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Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois) better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an 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 Next vanguard." His second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, is expected to be released December 2007.

Biography

Early life

Raised on the westside of Chicago, Wasalu Jaco is the fifth child of nine brothers and sisters. His father (died February 27, 2007) was an engineer, a prolific African drummer, karate teacher and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores. His mother was a gourmet chef. Jaco went to high school at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. 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 Public Enemy and N.W.A. records. It wasn't until he heard Nas' 1996 album, It Was Written, at the age of 17 that he began to pursue hip hop music.

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".

Career

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. Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L. A. Reid was fired. 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. He began releasing many mixtapes, developing a fan base via the internet.

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.

2005-2006

Lupe had gained a large underground following with the release of a series of critically acclaimed mixtapes. In 2005, Lupe was featured on two tracks on Mike Shinoda's solo mixtape titled Fort Minor: We Major. During this time, rapper and mogul Jay-Z heard Lupe assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Food & Liquor.

In 2006, 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 about skateboarding. As his popularity slowly increased, so did anticipation for his upcoming album 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." The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammys including "Best Rap Album". In the same year, he was voted by GQ as the "Breakout Man of the Year".

2007-present

In 2007, Lupe announced his next album, The Cool, a concept album acting as a sort of sequel to the song of the same name from his first album. It is due out on December 18, 2007 in United States. The first single and video from the album, "Superstar," was released the first week of November 2007.

Also in 2007, it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams, had formed a group known as Child Rebel Soldier. 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."

Personal life

Ventures

Fiasco is the co-founder and vice-president of 1st & 15th Entertainment, a record label under Atlantic.

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. He designed a white/grey model of the shoe.

Religion

Lupe has been open about his Islamic faith. He has noted the importance of religion in his life, stating: "Well, I was born Muslim, so Islam plays a part in my life and everything I do, to a certain extent. I'm not like the poster boy for Islam... I still got my flaws and stuff like that, so I don't really wear that on my sleeve... I don't go to clubs, I don't drink, I don't smoke, you know like my whole - the whole groupie situation is shut down." The front of Lupe's Food & Liquor album cover is stylized to look like that of Persian calligraphy. Along with this, Lupe begins Food & Liquor by reciting an Islamic prayer: A'uzu billahi min ash shaitani r rajimi Bismi 'llahi 'r-rahmani 'r-rahim, which translates to "I seek refuge from Satan the accursed... (And I Begin) In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful."

Influences

Lupe is highly influenced by Crucial Conflict and Nas among others. Lupe regards It Was Written as his favorite album and cites it as his primary source of inspiration.

Discography

• 2006: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
• 2007: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
• 2007: Untitled (with Kanye West and Pharrell as CRS (Child Rebel Soldier)

Awards and nominations

• BET Awards
  • 2007, Best New Artist (Nominated)

• BET Hip Hop Awards
  • 2007, Hip-Hop CD of the Year: Food & Liquor (Nominated)
  • 2007, Hip-Hop Video of the Year: "Kick Push" (Nominated)
  • 2007, Rookie of the Year: "Kick Push" (Nominated)
  • 2007, Element Award- Lyricist of the Year: (Nominated)

• Grammy Awards
  • 2007, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Kick Push" (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best Rap Song: "Kick Push" (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best Rap Album: Food & Liquor (Nominated)

• Image Awards
  • 2007, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)

• Soul Train Awards
  • 2007, Best New R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: "I Gotcha" (Nominated)

References

1. Adaso, Henry. "Lupe Fiasco - "Kick, Push"". About.com. Retrieved 2006-07-13.
2. ^ Creekmur, Chuck (2006-02-10). "Lupe Fiasco: Revenge of the Hip-Hop Nerd". Allhiphop.com. Retrieved 2007-09-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. ^ Blackman, Guy (2007-01-08). "Lupe Fiasco - a sheep in wolf's clothing". The Age. Retrieved 2007-09-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. ^ Adaso, Henry. "Lupe Fiasco". About.com. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
5. ^ Fruchter, Alexander (2006-05-11). "Hip To Be Square". Soundslam.com. Retrieved 2007-09-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Lupe Fiasco: Biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
7. MP3.com, 2006-09-26. Lupe Fiasco. MP3.com
8. Lupe Fiasco - Almost Famous. Nobody Smiling
9. Rabin, Nathan (2006-07-20). "Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor". The Onion AV Club. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
10. Lupe Fiasco Declared GQ's Breakout Man Of The Year
11. ^ "Lupe and Kanye teamed with Radiohead". MTV UK. 2007-05-30. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
12. Gudmundson, Darryl (2007-05-29). "Kanye, Lupe & Pharrell Form Supergroup???". HipHopDX.com. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
13. http://sohh.com/articles/article.php/11959
14. Simona Siad (2007-01-03). "Would you like music with your Reebok?: DJ Mick Boogie mixes tunes for kicks, and for fun". Excalibur. Retrieved 2007-04-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

• Official Website
• Lupe Fiasco's Hypebeast.com blog
• Template:MySpace

Template:Persondata

• 1981 births
• African American musicians
• American Muslims
• American rappers
• Chicago musicians
• Living people