ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Lupe Fiasco
ALBUM: DROGAS Light
RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2017
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, also known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 17, 1982 (35). Arguably being one of the most talented and controversial musicians in the Rap game today because of his conflicts with executives at major record labels, Fiasco has stood the test of time with his fresh outlook on the world as he see its.
Jaco was raised in Chicago as a teenager who used to dislike Hip-Hop and Rap because of its vulgarity and misogyny. It was how his mother brainwashed him. When he turned 19, he adopted the nickname Lupe Fiasco and began recording tracks in his father’s basement after joining a young rap group called Da Pak. Da Pak disbanded after a short period but the young Lupe Fiasco wanted his talents to be exhibited. He managed to meet with the popular rap artist Jay-Z, who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records. On September 2006, Fiasco released his very first album: “Food & Liquor”, which shot to the Top 10 on Billboard’s album charts upon its release. Some of his best and unforgettable tracks are ‘Superstar’, ‘The Show Goes On’ and ‘Words I Never Said’. This album also received three Grammy nominations, but Fiasco wanted to keep presenting everyone his musical genius.
‘Superstar’ became his best single and was included in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was, and still is, the lead single in his second released album “The Cool”, which was released on December 2007. With the success of some songs on “Food & Liquor”, such as ‘Battle Scars’, “The Cool” became highly anticipated to fans because people were ready to hear more of Fiasco’s artistic lyricism. Before its release, he became known as the savior of the Hip-Hop and Rap genre. However, after a two year delay consisting of tours with Kanye and Pharrell, Fiasco released “Lasers” in March 2011 which became his first album to be displayed at number one on the Billboard 200. Before he released “Tetsuo & Youth” on January 2015, Fiasco announced that he planned to retire early. His fans were not pleased to hear the news and persuaded him to keep releasing more singles and albums because he has so much talent that he needs to continue showing off.
Alongside enduring his rap career, Fiasco is also currently an entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment.