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Lupe Fiasco

Biography

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco (/ˈluːpeɪ/ LOO-pay), is an American rapper, singer, record producer and music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his guest appearance on Kanye West's 2006 single "Touch the Sky," which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. He also formed the rock band Japanese Cartoon in 2008, for which he serves as lead vocalist.

Fiasco developed an interest in hip-hop in his teens, after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity and misogyny. 19-year-old Fiasco adopted his current stage name, began recording songs in his father's basement, and joined a short-lived hip-hop group called Da Pak. During his tenures at two major labels, Fiasco met American rapper Jay-Z, who led him to sign with Atlantic Records. The label released Fiasco's debut studio album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006), which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200 and was nominated for four Grammy Awards. Its first single, "Kick, Push," marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist, while its third, "Daydreamin'" (featuring Jill Scott), won Best Urban/Alternative Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

His second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007), was met with continued acclaim and preceded by his first Billboard Hot 100-top 40 hit, "Superstar" (featuring Matthew Santos). After a two-year delay, his third album, Lasers (2011), yielded his furthest commercial success—becoming his first to debut atop the Billboard 200—although critical reception was mixed. Its lead single, "The Show Goes On," peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song. His fourth album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 (2012), debuted within the top five of the Billboard 200, while his fifth, Tetsuo & Youth (2015), saw a critical rebound, and served as his final release with Atlantic. He then founded the record label 1st & 15th Entertainment to independently release his subsequent albums: Drogas Light (2017), Drogas Wave (2018), Drill Music in Zion (2022) and Samurai (2024).

In addition to music, Fiasco has pursued other business ventures, including fashion. He runs two clothing lines—Righteous Kung-Fu and Trilly & Truly—and has designed footwear for Reebok. He has been involved with charitable endeavors, including the Summit on the Summit expedition, and in 2010, he recorded a benefit single for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2025, he joined Johns Hopkins University as a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the school's Bachelor of Music degree program. Fiasco is also noted for his anti-establishment views, which he has expressed in both interviews and his music.

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