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, Spice 1 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)
• 2008: LupEND

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
  • 2008, Best Urban/Alternative Performance: "Day Dreaming" (Nominated)
  • 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)