LUPE FIASCO Biography
Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 16, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois, Lupe Fiasco - pronounced LOO-PAY - is not only a Hip-Hop phenomenon. An avid fan of Japanese culture and skateboarding, he has already worked with Kanye West, received support from Jay-Z and co-founded his own imprint called "1st and 15th."
Chicago-based Muslim MC Lupe Fiasco began rapping in junior high school and joined a group called Da Pak several years later. The group signed to Epic, released one single, and split up, all before Fiasco reached the age of 20. Thanks in part to the vocal support of Jay-Z, L.A. Reid signed Fiasco as a solo artist to Arista, but before anything of significance was able to happen (only a promo single and a couple guest appearances were set up), Reid was fired, leaving the MC without a label. Fiasco eventually landed at Atlantic. Preceded by the single "Kick, Push," as well as several mixtapes and an appearance on Kanye West's "Touch the Sky," the album Food & Liquor was set to surface during early 2006, though an unfinished version leaked during the spring, pushing its official release back to September instead. The album earned Fiasco three Grammy nominations. A highly conceptualized follow-up, The Cool, was released in December 2007.
In his stage name, the "Lupe" portion is an extension of this nickname, "Lu", the last part of his first name, while the "Fiasco" portion comes from his liking the song "Firm Fiasco" by the rap group The Firm.
Mainly influenced by Crucial Conflict, Nas, and Twista, the 25 year-old legend started rapping when he was a child, but began to take it seriously when he turned 17.
With his group Da Pak, Lupe was signed to label Epic. Then, pursuing a solo career, he signed a deal with Arista Records, released the promo single "Pop Pop" in 2003 and appeared on singles from Tha' Rayne and K Fox. One year later, Arista folded and Lupe was signed to Atlantic Records. Impressed by Lupe, Jay-Z offered to sign him to Def Jam records but Lupe declined, having already started his own "1st and 15th".
Since then, Lupe has released three mixtapes, titled "Fahrenheit 1/15: Part I, II, & III", has been featured on songs and mixtapes with Fort Minor and Jet Phynx, and has had his first brush with mainstream with his guest verse on Kanye West's "Touch the Sky."
In early 2006, together with hypeman Dusean Bishop G Dunbar, he started up FNF Radio, a college radio show broadcast online from WIIT, a college radio station located at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Shortly after, he signed with major footwear and apparel corporation, Reebok, which nvited him to design his own personal colorway of the Reebok "O.G" model. His white/grey model of the shoe is currently sold in footwear stores in malls across the world.
His debut album, titled "Food & Liquor," scheduled to be released on June 27, 2006, was only released on the internet as an unfinished and unmastered album but his complex, thought-provoking and playful lyricism managed to impress many fans.
In July 2006, he released the first single off the album, "Kick Push", which showcased his interest in skateboarding. There are also videos for his songs "I Gotcha'" and "Daydream" featuring Jill Scott.
LUPE FIASCO lyrics and albums
