Lupe Fiasco (born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 17, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American rapper. He came to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, which received three Grammy nominations. 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 glamor, a sharp contrast with the widespread lyricism-focused rap of the 1990s.By 19, Fiasco was in a group called Da Pak. They signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up.[5] Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L. A. Reid was fired.[5] During this time, he had guest appearances on singles on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" and also K Fox's 2004 "This Life". He also released the song "Coulda Been" on a 10/03 compilation of MTV's Advance Warning.[6] He began releasing many mixtapes, glorifying himself as a hero of the nerd and middle class. Over time he began getting a huge fan base via the internet.In 2004, Arista went out of business and Lupe was signed with Atlantic Records. In early 2006, Brian 'Busy' Dackowski of Atlantic Records approached Lupe and his friend/hypeman Dusean "Bishop G" Dunbar to start FNF Radio, a show on the college radio station WIIT located at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The show was reported to have, on average, close to 6,000 listeners a night. The music featured on the show was mostly hip-hop and many of the songs played are either his own, or the artists on his label, 1st and 15th, as well as personal favorites or gag records. In between playing music, discussions were held on issues ranging from politics, music, sports, and entertainment. Also, 45 minutes into the show, a contest called the "freshen up package" is held where three questions are made up and the first person to call in with the correct answers, won a prize.EMPERORS SOUNDTRACK VIDEO CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The album features production from the likes of Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, Craig Kallman, Needlz, Soundtrakk, Prolyfic, and Brandon Howard. Jay-Z, Chill, and Lupe Fiasco himself are credited as the executive producers for the album.Originally, the album was recorded to have debuted at 12 on the Billboard 200; however, due to incomplete Nielsen Soundscan reports, the album actually debuted at 8.[1]The first international single off the album was "Kick, Push". The song stated Lupe's love for skateboarding. The second single in Europe was "Daydreamin'" (featuring Jill Scott) which features a sample of I Monster's "Daydream in Blue". The second single in the U.S. (and the third international single) was "I Gotcha" which is produced by The Neptunes.The song's video was featured on MTV's "Making the Video". Lupe recently held a poll on his MySpace profile, where fans were able to vote for which song they wanted to be made into a music video.[2]The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards.Lupe Fiasco Live @ Myspace Secret Show
Add to My Profile | More VideosLupe Fiasco Food and Liquor Release Party!!!! This is History
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is the name of Lupe Fiasco's critically-acclaimed debut album, released on September 19, 2006.
