Lupe Fiasco was born in Chicago and his name was Wasalu Muhammad Jaco. He was born to Islamic West African traditions. He did not show interest in hip-hop music and focused on his school and martial arts. Everything changed for him when he listened to hip hop and rap pioneer Nas’s album “It was Written”.

Lupe Fiasco – Hip Hop Idol

“Well, I was born Muslim, so Islam plays a part in my life and everything I do. I don't go to clubs, I don't drink, I don't smoke - the whole groupie situation is shut down” – Lupe Fiasco

Early Life:

Lupe Fiasco was born in Chicago and his name was Wasalu Muhammad Jaco. He was born to Islamic West African traditions. He did not show interest in hip-hop music and focused on his school and martial arts. Everything changed for him when he listened to hip hop and rap pioneer Nas’s album “It was Written”. Fiasco has cited this record as having changed his life.

The Journey Begins

By age 19 he was part of a rap group who signed with Epic Records. After the band disbanded he went on to sign a solo deal with Arista Records but was dropped after there was change in management. After a few years of collaborating for other artists and recording demos, he got his first break from Kanye West; West featured him in the song Touch the Sky”. Fiasco also appeared on the mix-tape of Kanye’s “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”. His emotionally charged performance seemed to sound better than the original.

Rap superstar Jay-Z was quite impressed and helped Fiasco to produce his first album titled “Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor”. The album was released in Sept 2006 and it featured many of Jay-Z’s connections like Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and The Neptunes. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album. The album has sold almost 400,000 copies in the US alone.

Mr. Cool

Lupe Fiasco released his second album called “Lupe Fiasco’s the Cool”. It is a rap concept album which tracks the journey of a man called Cool. As he was influenced by Nas who used to produce conceptual base rap music, this is Fiasco’s attempt. The album was released in Dec 2007 and has been certified Gold. The album has been critically hailed as the best rap album of the year. The single “Paris, Tokyo” generated a huge amount of interest as it was an alternative rap song. But it is the single “Superstar” which reached No.10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fiasco teamed up with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams releasing a single and touring as well in 2007. Lupe Williams toured most of 2008 but started laying down tracks for his upcoming triple album. The album has gone through name changes and is tentatively titled “Lasers” to be released sometime in 2010.

In Mar 2010 he performed some songs from the new album to at the Claremont. Fiasco is created a niche for himself and his albums have gained ground towards achieving huge mainstream success  

• Did You Know: Lupe Fiasco signed a deal with footwear giant Reebok to design shows under the O.G.  marketing campaign

• Did You Know: Lupe Fiasco was part of the group that climbed on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro for the Summit on the Summit charity event  

• Did You Know: He has received 8 Grammy nominations winning one for Best Urban/Alternative performance with Jill Scott

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