Lupe Fiasco discusses his Fan Base

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

After three years of battling with Atlantic Records, Lupe Fiasco was able to release Lasers. While the album was far from what he wanted, it has been his biggest commercial release to date. In a matter of days, Lupe went from wanting to leave the label to praising them for their promotion.

Had it not been for his die hard fans, Lupe Fiasco may still be waiting on the release of Lasers. Following the release of his second album, The Cool, Atlantic Records wanted Lupe Fiasco to go pop. When he refused, Atlantic refused to release new albums from him.

Recently, Lupe Fiasco opened up about the fans who helped revive his career. The Chicago rapper said he does not have to put out another album again. Because of the fan base he has already built, his name will always be relevant. Lupe Fiasco remained a major hip hop figure even though it took four years for him to release an album and he credits his fan base for this turnaround.

Read more...

Lupe Fiasco is a Commercial Success

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Over the past few months, Lupe Fiasco has been one of the most vocal rappers in the game. At least three times a week, Lupe has been in the news for one reason or another. Lupe Fiasco has been his own promotional team for his Lasers album. After three years of delays, the album was met with negative reviews by most critics.

Lupe Fiasco created his own lane as a rapper who relies on lyrics and wordplay, as opposed to "swag." Initially, Atlantic Records loved him for this. But, after the release of The Cool, the label wanted him to change his style. Not wanting to go pop, Lupe Fiasco refused to change and Atlantic Records delayed his album until he gave in.

After giving in, Lupe Fiasco was disappointed when Atlantic Records gave his "Nothin' on You" single to B.o.B. When his album finally came, he was sad because his album was panned. Now, Lupe Fiasco can finally be glad over something. While his album may not be a critical success, the album will definitely be a commercial success.

Lasers is projected to sell 240,000 in its first week.

Read more...

Lupe Fiasco upset with "Lasers" album

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Three years of anticipation have boiled down to seven days of waiting before Lupe Fiasco releases his third studio album. On this album, Lupe has a star-studded lineup. Lupe Fiasco had only a few big names on his previous albums. But, with Lasers, he has gone all out.

The album would have been released years ago, but Lupe Fiasco has had disagreements with Atlantic Records. Finally, Lupe gave in to some of their demands. The result of this was them finally agreeing to release his album. Excited because of this, he has been heavily promoting the new release.

With the album set to come next week, Lupe Fiasco opened up about the material. Describing this album, Fiasco said he loves and hates this album. Listening to the music and the subject matter on his songs fills Lupe Fiasco with joy. But, when he thinks about all of the fighting that went on with his label as he tried to record, and the delays, he gets highly upset.

Outside of the feelings, Lupe has some songs on the album that he likes and some songs on the album that he does not like. Then, he has some songs in which he is neutral on and will let the fans decide. Lupe Fiasco thinks of the songwriters and artists who did not want to work with him on this album when he listens to some songs and he gets upset. But, when he thinks about his album finally being released, he quickly cheers up, acknowledging it is a sharp turn from 2007's The Cool.

Read more...