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Full Name:	Lupe Fiasco
Birth Name:	Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
Famous As:	Rapper
Date of Birth:	February 16, 1981
Place of Birth:	Chicago, Illinois, USA
Nationality:	American
Claim to Fame:	Single Kick, Push (2006)

• Tapemasters Inc. - This Is Hip Hop Vol. 9

  TBOHipHop.net :: HipHop's Promotion Source! - Found Nov. 4, 2009 Yelawolf ? Mixin Up The Medicine 10. Lupe Fiasco ? Fire 11. Jadakiss ? Hard Living 12. Lil? Wayne ? Run This Town 13. Drake

• Audio: Lupe Fiasco Interview w/ Chicago?s WGCI

  Nah Right - Found Nov. 3, 2009 And the LOL of the day comes when UB asks Lupe if Kanye West is hiding out in India. Listen: Lupe Fiasco Interview w/ Chicago?s WGCI I?m...

• Video: Lupe x Kenna - HP/Summit on the Summit Boot Camp (Ep. 1)

  Nah Right - Found Oct. 29, 2009 Kenna, Lupe, Jessica Biel and more as they prepare and actually climb the mountain. http://www.summitonthesummit.com/ Previously: Lupe Fiasco...

• Lupe Fiasco - Say Something Freestyle

  Nah Right - Found Oct. 28, 2009 ... you might think this deep as fuck, but this is like my weaker stuff Lupe Fiasco - Say Something Freestyle Props to Shake Previously: Lupe

• Video: Lupe Fiasco x Kenna x Alexandra Cousteau - HP Summit on the ...

  Nah Right - Found Oct. 28, 2009 Kenna, Lupe Fiasco and Alexandra Cousteau are featured in our commercial to spread awareness for Summit on the Summit.

• Lupe Fiasco 'Say Something' Freestyle

  Examiner.com - Found Oct. 29, 2009 ... he made a mistake after hearing Lupe go in over the same beat. And I can't help but wonder, is this an indirect shot at Drake? Lupe Fiasco is...

• The Mecca of Hip-Hop Hosts Red Bull Big Tune 2009 National Finals

  Reuters - Found Oct. 28, 2009 In past years some names have included Common, The Game, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco and Talib Kweli. The Mecca of Hip-Hop Hosts Red Bull Big Tune 2009 National Finals - Houston Chronicle The Mecca of Hip-Hop Hosts Red Bull Big Tune 2009 National Finals - Breitbart.com The Mecca of Hip-Hop Hosts Red Bull Big Tune 2009 National Finals - Business Review Albany The Mecca of Hip-Hop Hosts Red Bull Big Tune 2009 National Finals - Interest!ALERT Explore All

• Lupe Fiasco - All The Way Turnt Up Freestyle

  Nah Right - Found Oct. 27, 2009 Yeah, he snapped on this. Lupe Fiasco - All The Way Turnt Up Freestyle via LupEND

• Jamie Lee Curtis Is A Flower Child For AIDS Charity Halloween Event

  New York Times - Found Oct. 26, 2009 2) luke bryan (1) luke haas (1) luke perry (1) luke wilson (1) luke worrall perez hilton (1) lupe fiasco (1) lydia guevara (1) lynee cheney...

• Guess Who Lupe Fiasco?s Favorite Rapper Is?

  Baller Status - Found Oct. 21, 2009 Although superstars like Kanye West and Jay-Z have collabo'd with him and co-signed him, they aren't Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco favorite rapper of

Lupe Fiasco extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco performing at Northwestern University in May 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
Born	February 17, 1982 (1982-02-17) (age 27)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, record producer, CEO
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Arista, Epic, 1st & 15th, Atlantic
Associated acts	Child Rebel Soldier, Matthew Santos
Website	www.lupefiasco.com

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco (pronounced [ˈluːpeɪ], LOO-pay), is an American recording artist, producer and CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. 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 that is characterized by mainstream pop and glamor, he is a throwback to the lyricism-focused rap of the 1990s; critics have called him a "hip-hop Generation Next vanguard."¹

Contents 1 Life and career 1.1 1982–2005: Early life and career beginnings 1.2 2006–2007: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor 1.3 2007–2008: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool 1.4 2009–present: Lasers 2 Ventures 3 Discography 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Life and career

1982–2005: Early life and career beginnings

Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 17, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois.² Born of West African descent,³ he was one of nine children to Shirley, a gourmet chef, and Gregory, an engineer.²⁴ His father, who was a member of the Black Panther Party,⁵ was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores.⁶ Fiasco was raised Muslim on the West side of Chicago.⁷⁸ At the age of three, Fiasco began taking martial arts classes.⁹ By age 10, he earned his first black belt.⁴ He attended Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois.¹⁰ He initially "hated" hip hop music for its use of vulgarity.⁷ He began rapping when he was in the eighth grade, and upon hearing Nas' 1996 album, It Was Written, began to pursue hip hop.⁸⁶¹¹

Growing up, Fiasco 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."¹⁰

At age 19, Fiasco was in a group called Da Pak. They signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up.¹² Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L. A. Reid was fired.¹² During this time, he had guest appearances on singles on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" and also K Foxx's 2004 "This Life". He also released the song "Coulda Been" on a compilation of MTV's Advance Warning.¹³ In 2005, he was featured on Kanye West's single, "Touch the Sky".

2006–2007: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

During this time, rapper and mogul Jay-Z heard Fiasco and assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.¹⁴ Soon after, he released his first single "Kick, Push", a song heavily influenced by skateboarding. As his popularity steadily 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, Prolyfic, and more. Singles from the album were "Kick, Push," "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott. The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album. In the same year, he was voted by GQ magazine as the "Breakout Man of the Year."¹⁵

2007–2008: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

In 2007, Fiasco announced his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. While recording the album, Fiasco's father had died and his business partner, Charles "Chilli" Patton, was convicted of attempting to supply heroin and was sentenced to 44 years in prison.⁵ The album was released in December 2007 in United States. The first single and video from the album, "Superstar", featuring Matthew Santos, was released the first week of November 2007. Baseball's Hanley Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Gerald Laird and Ryan Braun have used "Superstar" as their at-bat song.¹⁶ The song has also been featured in HBO's Hard Knocks TV show. The songs "Put You on Game" and "Little Weapon" are featured in the movie Street Kings in the latest trailer.^{citation needed}

Also in 2007, it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had formed a group known as Child Rebel Soldier.¹⁷¹⁸ CRS has so far released one single, entitled "US Placers" and featuring a Thom Yorke sample. Since its release and the ensuing Glow in the Dark Tour, the group has not yet been spoken of any further.

In an interview with The Village Voice, Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer¹⁹ aptly titled Reflections of a Window Washer. In 2008, Fiasco and his band 1500 or Nothin joined West's Glow in the Dark Tour, which also features Rihanna and N.E.R.D. The tour stopped in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago. In 2008, MTV named Fiasco the 7th Hottest MC in the Game²⁰ and announced that he was remixing The Cool with French electro house act Justice.²¹ Fiasco's "Superstar" has been included in the video game Lips.²²

2009–present: Lasers

Fiasco announced at a Chicago concert late in 2008 that his next and most likely final album will be a three disc album and that the first disc "Everywhere" would come out in June 2009. The trio was going to be named LupE.N.D.²³ On January 30, 2009, Lupe Fiasco originally announced that LupE.N.D. will be postponed indefinitely. Instead, he would 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.²⁴ However, it was announced by Fiasco that his next album would instead be titled, "We Are Lasers"; yet later his official rep announced and confirmed that it would instead be titled simply "Lasers".²⁵ On June 26th, Fiasco announced at the Chicago Theater that the album would be released fourth quarter 2009, most likely in December.²⁶ The album's first single, "Shining Down," features Matthew Santos and is produced by Soundtrakk.²⁷ The single was released on July 7, 2009.²⁸ There were a few snippets of songs that have been released as of August 24, 2009. The songs unofficial titles are "Army Girl," "Ladies And Gentlemen," and "2 Ways."²⁹Lupe Fiasco has a bonus track called Solar Midnite on iTunes for the New Moon soundtrack. On October 7th 2009, Lupe released a song in response to the release of MTV's 2009 "Top 10 Hottest Rapper List," on which he was absent. The track, entitled "Fire", is as Lupe stated, a taste of why he will take the number 1 spot on next years list.³⁰

Ventures

Fiasco is the co-founder and vice-president of 1st & 15th Entertainment, a record label under Atlantic.⁶ Fiasco serves as the current CEO. Singer Matthew Santos, as well as Lupe himself are two of the most visible members.

In January 2006, Fiasco 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.³¹ Fiasco also runs his own fashion label under the name "Trilly & Truly".³²

Discography

• Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006)
• Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007)
• Lasers (2009)

See also

• List of awards and nominations received by Lupe Fiasco

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lupe Fiasco

• Official website
• Lupe Fiasco at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e Lupe Fiasco Studio albums Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor · Lupe Fiasco's The Cool · Lasers Singles "Kick, Push" · "I Gotcha" · "Daydreamin'" · "Dumb It Down" · "Superstar" · "Hip Hop Saved My Life" · "Paris, Tokyo" · "Shining Down" Featured singles "Touch the Sky" · "Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom) (Remix)" · "Slow Down" Characters The Cool · The Streets · The Game Related articles Discography · Awards and nominations · 1st & 15th Entertainment · Child Rebel Soldier

Persondata
NAME	Lupe Fiasco
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Wasalu Muhammad Jaco
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Rapper
DATE OF BIRTH	February 17, 1982
PLACE OF BIRTH	Chicago, Illinois, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH