Lupe Fiasco: Robot in Disguise
Artist:
Lupe Fiasco
He might be considered a nerd-boy, but he’s officially the coolest thing in hip hop right now. Need lyrics you can rewind on the regs? Check. Want your beats big? He’s got ‘em. Fancy hearing from a guy with something to say? Then Lupe Fiasco is the man who can - and does. Words by Hattie Collins.
Lupe Fiasco is having a big-time nerd-out. He’s in über-cool clothing store Maharishi in London’s Covent Garden, where there’s a plethora of geeky gadgets and Lego-esqe figurines depicting dead New York artist Andy Warhol. “Mah-hah-rishi,” the Chicago MC cries as he passes through the VIP room, fingering the one-away camo’s as he goes. “I’m a get my own figure. Gotta love that Mah-a-rishi,” he says drawing the word out, relishing every syllable.
In case you didn’t already know, Lupe loves words. Anyone who’s heard his Fahrenheit mixtape series will agree his breathtaking sentence building, clever concepts and mind-boggling wordplay is on a whole ‘notha level of lyricism. “I go in the booth and free-write pretty quick,” he explains of his off-the-dome approach. “It takes about a week to do a mixtape.”
Fiasco, admits the man himself, is a brain-box. A geek, you might say. “I was a nerd, especially in school. Still am,” he reveals. “I was on the chess team, I collected all types of things, I was scared to talk to girls... It was a nerdy situation,” Lupe laughs. “But it was cool cos all my friends were the bullies so I never got picked on. I was cool with everyone, so high school was fun for me.”
Passing his classes with flying colours, Fiasco’s ma wanted her son to be a scientist – but unusually for a brain-box, he had no head for maths. Yet neither was he destined to be a computer-cruncher or work some 9-5. Instead the Muslim MC (born Wasalu Jaco) graduated in the art of rhyme. From casual spitter chopping it up in class to nearly signing with Jay-Z, his advanced skills saw ‘Co sit in on sessions for Blueprint’s 1&2 and The Black Album with his friend, another kid out of Chicago called Kanye. “I met Kanye before he was Kanye,” he says, before reminiscing over one of the West/ Jay Black Album sessions, where he generously gave Carter What More Can I Say. ‘That was a cool situation,” he says, understating things just a little.
Though he ended up signing with Atlantic Records, Lupe remains close to the God MC, with President Carter acting as executive producer on Lupe’s forthcoming debut Food & Liqour. “He taught me a lot,” he says of S Dot. “Namely, don’t change for radio or for the status quo. Do you.’ So I just do me and with that attitude, everybody’s coming.”
Indeed fans were so loopy for Lupe, that when Food got leaked, over 100,000 plus people rushed to download it. Initially, Lupe wasn’t too happy, but ultimately he’s chosen to keep positive and see the bigger picture. “It definitely pushed the album onto a bigger level, so it was good,” he decides. Propelled by Kick, Push and featuring guest spots from Jill Scott, West, Three 6 Mafia and a UK bonus track with Sway, you can rest assured you’re in for a treat, cos this isn’t your average rap record. “It touches on my nerdyness, on living in the projects and even crazy things like giant robots,” he says. “But they all come back to telling the story of a kid who grew up in the hood but he didn’t let the hood trap him.”
So the moral of the story is this; being a nerd is what’s hot, right? “People just want more, I think,” Fiasco agrees. “We got tired of the regular stuff and got to searching. With Food, I feel like I’m giving you that little bit more. The bar is raised.”
Food & Liqour is out in August on Atlantic Records.
Lupe takes our Nerd Test. And scores high.
So Scooby Doo - Velma or Daphne?
Which one was Daphne? I liked Velma, definitely. I didn’t like her when she lost her glasses though cos what’s with that? But I liked her.
Star Wars figures v Transformers?
Oh, Transformers. It’s so cliché to be a nerd and like Star Wars. I had a bunch of Transformers…(pauses) actually I still have them now. My favourite is the Dinobots, probably Grimlock. I love robots, robot art, and robot figures. I’ve been loving robots for a minute.
What’s the nerdiest thing you’ve ever done?
I was a big fan of shortwave radio. It’s when you listen to all the radio stations around the world like The Voice Of Cuba. Wow, that’s weird.
Ok, nerd-boy. We better talk comics, right?
My favourite is probably Gondo, which is like Transformers but in space Actually, I have my own cartoon character called Carrera Lu. It’s a mess!
RWD Magazine
He might be considered a nerd-boy, but he’s officially the coolest thing in hip hop right now. Need lyrics you can rewind on the regs? Check. Want your beats big? He’s got ‘em. Fancy hearing from a guy with something to say? Then Lupe Fiasco is the man who can - and does. Words by Hattie Collins.
Lupe Fiasco is having a big-time nerd-out. He’s in über-cool clothing store Maharishi in London’s Covent Garden, where there’s a plethora of geeky gadgets and Lego-esqe figurines depicting dead New York artist Andy Warhol. “Mah-hah-rishi,” the Chicago MC cries as he passes through the VIP room, fingering the one-away camo’s as he goes. “I’m a get my own figure. Gotta love that Mah-a-rishi,” he says drawing the word out, relishing every syllable.
In case you didn’t already know, Lupe loves words. Anyone who’s heard his Fahrenheit mixtape series will agree his breathtaking sentence building, clever concepts and mind-boggling wordplay is on a whole ‘notha level of lyricism. “I go in the booth and free-write pretty quick,” he explains of his off-the-dome approach. “It takes about a week to do a mixtape.”
Fiasco, admits the man himself, is a brain-box. A geek, you might say. “I was a nerd, especially in school. Still am,” he reveals. “I was on the chess team, I collected all types of things, I was scared to talk to girls... It was a nerdy situation,” Lupe laughs. “But it was cool cos all my friends were the bullies so I never got picked on. I was cool with everyone, so high school was fun for me.”
Passing his classes with flying colours, Fiasco’s ma wanted her son to be a scientist – but unusually for a brain-box, he had no head for maths. Yet neither was he destined to be a computer-cruncher or work some 9-5. Instead the Muslim MC (born Wasalu Jaco) graduated in the art of rhyme. From casual spitter chopping it up in class to nearly signing with Jay-Z, his advanced skills saw ‘Co sit in on sessions for Blueprint’s 1&2 and The Black Album with his friend, another kid out of Chicago called Kanye. “I met Kanye before he was Kanye,” he says, before reminiscing over one of the West/ Jay Black Album sessions, where he generously gave Carter What More Can I Say. ‘That was a cool situation,” he says, understating things just a little.
Though he ended up signing with Atlantic Records, Lupe remains close to the God MC, with President Carter acting as executive producer on Lupe’s forthcoming debut Food & Liqour. “He taught me a lot,” he says of S Dot. “Namely, don’t change for radio or for the status quo. Do you.’ So I just do me and with that attitude, everybody’s coming.”
Indeed fans were so loopy for Lupe, that when Food got leaked, over 100,000 plus people rushed to download it. Initially, Lupe wasn’t too happy, but ultimately he’s chosen to keep positive and see the bigger picture. “It definitely pushed the album onto a bigger level, so it was good,” he decides. Propelled by Kick, Push and featuring guest spots from Jill Scott, West, Three 6 Mafia and a UK bonus track with Sway, you can rest assured you’re in for a treat, cos this isn’t your average rap record. “It touches on my nerdyness, on living in the projects and even crazy things like giant robots,” he says. “But they all come back to telling the story of a kid who grew up in the hood but he didn’t let the hood trap him.”
So the moral of the story is this; being a nerd is what’s hot, right? “People just want more, I think,” Fiasco agrees. “We got tired of the regular stuff and got to searching. With Food, I feel like I’m giving you that little bit more. The bar is raised.”
Food & Liqour is out in August on Atlantic Records.
Lupe takes our Nerd Test. And scores high.
So Scooby Doo - Velma or Daphne?
Which one was Daphne? I liked Velma, definitely. I didn’t like her when she lost her glasses though cos what’s with that? But I liked her.
Star Wars figures v Transformers?
Oh, Transformers. It’s so cliché to be a nerd and like Star Wars. I had a bunch of Transformers…(pauses) actually I still have them now. My favourite is the Dinobots, probably Grimlock. I love robots, robot art, and robot figures. I’ve been loving robots for a minute.
What’s the nerdiest thing you’ve ever done?
I was a big fan of shortwave radio. It’s when you listen to all the radio stations around the world like The Voice Of Cuba. Wow, that’s weird.
Ok, nerd-boy. We better talk comics, right?
My favourite is probably Gondo, which is like Transformers but in space Actually, I have my own cartoon character called Carrera Lu. It’s a mess!
RWD Magazine
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