this rapper who would never be judged and I had to destroy that guy Because what Lupe Fiasco says on this microphone is going to come back to Wasalu Jaco When the music cuts off you have to go home and live with what you say 15 After turning away from gangsta rap he developed a greater appreciation of the lyricism of Jay Z and Nas His mother also gave him a record of the influential group The Watts Prophets one of the first bands to use spoken words with music 16 Although he was without a group for the first time Fiasco continued to record music One of these first self recorded tracks was Could Have Been which described the career options he could have pursued had he not begun rapping 17 He viewed the song as a turning point in his career that marked a drastic change in the subject matter of his music 17 Could Have Been was released as a demo tape and discovered by MTV despite the fact that no video was created for the song 17 Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records but was dropped when president and CEO L A Reid was fired 3 During his short tenure at Arista he met Jay Z who was the president of Def Jam Recordings at the time Jay Z referred to him as a breath of fresh air saying that he reminded him of a younger version of himself 16 Jay Z later helped him get a record deal at Atlantic Records 16 While Fiasco was working on his debut solo album he released his mixtape series Fahrenheit 1 15 over the internet which gained notoriety by word of mouth He remixed Kanye West s song Diamonds from Sierra Leone renaming the new version as Conflict Diamonds With this remix Fiasco wished to raise awareness of the conflict diamond business 18 This caught West s attention and he asked Fiasco to perform on the song Touch the Sky for West s album Late Registration The song which sampled Curtis Mayfield s Move On Up became a hit in the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number forty two 19 After this success Fiasco s first single Kick Push was released earlier than expected The song was a love story about two people sharing a passion for skateboarding a topic generally not discussed in hip hop 20 Fiasco explained Skateboarding culture is just as deep as hip hop I m not the greatest skateboarder but I m a damn good rapper so I made a damn good skateboarding song 20 The single and its accompanying music video helped Fiasco get attention in the hip hop community and was later nominated for two 2007 Grammy Awards 12 21 During this time he recorded guest performances on Tha Rayne s Kiss Me and Didn t You Know singles and also on K Foxx s 2004 This Life 2006 2008 Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor and The Cool Jay Z assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor 22 The title of the album is a reference to Food and Liquor stores common in Chicago He explains The store is where everything is at Food to me represents growth and progression You eat food and you get strength You need it to live Liquor is not a necessity it is a want It destroys you It breaks you down I can see why it s prohibited in Islam I ve always felt like liquor represents the bad the food represents the good and everyone is made up of a little of both 23 Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor was officially released on September 19 2006 The album featured production from Jay Z Kanye West Mike Shinoda The Neptunes Prolyfic among others The record spawned the singles Kick Push I Gotcha and Daydreamin featuring Jill Scott The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album 4 Fiasco won Best Urban Alternative Performance for Daydreamin 24 In the same year he was voted by GQ magazine as the Breakout Man of the Year 17 He also received four BET Hip Hop Award nominations and it made it to number eight on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums chart 25 That same year he participated in the first Cypher at the BET Hip Hop Awards It was a lot of tragedy coming into this album In the midst of a lot of success I was so busy I didn t have time to properly mourn Talking to yourself having some therapy with yourself it was the hardest record to write because of the emotions Lupe Fiasco on Lupe Fiasco s The Cool 26 In 2007 Fiasco announced his second album Lupe Fiasco s The Cool a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album While recording this album Fiasco s father died of type II diabetes and his business partner Charles Chilly Patton was convicted of attempting to supply heroin to a drug ring and was eventually sentenced to 44 years in a correctional facility 6 27 These events greatly affected Fiasco and the subsequent themes discussed on the record 26 The disc was released in December 2007 in United States while the first single and video from the album Superstar featuring Matthew Santos was released the first week of November 2007 Lupe Fiasco s The Cool a concept album that expanded upon recurring themes in Food amp Liquor is about a hustler who dies and comes back to life only to get robbed by two little kids with the same gun that killed him 28 For the record Fiasco decided not to work with well known producers as he considered it to be too expensive noting the commercial failure of his Pharrell collaboration I Gotcha 28 Fiasco performing in Commerce City Colorado on July 19 2008 Lupe Fiasco s The Cool was very well received by critics and was referred to as one of the year s best hip hop albums by The New York Times 29 Superstar a semi autobiographical account of his rise to fame was released as the first single from the album and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 17 30 Baseball s Hanley Ramirez Troy Tulowitzki Ryan Zimmerman Gerald Laird and Ryan Braun have used Superstar as their at bat song 31 The album s second single released in the UK in April 2008 was Paris Tokyo a song based around Fiasco s experiences of touring the world between his first and second albums 17 Moreover in 2007 it was revealed that Fiasco Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had formed a group called Child Rebel Soldier 32 33 CRS initially released one single entitled US Placers and featuring a Thom Yorke sample In an interview with The Village Voice Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer aptly titled Reflections of a Window Washer 34 In 2008 Fiasco and his band 1500 or Nothin joined Kanye West s Glow in the Dark Tour which also featured Rihanna and N E R D The tour stopped in several cities including his hometown of Chicago In 2008 MTV named Fiasco the 7th Hottest MC in the Game 35 and announced that he was remixing The Cool with French electro house act Justice 36 2009 2011 Lasers All City Chess ClubGenresExperimental hip hophipster hopYears active2010 2015 37 Labels1st amp 15thPast membersAsher Roth B o B Blu Charles Hamilton The Cool Kids Diggy Doseage Jermaine Cole Lupe Fiasco Pharrell Williams WaleAt a performance in New Zealand in February 2010 Fiasco performed new material from the then titled We Are Lasers for the first time 38 He claimed that the album was complete and waiting for a release date from his label Atlantic Records 38 However Atlantic feared that the record lacked commercial singles and presented Fiasco with songs the label wanted him to record 39 Fiasco declined as he was told he would not have any ownership of the songs 39 He explained I don t think the label cares about an album People just want their number one record 39 For six months the cause of the album s delay remained unclear to the public In response Fiasco s fans created an online petition demanding that Atlantic Records release Lasers The petition garnered considerable attention on hip hop blog sites as well as over 16 000 signatures 39 Fiasco stated that the petition brought him to tears and in response to the petition Fiasco released a song titled B M F Building Minds Faster to thank his fans 39 While waiting for Lasers to be released Fiasco completed another album titled Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album 40 He was unsure if the Food and Liquor II would ever be released though he released the song Go To Sleep from the record out of desperation to put out new music 40 He also pursued numerous side projects in the midst of the delay In April 2010 Fiasco formed the hip hop collective All City Chess Club along with Pharrell Asher Roth B o B The Cool Kids Charles Hamilton Blu Diggy Simmons Wale J Cole amp Dosage 41 The group has so far made one song a remix of Fiasco s I m Beamin 42 Additionally On July 16 2010 Fiasco released his rock side project Japanese Cartoon s debut EP In The Jaws of the Lords of Death Japanese Cartoon was influenced by a variety of musical genres with Fiasco saying I ve always been a fan of all music Hip hop is just something I actually know how to do but I always had aspirations to participate in other forms of music Once I got to create some hip hop it was like Okay what am I going to do now So my artistic side was like Yo let s do some rock music 40 More than two and a half years after the album s completion Lasers was released on March 8 2011 The first single from the record was The Show Goes On which samples Float On by Modest Mouse The Show Goes On debuted at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 43 The lead single peaked at number 9 since then The producers involved on the album include Alex Da Kidd King David The Future and Jerry Wonda Duplessis while featured artists include Skylar Grey Trey Songz and John Legend 17 Upon the album s release Lasers debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 204 000 copies 44 45 Despite the album s commercial success Lasers received mixed reviews from most music critics 46 Writing for AllMusic editor Andy Kellman gave the record three out of five stars and criticized its lumbering overwrought choruses writing that If there is one MC whose rhymes should not be dulled for the sake of chasing pop trends it s Lupe Fiasco 47 Lasers however was nominated Best Rap Album with The Show Goes On nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2012 Grammy Awards Lupe Fiasco later involved himself at the Occupy Wall Street movement where he donated tents and released a poem in support of the protesters He also released his Friend of the People I Fight Evil mixtape on Thanksgiving Day 2012 2013 Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album Fiasco subsequently released Food amp Liquor 2 as well as put work into a joint album with fellow Child Rebel Soldier amp All City Chess Club member Pharrell 48 Prior to the album s release he revealed that there would be no more mixtapes after Friend Of The People I Fight Evil prior to Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album which was planned to be a double disc with Part I set to release in fall 2012 Its lead single the Simonsayz and B Side produced track Around My Way Freedom Ain t Free was released on May 21 which stirred controversy from an infuriated Pete Rock for using a sample from They Reminisce Over You T R O Y Rock said that he felt so violated by the use of the sample 49 although the original track itself used samples from Tom Scott and James Brown In 2012 Fiasco also collaborated with Australian singer Guy Sebastian on the single Battle Scars The single was recorded in Sebastian s Sydney studio when Fiasco was in Australia for Supafest and is featured on Sebastian s album Armageddon 50 It debuted at number one in Australia in its first week becoming Fiasco s first number one single 51 On 21 August it was announced Battle Scars would be included on Fiasco s fourth album Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album Pt 1 and was released as the fourth single in the United States on 28 August 2012 52 53 It reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart number 23 on the Billboard Digital Song Chart and number one on the R amp B Hip Hop Digital Song Chart 54 55 The song spent 20 nonconsecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 and reached platinum certification 56 57 Battle Scars spent six weeks at number one in Australia and has been certified 9 platinum by ARIA 51 58 It also reached number two and double platinum in New Zealand and number two in Norway 59 60 61 Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album Pt 1 was released on September 25 2012 The songs Go to Sleep and Bitch Bad were also released as singles The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics 62 63 At Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics the album received an average score of 70 which indicates generally favorable reviews based on 18 reviews 62 It was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards 64 Originally the album was set to be released as a double disc album but Atlantic Records did not allow this arrangement so the album was divided into two It was confirmed that a Part 2 will be released in Spring 2013 65 Lupe has said the album showcases more of his dexterity and lyrical substance 66 S1 has confirmed to be producing on the album 67 On January 17 2013 he canceled the plan for the release of the second part of the original double disk He then said that he would release another studio album in 2013 68 2013 2015 Tetsuo amp Youth On February 10 2013 on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards he announced his fifth studio album would be titled Tetsuo amp Youth 69 Since then he has released songs that are not slated to be on Tetsuo amp Youth These songs are Light Blue and Jonylah Forever Upon hearing her name in Lupe s song Form Follows Function Imogen Heap reached out to Lupe on Twitter to give a thank you which led to Fiasco asking her to appear on his next album making her a possible guest artist on Tetsuo and Youth 70 On August 4 2013 Lupe Fiasco revealed a new song would be released on September 11 titled Peace of Paper Cup of Jayzus 71 On August 24 2013 Fiasco revealed the first song from Tetsuo amp Youth Crack featuring Chris Brown 72 Then on October 3 2013 Fiasco announced the Tetsuo amp Youth Preview tour to take place between November 2 and December 15 2013 The tour featuring label mate Stalley as a supporting act and The Boy Illinois as an opening act 73 He also revealed the album Tetsuo amp Youth would be released in early 2014 but was later postponed to 2015 74 On October 14 2013 Fiasco released the first supposed song from the album Old School Love featuring singer Ed Sheeran 75 Then on October 21 2013 Fiasco revealed that Big K R I T and Rick Ross would also be featured on the album 76 On May 19 2014 Fiasco released the first promotional single before the announcement of the album s track list Mission is a track to empower those facing cancer revere cancer survivors and remember those who have passed due to cancer related illnesses he explains He has teamed up with Stand Up to Cancer as a celebrity ambassador Together they are planning collaborations tied to the track that will be unveiled the same year 77 On June 24 2014 Fiasco released a second promotional single titled Next to It which features Ty Dolla Sign on the hook 78 Most recently due to the Ferguson riots of 2014 Lupe Fiasco has ended up on Twitter feuds with fellow rappers Azealia Banks and Kid Cudi 79 The feud between Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco has not been resolved and has reportedly become worse with Lupe Fiasco making threats on MTV 80 On August 29 2015 Lupe surprised fans with a new free mixtape entitled Pharaoh Height featuring six new tracks that carry Egyptian themed titles with cuts like Valleys Kings and Pyramid 81 2016 2018 Drogas Light and Drogas Wave In April 2016 Fiasco announced that he would release a final three albums Drogas Skulls and Roy 82 later becoming Drogas Drogas Light and Skulls but in October 2016 he announced he wouldn t release those albums between October and January and past 2017 would release new music 83 On December 12 2016 Lupe released his N E R D freestyle named after the funk rock duo of that name and over the instrumental to J Cole s Everybody Dies which included the line Artist gettin robbed for their publishing By dirty Jewish execs that think his alms from the covenant 84 Brian DJ Z Zisook of hip hop website DJBooth who is Jewish wrote an editorial denouncing that line for its alleged anti Semitism 85 After N E R D was apparently removed by SoundCloud for hate speech Lupe ultimately tweeted that he saw the situation as a sign from God to retire from music for good announcing the cancellation of Drogas Drogas Light and Skulls 86 However he announced DROGAS light would be released on 10 February 2017 87 The new album will be distributed through the record label Thirty Tigers 88 In March 2018 Fiasco premiered a three part television documentary called Beat N Path where he embarked on a journey around China to follow his passion for martial arts This documentary is a tribute to his late father who was a grand master and ran a martial arts school in Chicago His experiences will help him write his next single called Air China The documentary aired exclusively on KIX in Southeast Asia 89 90 91 On September 13 2018 Fiasco announced that Drogas Wave will be released on September 21 2018 92 The album is the second part of a planned trilogy of albums with Drogas Light as its predecessor followed by Skulls 93 2022 Present Drill Music in Zion Fiasco released Drill Music in Zion on June 24 2022 through 1st amp 15th Too and Thirty Tigers It was preceded by two singles Autoboto and Drill Music in Zion On 9 December 2022 Fiasco was featured on Aesop Rock s song Pumpkin Seeds produced by Blockhead The song is a fundraiser for the Collaboratory an organization promoting two local DIY skateparks in Dayton Ohio 94 On 28 April 2023 Fiasco released the song SentRock in collaboration with the Chicago visual artist SentRock The song was written and produced by Fiasco while SentRock painted a piece with references to the song s lyrics 95 ArtistryInfluences Jaco s influence include Nas Jay Z Common AZ De La Soul N W A Mos Def Pharrell Williams A Tribe Called Quest Q Tip Linkin Park 96 97 and Gang Starr citation needed Lyrical style Fiasco along with rappers Common Mos Def and Talib Kweli has been credited as a pioneer of the conscious hip hop movement which focuses on social issues 98 Subjects touched upon on Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor include absent parents terrorism Islam and religion war and prostitution 98 Fiasco attributes his interest in social issues to his highly cultured upbringing as he describes his mother as very intellectual and his father as a Renaissance man 98 He rejects the misogyny common in hip hop which he discusses in the song Hurt Me Soul 99 Despite this Fiasco is strongly opposed to censorship in music If we re going to censor things that are offensive then we are going to have to blind and deafen everyone Come on man Let s focus on education and literacy and poverty 100 Fiasco employs various lyrical techniques in his songwriting The rapper views hip hop as a medium conducive to storytelling a primary element of his lyrics due to his background in theater 98 He wrote plays as a child which had a strong effect on his songwriting approaches 98 Fiasco utilizes both metaphors and literal statements in his work which he describes as getting from point A to point B in as few words as possible 98 His use of metaphors is exemplified by the song Gotta Eat from Lupe Fiasco s The Cool which is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger and addresses the poor nutrition in black communities in the United States 27 while using a continuous metaphor of drug dealing and hustling Philanthropy and business venturesIn 2001 Fiasco co founded 1st amp 15th Entertainment with Charles Chilly Patton 1st amp 15th is an independent record label separate from Atlantic Records named after the traditional twice monthly paycheck dates 16 Although his albums are released by Atlantic since he is under contract with it most of his works are usually produced by 1st amp 15th and its in house producers Although Fiasco was initially to serve as vice president he became CEO after Patton was convicted on drug charges 101 102 Fiasco and singer Matthew Santos were two of the most recognizable signed artists In November 2009 Fiasco announced he would discontinue the 1st amp 15th label It was just such a this isn t right for you right now This isn t gonna work for you right now You need to be focused on you Do you really want that do you really have the capacity to do it 103 In March 2013 Fiasco took to Twitter to announce that he had become the Creative Director at Higi a scoring system based in the Chicago area that helps you to discover more about yourself so you can look live and feel better In 2005 he founded Righteous Kung Fu a company that designs fashions sneakers toys video games comic books and graphics for album covers and skateboard decks Fiasco also runs a fashion line out of Righteous Kung Fu called Trilly amp Truly 104 He has sponsored a skateboard team and has endorsements from DGK Skateboards 105 In January 2006 Fiasco signed with major footwear and apparel corporation Reebok becoming part of the O G marketing campaign where rap artists such as Lil Wayne and Mike Jones designed their own personal colorway of the Reebok O G model 104 In 2009 Fiasco performed in The People Speak a documentary feature film that employs musical performances of the letters diaries and speeches of everyday Americans based on historian Howard Zinn s A People s History of the United States 106 On January 7 2010 Fiasco joined musician Kenna actress Jessica Biel and other celebrities and activists for an expedition to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro called Summit on the Summit to raise awareness of the billions of people worldwide who lack access to sanitary drinking water 107 On January 20 2010 Fiasco released a track called Resurrection with Kenna in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake The song part of a compilation released through the charity Music for Relief aimed to encourage donations for immediate relief and long term recovery following the disaster 108 Between 2020 and 2023 Fiasco has been a visiting scholar and artist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology often in collaboration with Professor of Digital Media Nick Montfort 109 Personal lifeGaming Lupe Fiasco is an avid gamer and likes to play the Street Fighter series of fighting games He surprisingly won an exhibition match of Street Fighter V against professional player Daigo Umehara in 2016 defeating him 3 2 using Ken 110 111 Mixed Martial Arts During a 2008 interview with methodshop Lupe Fiasco revealed that he has a black belt in karate two black belts in the styles of samurai sword fighting kendo and aido as well as the equivalent of a black belt in Chinese wushu Fiasco is such a fan of Martial Arts he named one of his companies Righteous Kung Fu a brand that does fashion design sneakers toys video games comic books and more He also once revealed on Facebook that his family is three generations deep in the martial arts and they have 5 Karate schools in Chicago Religion I m not like the poster boy for Islam I still got my flaws and stuff like that so I don t really wear that on my sleeve I don t go to clubs I don t drink I don t smoke you know like my whole the whole groupie situation is shut down Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on his faith 112 Lupe Fiasco has stated on MTV s Rap Fix as well as in various other media that he is Muslim and that Islam plays a part in my life and everything I do to a certain extent I don t like putting my religion out there I don t like wearing it like that because I don t want people to look at me as the poster child for Islam I m not I don t want them to look at my flaws and be like oh that s the flaws of Islam 112 113 114 115 His mixtape series Fahrenheit 1 15 featured a remix of Kanye West s Jesus Walks entitled Muhammad Walks which went on to become very popular in the Muslim community 116 He can be heard using Islamic recitals in Hurt Me Soul Little Weapon Hi Definition as well as the intro and outro tracks to Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor Lupe Fiasco has endorsed the idea that Islam will some day be the world s religion and conquer the world 117 Political views In an interview with Stephen Colbert on the satirical news show The Colbert Report Fiasco stated his credo on political philosophy You should criticize power even if you agree with it 118 In another interview in June 2011 on the CBS program What s Trending Fiasco discussed the political content of his music stating My fight against terrorism to me the biggest terrorist is Obama and the United States of America I m trying to fight the terrorism that s actually causing the other forms of terrorism You know the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U S government allows to happen The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists 119 He additionally criticized Obama for his stance on the Israeli Palestinian conflict 120 Fiasco says he did not vote in U S elections until 2018 121 He said on Twitter that he now votes due to the racial views of Donald Trump and that he generally votes for Democratic candidates 122 On January 20 2013 he was removed from the stage by the security for refusing to move onto the next song after performing a 30 minute version of Words I Never Said which contains anti Obama lyrics in Washington D C during Obama s second presidential inauguration 123 124 In June 2015 Lupe Fiasco wrote an open letter about white supremacy 125 DiscographyMain article Lupe Fiasco discography Lupe Fiasco s Food amp Liquor 2006 Lupe Fiasco s The Cool 2007 Lasers 2011 Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album Pt 1 2012 Tetsuo amp Youth 2015 Drogas Light 2017 Drogas Wave 2018 Drill Music in Zion 2022 FilmographyTelevision Year Title Role Notes2018 Beat N Path Himself 3 episodes also executive producerEmpire Himself CameoAwardsMain article List of awards and nominations received by Lupe Fiasco In 2006 Lupe was named one of GQ s Men of the Year along with being awarded one Grammy in 2008 along with 12 nominations He has been nominated for numerous other awards and has also been awarded the Character Approved Award for a Musician by USA in 2009 126 References Wasalu Muhammad Jaco Discography Discogs com Retrieved April 10 2020 a b c d e f Watson Margeaux January 17 2008 Lupe Fiasco The Art of Being Cool Entertainment Weekly Retrieved December 27 2010 a b c Kellman Andy Lupe Fiasco Biography AllMusic Retrieved December 4 2011 a b c d e f g Smith Bryan August 2 2007 Lupe Fiasco Word Star Chicago Retrieved December 4 2011 Lee Chris October 1 2006 Kick push coast rap The Seattle Times Archived from the original on February 3 2011 Retrieved October 18 2009 a b Collins Hattie April 12 2008 Lupe dreams The Guardian Retrieved July 5 2009 a b c Biography Today p 58 a b Blackman Guy January 8 2007 Sheep in wolf s clothing The Age Retrieved September 2 2007 a b Lupe Fiasco rapping outside the box FindArticles CBS Corporation December 2006 Archived from the original on May 29 2012 Retrieved April 28 2009 Lupe Fiasco Grew Up With Martial Arts Then Went To China To Study With The Masters NPR org Retrieved August 25 2020 Biography Today pp 59 61 a b Capobianco Ken November 13 2006 Lupe Fiasco accepts the outsider label as a positive rap The Boston Globe a b c Biography Today p 61 Fruchter Alexander May 11 2006 Hip To Be Square Soundslam com Archived from the original on January 8 2011 Retrieved September 2 2007 Biography Today pp 61 62 a b c d Biography Today p 62 a b c d e f g Lewis Pete March 3 2008 Lupe Fiasco Paris Tokyo Blues amp Soul Blues amp Soul Publications Inc Retrieved April 16 2008 Batey Angus January 20 2007 The death of bling The Times Touch the Sky Lupe Fiasco Chart History Billboard Retrieved June 13 2009 a b Hardimon Zharmer June 18 2006 The revolution will not be televised And you won t hear it on the radio either Houston Chronicle Biography Today p 63 Watson Margeaux January 11 2008 Meet rapper Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco s The Cool Entertainment Weekly Retrieved April 28 2009 Biography Today p 64 Kaufman Gil February 10 2008 Grammy Awards Get Rolling As Amy Winehouse Alicia Keys Kanye West Win Early Honors MTV News Retrieved October 6 2008 Biography Today p 65 a b Louie Rebecca January 8 2008 Cerebral rapper Lupe Fiasco thinks big with new Grammy bid The New York Times Retrieved December 7 2010 a b Westhoff Ben January 9 2008 Lupe Fiasco hints at music retirement SF Weekly Retrieved December 27 2010 a b Crosley Hillary November 27 2007 The Unclassifiable Lupe Fiasco Billboard Retrieved December 6 2011 Pareles Jon December 17 2007 New CDs The New York Times Retrieved June 15 2011 Superstar Chart History Billboard February 21 2008 OnMilwaukee com Recommends July 31 OnMilwaukee July 31 2007 Retrieved September 29 2008 Lupe and Kanye teamed with Radiohead MTV UK May 30 2007 Retrieved June 1 2007 Gudmundson Darryl May 29 2007 Kanye Lupe amp Pharrell Form Supergroup HipHopDX com Archived from the original on June 1 2007 Retrieved June 1 2007 Dodero Camille December 10 2007 Interview Lupe Fiasco The Village Voice Archived from the original on October 22 2008 Retrieved November 5 2008 Reid Shaheem May 16 2008 Lupe Fiasco Rises From Nowhere On Last Year s List To This Year s 7 Hottest MC In The Game MTV News Retrieved January 14 2009 Justice Remix Lupe Fiasco MTV News UK April 17 2008 Retrieved May 23 2008 Lupe Fiasco s All City Chess Club Supergroup Was Always Doomed According to One Member DJBooth net Retrieved April 10 2020 a b Reid Shaheem February 24 2010 Lupe Fiasco To Preview New LP On Forthcoming Tour MTV News Retrieved December 9 2011 a b c d e Reid Shaheem July 28 2010 Lupe Fiasco Talks Fan Petition Lasers Being In Limbo MTV News Retrieved December 7 2010 a b c Ahmed Insanul November 8 2010 Interview Lupe Fiasco Talks Lasers Delay Japanese Cartoon and Food amp Liquor II Complex Archived from the original on January 2 2013 Retrieved December 7 2010 Rodriguez Jayson May 18 2010 B o B Says All City Chess Club Side Project Is Fun And Creative MTV News Retrieved December 9 2011 Hughes Krysten April 4 2010 Lupe Fiasco Introduces All City Chess Club Supergroup Or Remix Collab Hip Hop DX Archived from the original on May 31 2011 Retrieved December 6 2010 Billboard Hot 100 Week of November 27 2010 Billboard September 12 2008 Retrieved December 10 2010 Caulfield Keith March 16 2011 Lupe Fiasco s Lasers Lands at No 1 on Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved March 20 2011 Rabin Nathan March 16 2011 Lupe Fiasco s long delayed Lasers debuts at number one Music Newswire The A V Club Retrieved March 17 2011 Lasers Reviews Ratings Credits and More Metacritic Retrieved on March 20 2011 Kellman Andy Lasers Lupe Fiasco AllMusic Retrieved December 10 2011 Facebook Facebook Retrieved April 9 2012 dead link Pete Rock Slams Lupe Fiasco for Crappy T R O Y Bite spin com May 22 2012 Retrieved April 19 2013 Sun Herald Entertainment News Retrieved 26 August 2012 a b Guy Sebastian feat Lupe Fiasco Battle Scars Australian Charts Portal Archived from the original on September 20 2012 Retrieved 20 August 2012 James Jessie 21 August 2012 Guy Sebastian Lupe Fiasco Battle Scars Stupid Dope Archived from the original on 21 August 2012 Lupe Fiasco announces Battle Scars as next single Retrieved on 21 August 2012 Adams Cameron 11 September 2012 Guy Sebastian s ARIA number one song Battle Scars with Lupe Fiasco hits 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100 news com au Archived from the original on 29 January 2013 R amp B Hip hop Digital Song Chart 15 September 2012 Billboard biz Archived from the original on 13 September 2012 Guy Sebastian and Lupe Fiasco Battle Scars aCharts US Retrieved 29 January 2013 RIAA searchable database Battle Scars Archived June 15 2013 at archive today Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved 20 May 2013 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2013 Singles Archived 2013 04 09 at the Wayback Machine Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved 9 December 2013 Guy Sebastian feat Lupe Fiasco Battle Scars New Zealand Charts Portal Retrieved 24 September 2012 Official New Zealand Music Chart 26 November 2012 Recording Industry Association New Zealand RIANZ Archived from the original on 25 November 2012 VG Lista Top 20 Singles Issue 49 2012 VG Lista Archived from the original on 7 December 2012 a b Food amp Liquor Vol 2 the Great American Rap Album Pt 1 Reviews Ratings Credits and More Metacritic CBS Interactive Retrieved September 27 2012 Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album Pt 1 by Lupe Fiasco reviews AnyDecentMusic Retrieved October 3 2012 Vasquez Andres December 6 2012 Grammy Nominees Revealed Frank Ocean Drake amp 2 Chainz Among Those Nominated Get The Latest Hip Hop News Rap News amp Hip Hop Album Sales HipHop DX Archived from the original on October 15 2013 Retrieved August 9 2014 The LupE N D Blog Lupe announces Spring Release for FL2 TGARA Part 2 The LupE N D Blog September 29 2012 Archived from the original on April 26 2013 Retrieved September 29 2012 Bristout Ralph January 14 2013 XXL Presents The 35 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013 XXL Xxlmag com Retrieved August 9 2014 Ryon Sean January 9 2013 S1 Reveals Production For Kanye West s New Solo Album Get The Latest Hip Hop News Rap News amp Hip Hop Album Sales HipHop DX Archived from the original on March 18 2015 Retrieved August 9 2014 Horowitz Steven J January 17 2013 Lupe Fiasco Cancels Food amp Liquor II The Great American Rap Album Pt 2 Get The Latest Hip Hop News Rap News amp Hip Hop Album Sales HipHop DX Archived from the original on February 15 2015 Retrieved August 9 2014 Miles Dante February 10 2013 Lupe Fiasco Announces New Album Tetsuo amp Youth Get The Latest Hip Hop News Rap News amp Hip Hop Album Sales HipHop DX Archived from the original on March 18 2015 Retrieved August 9 2014 Imogen Heap on Lupe s Next Album We Think This Needs To Happen Article thelupENDblog com Archived from the original on April 23 2013 B J Steiner August 5 2013 Lupe Fiasco Announces Peace Of Paper Cup Of Jayzus XXL Xxlmag com Retrieved August 9 2014 Lupe Fiasco Previews Crack New Single Featuring Chris Brown Complex August 25 2013 Retrieved August 9 2014 Diep Eric October 28 2013 Stalley Joins Lupe Fiasco And The Boy Illinois On Upcoming Tour XXL Xxlmag com Retrieved August 9 2014 B J Steiner October 3 2013 Lupe Fiasco Will Be Hitting The Road With A New Tour XXL Xxlmag com Retrieved August 9 2014 Baker Soren December 9 2013 Lupe Fiasco Releases Old School Love Video Get The Latest Hip Hop News Rap News amp Hip Hop Album Sales HipHop DX Archived from the original on December 10 2014 Retrieved August 9 2014 Lee Christina October 25 2013 Lupe Fiasco s Tetsuo amp Youth Avoiding Politics Rolling Stone Retrieved August 9 2014 New Music Lupe Fiasco Mission Rap Up Retrieved January 20 2015 iTunes Music Next To It feat Ty Dolla ign Single by Lupe Fiasco Itunes apple com June 24 2014 Retrieved August 9 2014 Kendrick Lamar s Political Comments Set Off A Fight Between Lupe Fiasco Azealia Banks And Kid Cudi MTV News Retrieved January 20 2015 Lupe Fiasco To Kid Cudi Talk To Me Before I F k You Up mtv com Retrieved March 17 2018 Lupe Fiasco Pharaoh Height Mixtape BallerStatus com August 29 2015 Lupe Fiasco Says Roy Will Be His Last Album Pitchfork January 8 2016 Retrieved June 24 2019 Schwartz Danny October 16 2016 Lupe Fiasco will not release albums between October and January Hotnewhiphop Retrieved October 16 2016 Lupe Fiasco Raps Over J Cole s Everybody Dies On N E R D HipHopDX com December 12 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Lupe Fiasco s Anti Semitic Lyrics in N E R D Freestyle Are Dangerous DJBooth net December 12 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Lupe Fiasco Calls It Quits Once amp For All HipHopDX com December 13 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Drogas light Pre Order Apple com December 16 2016 Retrieved December 16 2016 Sodomsky Sam December 24 2016 Lupe Fiasco Announces New Album Drogas Light pitchfork com Conde Nast Retrieved January 23 2017 Dini Azri Lupe Fiasco travels to China for Beat N Path thehive asia Retrieved July 12 2018 Cross Borders on Lupe Fiasco s New Beat n Path mysky com ph Retrieved July 12 2018 Beat N Path China studiosv tv Retrieved July 12 2018 Kim Michelle September 13 2018 Lupe Fiasco Announces New Album Drogas Wave Pitchfork Retrieved September 14 2018 Lupe Fiasco announces new album and shares Gizzle collaboration Jump NME January 11 2017 Retrieved February 10 2017 Deville Chris December 9 2022 Aesop Rock Pumpkin Seeds Feat Lupe Fiasco Saponara Michael April 28 2023 LUPE FIASCO POPS THE TRUNK ON NEW SENTROCK COLLAB Lupe s message to fans Archived August 28 2005 at the Wayback Machine Atlantic Records Lupe says that his favourite album ever is by linkin park Genius a b c d e f Neems Jeff December 16 2006 Plenty to say Waikato Times Weiss Jeff January 16 2008 Fiasco moves them to the brink of euphoria Los Angeles Times Retrieved December 9 2011 Ahmed Azam August 7 2007 Day of Outrage targets offensive lyrics in hip hop The Chicago Tribune Retrieved December 10 2011 Lupe Fiasco s Record Label Partner Sentenced To 44 Years Denies Involvement In Drug Ring Hip Hop Rx June 4 2007 Retrieved April 28 2010 Lupe Fiasco s Business Partner Sentenced to 44 Years in Drug Case XXL June 4 2007 Archived from the original on October 5 2007 Retrieved April 28 2010 Lupe Fiasco Don t Forget em Ruby Hornet November 9 2009 Archived from the original on February 5 2010 Retrieved April 28 2010 a b Coachman Dale December 24 2006 Lupe Fiasco Interview Format Magazine Retrieved December 10 2011 Biography Today pp 68 69 Scoggin Andrew November 12 2009 Lupe Fiasco and guests let The People Speak The Daily Northwestern Archived from the original on July 1 2010 Retrieved January 6 2011 Montgomery James March 10 2010 Lupe Fiasco Used Karate Magic To Climb Mount Kilimanjaro MTV News Retrieved December 10 2011 Reid Shaheem January 19 2010 Linkin Park Lead Music For Relief Project To Benefit Haiti MTV News Retrieved December 10 2011 Wasalu Lupe Fiasco Jaco MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars Program Retrieved May 25 2022 Plunkett Luke February 16 2016 Lupe Fiasco Beat Daigo In Street Fighter V kotaku com Kotaku Retrieved March 16 2016 Hussain Tamoor Rapper Lupe Fiasco Agrees to Face Daigo Umehara in Street Fighter 5 Gamespot Retrieved January 30 2016 a b Interview Lupe Fiasco On The Hip Hop Industry Jay Z Chicago And His Karate Skills MethodShop com August 6 2008 Retrieved September 26 2012 Lupe Fiasco Brings Bitch Bad To RapFix Live News Video MTV August 22 2012 Retrieved September 26 2012 Rapper Lupe Fiasco Muslim rapper walks to the top of the charts Patheos com January 9 2007 Retrieved September 26 2012 Blog Archive Words I Never Said by Lupe Fiasco muslimsubjects org February 16 2012 Retrieved September 26 2012 Biography Today pp 62 63 Lupe Fiasco believes Islam will conquer the world theGrio October 4 2014 Retrieved January 20 2015 Sarah Godfrey June 9 2011 More of Lupe Fiasco s thoughts on Obama and politics tbd com Archived from the original on May 21 2013 Retrieved May 3 2013 Lupe Fiasco Calls Obama a Terrorist NBC June 8 2011 Retrieved June 8 2011 Batey Angus March 3 2011 Lupe Fiasco I have the right to speak out The Guardian Retrieved December 12 2011 Rob Markman September 20 2012 Lupe Fiasco s Anti Voting Stance Ignites Heated Twitter Debate mtv com LupeFiasco on Twitter Lupe Fiasco Removed From Stage After Making Anti Obama Comments Archived May 6 2015 at the Wayback Machine HipHopDX com January 21 2013 Lupe Fiasco ejected from inaugural event after anti Obama rant The Guardian January 21 2013 Lupe Fiasco pens open letter on white supremacy opnlttr com June 23 2015 Haddow Douglas GQ Man of the Year Lupe Fiasco News Formatmag com Retrieved November 21 2006 Further readingBiography Today Lupe Fiasco 2009 Omnigraphics Detroit Michigan ISBN 978 0 7808 1052 5 External links Wikiquote has quotations related to Lupe Fiasco Official website Lupe Fiasco at IMDb Lupe Fiasco s channel on YouTube The People Speak at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lupe Fiasco amp oldid 1155597146, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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