r
Lupe Fiasco’s Newest Single - Words I never Said ft Skylar Grey
Lupe Fiasco is one of the fastest rising stars in hip hop music today. Lupe Fiasco, a devout Muslim is of South African descent and is unusual among rappers as his music focuses on inspiration and achievement. Like many famous Muslim Americans, Lupe Fiasco often speaks about issues facing the faith today.
Early Years
Born in Chicago in 1982, Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, was the youngest of 9 sons born to Shirley, a gourmet chef, and Gregory, an engineer. Gregory was a Black Panther, prolific African drummer who also owned karate studios and army surplus stores while “Lu”, as his mother nicknamed him, was growing up. Lupe Fiasco’s parents divorced when he was 5, and he remained with us mother until he was around 9, when he moved in with his father. He says that his life was a constant contradiction, as his father and mother stressed knowledge while still requiring that Lu learn how to protect himself. For example, his parents would not subscribe to cable television, but subscribed to National Geographic magazine.
Early Career
Lupe Fiasco originally disliked hip hop music due to the vulgarity and degradation toward women depicted in the majority of the songs. He originally preferred jazz until he began writing his own rap songs and realized he could promote a more positive message. Famous rapper Jay-Z eventually took Lupe Fiasco under his wing with Lupe’s debut album which helped promote the success of the album. Like other famous Muslim American’s Lupe Fiasco does not drink or smoke. He does not wear heavy gold chains, not due to his religion, but due to the fact that it interferes with his skateboarding.
Religion
Lupe Fiasco is a devout Muslim, yet does not want to be the “poster boy” for Islam. He states that he has his flaws and does not want his flaws to become thought of as the flaws of Islam, yet he is very open about his faith. In fact, the front of Lupe’s album, “The Cool,” is styled to look like Persian calligraphy. He opens his album “Food & Liquor” with an Islamic prayer, which translates to: “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the rejected. In the
name of Allah, the most Gracious. Ever merciful.” He also discusses the fact that there are many in the entertainment industry who are Muslim, yet the Islamic faith doesn’t necessarily have its own music like other religions do.
“Superstar” Album
In 2007, Lupe Fiasco released “Superstar” which critics felt had a much darker feel than his previous albums. Lupe has since admitted that while creating this album, several tragedies occurred, making him a write music with a less upbeat feel. His father and a close friend, Stack Bundles, died in 2007. In addition, his business partner, Charles “Chilly” Patton went to prison, forcing Lupe Fiasco to take over as CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment.
Other Commercial Enterprises
Righteous Kung Fu and Trilly and Truly are 2 clothing lines owned by Lupe Fiasco and he has designed sneakers for Reebok. In addition, under his real name, Lupe Fiasco is the front man for a post punk band called Japanese Cartoon.
Lupe Fiasco is part of a growing number of famous Muslim Americans who are vocal about the problems facing Muslim in America today. He has expressed his views on the mosque near Ground Zero and often gives interviews regarding the beliefs of Islam. For more information on famous Muslim Americans, visit www.mpac.org.
