music
Lupe Fiasco
On his first two albums, 'Food & Liquor' (2006), and 'The Cool' (2007), Lupe Fiasco earned his reputation as a rap philosopher, a sharp, dynamic lyricist, and an MC who could shock you, make you think, make you dance, and make you laugh, all without resorting to vulgarity or tired hip-hop alliterations.
He burst onto the scene in 2006 with 'Kick, Push', a single that sounded like nothing else in mainstream hip-hop and instantly heralded the arrival of a unique voice. Over breezy horn samples, Fiasco used skateboarding as a metaphor for overcoming struggles in life and love ("He said: 'I would marry you/But I'm engaged to these aerials and varials/And I don't think this board is strong enough to carry two'").
'Food & Liquor' would go on to reach number eight on the Billboard 200, spawn subsequent singles 'I Gotcha' and 'Daydreamin'', featuring Jill Scott, and end the year with multiple Grammy nominations.
A year later, 'The Cool' reached even greater heights selling over 500 000 copies and spawning the top-ten hit 'Superstar' featuring Matthew Santos. It's been four years since The Cool - a long wait during which Fiasco squabbled with his label, endured some personal turmoil, and debated whether or not he even wanted to release another album.
"I kept asking: 'What's the point? What does all this lead up to?'" he recalls. Ultimately, he says, touring, meeting fans, and being able to do things for his family reminded him of why he wanted to make music in the first place. "You keep smiling, you keep looking for that happiness," says Fiasco.
During the downtime, Fiasco's dedicated fans grew restless. More than 32 000 signed a petition demanding that Atlantic Records release his third album, 'Lasers', an effort that was covered by CNN and Rolling Stone, among others. Then, on 15 October 2010, several hundred gathered in front of the Atlantic offices in New York City to demand they release the album. The fans called the day "Fiasco Friday".
"That blew me away," says Fiasco, "that so many people would come from all over the country, miss school, miss work, put themselves on the line to do that. It really touched me."
'Lasers' was eventually released in March 2011.