Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco performing at Northwestern University in May 2007
Background information
Birth name	Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
Also known as	The Child
Born	February 16, 1982 (1982-02-16) (age 27)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation(s)	Rapper, songwriter, producer, CEO
Years active	2001–present
Label(s)	Atlantic, 1st & 15th
Associated acts	Child Rebel Soldier, Kanye West, Pharrell
Website	LupeFiasco.com

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982),^[1] better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Grammy-winning American rapper. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Prominent hip hop mogul Jay-Z describes him as a "breath of fresh air" in a new hip hop world characterized by mainstream pop and glamour, a sharp contrast with the widespread lyricism-focused rap of the 1990s, and critics have called him the "Hip-Hop Generation's Next Vanguard."^[2]

Life and career

Early life

Jaco was born and raised a Muslim on the Westside of Chicago,^[3] and is the fifth child of nine brothers and sisters. His father was an engineer, a prolific African drummer, karate teacher and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores.^[4] His mother was a gourmet chef. Jaco is of African American descent.^[5]; he went to high school at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois.^[6] He started rapping when he was in the eighth grade, but was initially put off by the vulgarity and violent imagery of his father's N.W.A records.^[3] It wasn't until he heard Nas' 1996 album, It Was Written, at the age of 14 that he began to pursue hip hop music.^[5][4]

Growing up, Jaco 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," he says, "came from the Firm album. They had the song, 'Firm Fiasco'. I just liked the way it looked on paper."^[6]

Early career

By 19, Lupe Fiasco was in a group called Da Pak. They signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up.^[7] Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L.A. Reid was fired.^[7] During this time, he had guest appearances on singles on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" and also K Foxx's 2004 "This Life". He also released the song "Coulda Been" on a compilation of MTV's Advance Warning.^[8] He began releasing many mixtapes, developing a fan base via the internet. Just after Arista went out of business, rapper Jay-Z offered Fiasco a contract with Roc-A-Fella records. Fiasco declined having already started his own record label.

In 2004, Arista went out of business and Lupe was signed with Atlantic Records. In early 2006, Lupe and his friend and hypeman Dusean "Bishop G" Dunbar started FNF Radio, a show on the college radio station WIIT located at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Fiasco at the 2006 Intonation Music Festival in Illinois.

2005–2006

Main article: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Lupe had gained a large underground following with the release of a series of critically acclaimed mixtapes, prominently Lupe's own Fahrenheit 1/15 Part I: The Truth Is Among Us, Fahrenheit 1/15 Part II: Revenge of the Nerds, and Fahrenheit 1/15 Part III: A Rhyming Ape. In 2005, Lupe was featured on two tracks on Mike Shinoda's solo mixtape titled Fort Minor: We Major and was even an active member on the official Fort Minor message boards.^[9] During this time, rapper and mogul Jay-Z heard Lupe and assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.^[10]

In 2005, Lupe appeared on the Kanye West track "Touch the Sky" from West's Late Registration. Soon after, he released his first single "Kick, Push", a song heavily influenced by skateboarding. As his popularity slowly increased, so did anticipation for his upcoming album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. The album was officially released on September 19, 2006. The album featured production from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, The Neptunes, and more. Singles from the album were "Kick, Push," "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott. On the album "Fiasco masterfully melds his peerless storytelling gifts with his idiosyncratic passion for skateboarding, fantasy, and incisive sociopolitical commentary."^[11] The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album. In the same year, he was voted by GQ as the "Breakout Man of the Year."^[12]

2007–present

Main article: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

Fiasco in November 2007.

In 2007, Lupe 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. It was released on December 18, 2007 in United States. The first single and video from the album, "Superstar", featuring Matthew Santos, was released the first week of November 2007. Baseball all-star Ryan Braun has used "Superstar" as an at-bat song.^[13] The song has also been featured in HBO's Hard Knocks TV show.

Also in 2007, it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell, had formed a group known as Child Rebel Soldier.^[14][15] As of November 2007, no projects have been announced, with Lupe noting that the members of the group were busy with solo projects and things needed to "settle down some."^[16] However, a song made by CRS titled "US Placers", featuring a Thom Yorke sample, has been released.

Songs from Lupe Fiasco's The Cool are featured in the movie Street Kings. The songs "Put You on Game" and "Little Weapon" both appear in the latest trailer.

In an interview will The Village Voice, Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer.^[17]

In 2008, Lupe and his band 1500 or Nothin joined Kanye's Glow in the Dark Tour, which also features Rihanna and N.E.R.D. The tour will stop in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago. He's been made #7 as the Hottest MCs in the Game of 2008 by MTV.^[18]

Lupe recently announced that he was remixing The Cool with French house act Justice.^[19]

Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" will be included in the video game Lips.^[20]

Lupe recently announced that his next and most likely final album will be a triple album. The trio will be named LupE.N.D. - "Everywhere", "Nowhere" and "Down Here" (END)^[21]

Ventures

Fiasco is the co-founder and vice-president of 1st & 15th Entertainment, a record label under Atlantic.^[4] However, due to the recent arrest and imprisonment of co-founder, CEO, and partner Charles "Chilly" Patton, Fiasco now serves as the current CEO. In January 2006, Lupe 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.^[22] He designed a white/grey model of the shoe.

Discography

Main article: Lupe Fiasco discography

• Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006)
• Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007)
• LupEND (2009)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Official website
• Lupe Fiasco at MySpace