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Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 17, 1982), better known by his stage name
Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, musician, and professional wrestling....
 Lupe Fiasco, is a Grammy-winning American hip-hop artist. 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
Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter , better known as his stage name, Jay-Z, is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is the former Chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records....
 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, and critics have called him the "Hip-Hop Generation's Next Vanguard
Vanguard

A vanguard is the forward element of an advancing military tactical formation. Vanguard may also refer to:...
."

was raised a Muslim in an African American
African American

African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
  family living on the West side of Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, and is the fifth child of nine brothers and sisters.






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Encyclopedia


Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 17, 1982), better known by his stage name
Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, musician, and professional wrestling....
 Lupe Fiasco, is a Grammy-winning American hip-hop artist. 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
Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter , better known as his stage name, Jay-Z, is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is the former Chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records....
 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, and critics have called him the "Hip-Hop Generation's Next Vanguard
Vanguard

A vanguard is the forward element of an advancing military tactical formation. Vanguard may also refer to:...
."

Life and career


Early life

Jaco was raised a Muslim in an African American
African American

African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the Black people populations of Africa....
  family living on the West side of Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
, and is the fifth child of nine brothers and sisters. His father was an engineer, a prolific African drummer, karate teacher and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores. His mother was a gourmet chef. He went to high school at Thornton Township High School
Thornton Township High School

Thornton Township High School, often simply referred to as Thornton is a public high school founded in 1899. The school is located in Harvey, Illinois one of the Chicago Southland of the city of Chicago, Illinois....
 in Harvey, Illinois
Harvey, Illinois

Harvey is a Chicago area city in Cook County, Illinois, Illinois, United States. The population was 30,000, at the 2000 census, but a 2003 Census estimate showed the population dipped to 29,367....
. He was initially put off by the vulgarity and violent imagery of his father's N.W.A.
N.W.A.

N.W.A was a Compton, California, California-based hip hop music group widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre. Active from 1986 to 1991, the group endured controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics....
 records. He started rapping
Rapping

Rapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in Hip Hop music, but the phenomenon predates Hip Hop culture by centuries....
 when he was in the eighth grade, and upon hearing Nas
Nas

Nasir Jones, , , better known by his stage name Nas, , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapping and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge, Queens housing projects in New York City....
' 1996 album, It Was Written
It Was Written

It Was Written is the second studio album by American Hip hop music rapper Nas, released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records in the United States, Canada and Europe....
, began to pursue hip hop music
Hip hop music

Hip hop music is a music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rapping which is accompanied with backing beats. Hip hop music is part of hip hop culture, which began in the Bronx, in New York City in the 1970s, predominantly among African Americans and Latino Americans....
.

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."

Early career

By 19, Lupe Fiasco was in a group called Da Pak. They signed to Epic Records
Epic Records

Epic Records is an United States record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music....
 and released one single before splitting up. Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records
Arista Records

Arista Records is an United States record label. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operates under the RCA 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
Tha' Rayne

Tha' Rayne was an United States Contemporary R&B singing girl group that was formed in 2000 and disbanded in mid-2005. Tha' Rayne was a trio composed of two singing members and a DJ....
's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know
Didn't You Know

"Didn't You Know" is an R&B song written and produced by Rich Harrison. It was recorded by Tha' Rayne in 2002 when the group was Yummy Bingham and Quana but released after DJ Qi joined....
" and also K Foxx's 2004 "This Life". He also released the song "Coulda Been" on a compilation of MTV's Advance Warning. He began releasing many mixtapes, developing a fan base via the internet.

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2005–2006)

Lupe had gained a large underground following with the release of a series of critically acclaimed mixtapes, prominently Lupe's own Fahrenheit 1/15 Part I: The Truth Is Among Us, Fahrenheit 1/15 Part II: Revenge of the Nerds, and Fahrenheit 1/15 Part III: A Rhyming Ape. In 2005, Lupe was featured on two tracks on Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda

Michael Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist from Agoura Hills, California. His father is a Japanese American, while his mother is of European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas descent....
's solo mixtape titled Fort Minor
Fort Minor

Fort Minor is the hip hop music side project of Mike Shinoda, vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park. Shinoda's first solo album as Fort Minor, The Rising Tied, was released in 2005 with the singles "Where'd You Go" featuring Holly Brook and Jonah Matranga and "Remember the Name" featuring Styles of Beyond....
: We Major and was even an active member on the official Fort Minor message boards
Internet forum

An , or 'message board', is an online discussion site. It is the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system....
. During this time, rapper and mogul Jay-Z
Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter , better known as his stage name, Jay-Z, is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is the former Chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records....
 heard Lupe and assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.

In 2005, Lupe appeared on the Kanye West
Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, record producer and singer. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008....
 track "Touch the Sky
Touch the Sky

"Touch the Sky" is the fourth Single released from Kanye West's second album, Late Registration. It was released in early 2006. The video is directed by Chris Milk who previously worked on West's award-winning "Jesus Walks" and the video for "All Falls Down"....
" from West's Late Registration
Late Registration

Late Registration is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Chicago hip hop music artist Kanye West. The album was released on August 30, 2005, and entered the charts at number 1, selling over 860,000 copies in its first week, then the highest first week sales in Def Jam Recordings' history....
. Soon after, he released his first single "Kick, Push
Kick, Push

"Kick, Push" is the first single released from Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor. It has been referred to as "a needle in hip hop's haystack of complacent songs."...
", a song heavily influenced by skateboarding
Skateboarding

Skateboarding is the act of riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. A person who skateboards is most often referred to a skateboarder, skater or skate rat....
. As his popularity slowly increased, so did anticipation for his upcoming album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. The album was officially released on September 19, 2006. The album featured production from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, The Neptunes
The Neptunes

The Neptunes is the name for the record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo who created the sound for some very successful hip hop music, R&B and Pop music artists in the late-90s and 2000s....
, Prolyfic
Prolyfic

Prolyfic is an American Hip hop record producer best known for his work with the Grammy Award Winning hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco....
, and more. Singles from the album were "Kick, Push," "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'
Daydreamin'

"Daydreamin" is the Grammy Award?winning third single taken from Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor album. The single is based around a sample of "Daydream in Blue" by I Monster, a song that heavily samples "Daydream " by Gunter Kallman Choir and features soul singer Jill Scott and music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, the Danse de Cygnes....
" featuring Jill Scott
Jill Scott

'Jill Scott' is an United States soul music and contemporary R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actor. In 2007, Scott made her theatrical debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That same year her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol....
. The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
s including Best Rap Album
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album

The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album has been awarded since 1996. Grammy Awards of one year are presented for works released between October 1 two years previously and September 30 of the preceding year....
. In the same year, he was voted by GQ
GQ (magazine)

GQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing upon fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, films, physical fitness, Human sexual behavior, music, travel, sports, Consumer electronics, and books....
 as the "Breakout Man of the Year."

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007–2008)

In 2007, Lupe announced his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, commonly referred to as simply The Cool, is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Chicago hip hop music artist Lupe Fiasco, released on December 18, 2007 in the United States....
, a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. It was released on December 18, 2007 in United States. The first single and video from the album, "Superstar
Superstar (Lupe Fiasco song)

"Superstar" is a song performed by rapper Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos. It is the first single off his 2007 album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool....
", featuring Matthew Santos
Matthew Santos

Matthew Santos is an American rock music and Folk music singer-songwriter, musician and Painting. He is best known for his collaboration with Chicago native Lupe Fiasco on the single "Superstar ." He signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st & 15th Entertainment record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records....
, was released the first week of November 2007. Baseball's Troy Tulowitzki
Troy Tulowitzki

Troy Trevor Tulowitzki , nicknamed "Tulo," is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Colorado Rockies.Tulowitzki's arm, range and instincts at shortstop are highly regarded....
, Ryan Zimmerman
Ryan Zimmerman

Ryan Wallace Zimmerman is a baseball third baseman with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. A 6-foot 3-inch player from the University of Virginia and Floyd E....
, Gerald Laird
Gerald Laird

Gerald Lee Laird III is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers. He attended La Quinta High School and then went on to play college baseball for Cypress College....
 and all-star
All-star

All-star is a term with meanings in both the worlds of sports and entertainment....
 Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun

Ryan Joseph Braun , nicknamed The Hebrew Hammer, is an American right-handed Major League Baseball All-Star Game left fielder who broke into Major League Baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers in ....
 have used "Superstar" as their at-bat song. The song has also been featured in HBO's Hard Knocks
Hard Knocks (TV series)

Hard Knocks is a reality television sports Documentary film television series produced by NFL Films and HBO. The series follows a select National Football League team through its NFL Training Camp and provides an in-depth perspective of the team's preparation for the upcoming season....
 TV show.

Also in 2007, it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams , commonly known as Pharrell, is an American record producer, singer-songwriter, and rapper. He, along with Chad Hugo are the duo of The Neptunes where they produce pop music, hip hop music and rhythm and blues music....
 had formed a group known as Child Rebel Soldier
Child Rebel Soldier

Child Rebel Soldier, shortened CRS, is a Hip hop music Supergroup composed of hip hop artists Lupe Fiasco , Pharrell Williams , and Kanye West ....
. 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." However, a song made by CRS titled "US Placers
US Placers

"Us Placers" is the debut single of Child Rebel Soldier, a supergroup consisting of Hip hop music artists Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams....
", featuring a Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke

Thomas Edward Yorke is an English people musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. As a singer, Yorke is recognisable by his distinctive tenor voice, vibrato, frequent use of falsetto and ability to reach, and sustain, notes over a wide vocal range....
 sample, has been released.

Songs from Lupe Fiasco's The Cool are featured in the movie Street Kings. The songs "Put You on Game" and "Little Weapon" both appear in the latest trailer.

In an interview with The Village Voice
The Village Voice

The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper in New York City, United States featuring investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts reviews and events listings for New York City....
, Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer
Window cleaner

A window cleaner maintains the cleanliness of windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces. The work is mostly cleaning of exterior window panes - interior panes are usually maintained by maids or janitors though many exterior cleaning will clean both sides of a pane if required....
.

In 2008, Lupe and his band 1500 or Nothin joined Kanye's Glow in the Dark Tour
Glow in the Dark Tour

The Glow in the Dark Tour is a critically acclaimed world concert tour by Kanye West, which featured various high profile support acts including Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D and Nas....
, which also features Rihanna
Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty , known as Rihanna , is a Barbados singer, fashion model, and former beauty queen. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for Barbados....
 and N.E.R.D. The tour stopped in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
. He's been made #7 as the Hottest MCs in the Game of 2008 by MTV.

Lupe announced that he was remixing The Cool with French electro act Justice.

Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" has been included in the video game Lips
Lips (video game)

Lips is a video game for the Xbox 360. Lips is developed by iNiS and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game features the use of a motion sensitive wireless microphone and supports the use of songs already owned through a Zune or iPod....
.

The Great American Rap Album (2009–present)

Fiasco announced at a Chicago concert late in 2008 that his next and most likely final album will be a triple album and that the first disc "Everywhere" would come out in June 2009. The trio was going to be named LupE.N.D. On January 30, 2009, Lupe Fiasco announced that LupE.N.D. will be postponed indefinitely. Instead, he will release three albums; The Great American Rap Album in June 2009, two following albums in December 2009 and June 2010, with LupE.N.D. following afterward.

Ventures

Fiasco is the co-founder and vice-president of 1st & 15th Entertainment
1st & 15th Entertainment

1st & 15th Entertainment is a vanity label founded by rapper Lupe Fiasco and partner Charles "Chilly" Patton around the year 2002 in music. The label is distributed by Atlantic Records....
, a record label under Atlantic
Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is an United States record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz. Long one of the most important American independent labels, Atlantic now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group, which consolidated Atlantic Records and the Elektra Entertainment Group into one...
. Fiasco serves as the current CEO. In January 2006, Lupe signed with major footwear and apparel corporation Reebok
Reebok

Reebok International Limited is a producer of Athletic shoe, apparel, and accessories and is currently a subsidiary of Adidas. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle....
 becoming part of the "O.G" marketing campaign, where rap artists such as Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an United States Rapping. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager....
 and Mike Jones
Mike Jones (rapper)

Michael Jones, better known by his stage name Mike Jones is an United States rapper. Initially he was affiliated with the record label Swishahouse, then left to be the owner of Ice Age Entertainment....
 designed their own personal colorway of the Reebok "O.G" model. He designed a white/grey model of the shoe. Fiasco has also created Converse and Nike Air Force One shoe models.

Discography

  • Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006)
  • Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
    Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

    Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, commonly referred to as simply The Cool, is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Chicago hip hop music artist Lupe Fiasco, released on December 18, 2007 in the United States....
     (2007)
  • The Great American Rap Album (2009)


Awards and nominations

YearAwardResult
2006BET Hip Hop Awards
BET Hip Hop Awards

The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, hosted by Black Entertainment Television, for hip hop performers, producers and music video directors....
 for Hip-Hop CD of the Year: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
BET Hip Hop Awards for Hip-Hop Video of the Year: "Kick Push"
BET Hip Hop Awards for Rookie of the Year: "Kick Push"
BET Hip Hop Awards for Element Award: Lyricist of the Year
2007BET Awards
BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year....
 for Best New Artist
Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
 for Best Rap Solo Performance: "Kick Push"
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song: "Kick Push"
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding New Artist
Soul Train Music Award for Best New R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: "I Gotcha"
2008Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Daydreamin'
Daydreamin'

"Daydreamin" is the Grammy Award?winning third single taken from Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor album. The single is based around a sample of "Daydream in Blue" by I Monster, a song that heavily samples "Daydream " by Gunter Kallman Choir and features soul singer Jill Scott and music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, the Danse de Cygnes....
" (shared with Jill Scott
Jill Scott

'Jill Scott' is an United States soul music and contemporary R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actor. In 2007, Scott made her theatrical debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That same year her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol....
)
MOBO Awards
MOBO Awards

The MOBO Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell , are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any race or nationality performing black music....
 for Best Hip-Hop Act
MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 in television by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year....
 for Best Hip-Hop Video: "Superstar" (shared with Matthew Santos
Matthew Santos

Matthew Santos is an American rock music and Folk music singer-songwriter, musician and Painting. He is best known for his collaboration with Chicago native Lupe Fiasco on the single "Superstar ." He signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st & 15th Entertainment record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records....
)
Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by Fox Broadcasting Company. The program honors the year's biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, and television, as voted on by teenagers aged 10-20....
 for Best Hip-Hop Song: "Superstar" (shared with Matthew Santos)
Teen Choice Awards for Choice Music: Rap Artist
BET Hip Hop Awards for CD of the Year: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, commonly referred to as simply The Cool, is the critically acclaimed second studio album by Chicago hip hop music artist Lupe Fiasco, released on December 18, 2007 in the United States....
BET Hip Hop Awards for Alltel Wireless People’s Champ: Lupe Fiasco – "Superstar" (shared with Matthew Santos)
2009Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance: "Paris, Tokyo
Paris, Tokyo

"Paris, Tokyo" is a Grammy nominated second single from Lupe Fiasco's second studio album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. It was first presented at the 2007 Lollapalooza in Chicago.The single was officially serviced to radio stations as of April 3rd, 2008 according to Lupe Fiasco's MySpace blog....
"
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Superstar" (shared with Matthew Santos)
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song: "Superstar" (shared with Matthew Santos)
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
USA
USA Network

USA Network is an United States cable television channel launched in 1977. The channel shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited Film....
's Character Approved Award for Musician: Lupe Fiasco


External links