Artist of the Week: Lupe Fiasco

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I could never forget about my baby Lupe Fiasco – so I’m squeezing in another post in a six hour span. I love him – he is so f—ing dope. And please someone tell me he’s not — and I’ll say that you’re likely a fool.

Now that I got that clear…why is Lupe Fiasco my artist of the week (and overall crush)?

For starters, his third album (Lasers) dropped on March 8th and it was in the #1 and #2 spots on iTunes AND had sold 30K units from pre-order status. Now, to some that might mean nothing — but to me, this is a huge indication of people’s excitement to hear his latest album.

Besides my general happiness with the album (e.g. I was quite pleased with the production of the songs, the lyrics and overall feel of this album), I was also impressed with how Lupe and his team stepped up their efforts to actually promote this album and just his brand overall. As much as I love him, I’ve always been a bit frustrated with how he wasn’t fully utilizing social media networks to keep fans updated with his perspective, life, thoughts and ongoing projects — he did a bit but definitely not as much as he could (and I do this for a living, so my criticism is a bit more focused).

So, to see that this time around he was making sure to do the interview rounds, he was doing an album release countdown with Facebook/Twitter updates, he was releasing songs, alerting fans of whenever he was on UStream, showcasing merchandise that comes with the album and Livestreaming his album release concert — basically leveraging free tools to remind people of his album.

ALL of that helped to build even more hype around the already eagerly anticpated 3rd album from Lupe Fiasco (let’s not forget Fiasco Friday). And I was happy to see that for his brand — cuz I want his brand to grow, I want people to know who he is and why he is so great.

So, when I see his brand growing in the potential that I envisioned — that for me is the cherry on the cake and definitely makes him my artist of the week. Of course, having a tiny crush on him doesn’t hurt either, lol.  😉

Related Articles

• Lupe Fiasco Announces New Album, ‘Food & Liquor 2’ (theboombox.com)
• Rockin’ Our Turntable: Lupe Fiasco (chicagoist.com)

Lupe Fiasco

Now….for anyone who knows me, they know that it wouldn’t be too long before I had a post dedicated to Lupe Fiasco. I wish I could have a blog as these young ladies have at The Lupe Fiasco Show

I wish I could, but working at 9-5 where blogs are blocked by the company’s computer system makes it a little bit difficult. So all I got is a blog post, that I am writing on this Sunday morning…lol.

I have been a fan of Lupe Fiasco’s since the spring of 2007….and I have been so proud to watch as people begin to actually listen to him, pay attention to his lyrics, and understand why I gush over him all of the time. As far as I am concerned, he is a freaking genius. Not to mention is also an amazing performer – I saw him on May 14, 2008 (it took me that long to actually get tickets cuz all of his other shows were sold out…SO proud of him for that!) for the second time, at S.O.B.s in NYC (the first time was in April 2007 when he headlined a Musiq Soulchild concert at the University of Delaware and I had already fallen in love with him cuz of Daydreamin’: Lupe Fiasco ft. Jill Scott ).

And the May concert was amazing and he played with a live band and he was just ridiculously pure in what he was doing and just being himself — and I fell in love a bit more with him. Anyways, below is my reaction after having watched the concert — I had to write about it to myself in an email since I did not have this blog yet and I was writing while I was at work. And now I am posting it here because…well….because I can…enjoy the writings of young woman who has never been as much of a die hard fan of any artist until Lupe Fiasco came along…and hopefully you will join me in your appreciation and love for this artist & man…

Written on May 15, 2008 at 10:08am:

Last night, I watched the love of my life perform. Yes, I know everyone says that about their favorite artist, but truly this artist just might the individual who has awakened me to the love of my life. I have never been more in love with music than I am right now in my life….and his music has played a pivotal role in the manifestation and importance of music in my life. It gives me air, it gives me a space within which I feel alive and energized and free when nothing
else can. I have never been more enraptured by the artists within hip hop than I have been right now. I have never been more engaged in the artists within the spheres of pop, soul, country, r&b, and so many more than I am right now. I have never felt more alive than when I have seen these artists perform over this past year….I am falling madly and deeply in love with the essence that is music…and I don’t wanna be free from this….no, not at all.

Ne ways, back to being able to finally experience the love of life perform. He goes by the name Lupe Fiasco, representing that 1st and 15th. He first entered my life with a skateboard through “Kick, Push“….but he then entered my day and night dreams with “Daydreamin'” ft. Jill Scott. The only real reason, at the time, that I loved the song so much was because I loved Jill Scott, thought she was fabulous, and Lupe sounded cool on the record…but I wasn’t
really paying attention to his lyrics. But then one day, I was listening to the song on repeat, once again, and all of the words just fell into place in my mind and finally saw the visual imagery that he was creating with his words. And then my jaw dropped, I stopped the music, and said to
myself….”he is a fucking genius!” And that is the day that my love affair began….as I delved into more of his music, searching high and low for anything that I could find, knowing all of his music by heart on both of his albums, and finally being able to get into a concert (since they always sell out — yay for him!)…..the rest is, as they say, history.

You see, I have “loved” artists before….I have enjoyed their sound, been struck by the miraculousness that is their voices, have been entertained by the beat of the songs, and even have had their songs help me through my emotions….but I have never before been as
enraptured in an artist’s music as I am with Lupe Fiasco. He is a genius, plainly put…to me, there is no other way to understand it or even try to understand it. I just accept it for what it is now…but it is not just that. For me, and last night’s performance solidified this, he is not a genius that you cannot touch….he is not just an image that he has created for himself…he is not even just his music…..his music speaks who he is….not the other way around. Every aspect of his music, his lyrics, his sound, his energy, his engagement with the crowd and with the music — he is communicating to the world just who he is…..and no matter what he does for the rest of his life (if he is in fact going to quit music through the record companies), he will always bring his entire being to his music….and that is why I am in love with him, that is why he is the love of my life.

Now, I know many people who will say….well, plenty of artists have done that before….and I will agree that this is true and I am happy for those artists who touched other people’s souls….I am not saying Lupe is the only one who has done this…thank God he is not the only one…I am just saying that he is the one who has done it for me. Watching someone pour their heart and soul into music, into life…..not only is it inspiring, especially in this day and age of “artists” (who are sometimes so far from their music it is ridiculous), but it is also energizing. I am now processing all of the things I felt during the performance, all of the ways in which I was completely engaged….I am just glad to be here, just glad to have experienced love for music, love for people, and love for life all in one night….lol….

And I am just glad to be awakened to my own passion….it feels soooo good….sooo very good….

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