S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco has revealed what artists are falling on his radar these days ranging from fellow Atlantic Records artist Diggy Simmons to newly signed Shady Records crew Slaughterhouse.
Along with Diggs and Slaughterhouse, Fiasco is also a fan of G.O.O.D. Music’s Kid Cudi.
Tyler, the Creator and his group Odd Future are on the Chi-town MC’s radar as well. “They got a lot of potential, so it’s interesting to see how it’s gonna turn out for them,” said Lupe after seeing the rap crew perform on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Also filling up Lupe’s iPod these days are Frank Ocean, Slaughterhouse, Kid Cudi, Diggy Simmons, and B.o.B. “The commercial side of [hip-hop] is starting to repeat [itself],” explained Lupe, “but for the most part [they’re] still some good MCs out there, good lyrics, good songs.” (Rap-Up)
Last fall, Diggy Simmons named Fiasco his favorite rapper of all-time.
“Jay-Z has inspired me big time. Reasonable Doubt is one of my favorite Jay albums of all time.” Diggy’s pick-“Dead Presidents.” “I’m a big fan of Kanye West. He’s really innovative in the stuff that he does.” Diggy’s pick- “I Wonder.” “Lupe [Fiasco] is probably my favorite rapper of all time. He’s a person I look to and the reason why I am the way I am, lyrically.” Diggy’s pick – “Little Weapon.” (VIBE)
Outside of rap favorites, Fiasco recently opened up about his internal conflicts with Atlantic Records.
“I was specifically told” — Fiasco chuckled — “‘Don’t rap too deep on this [Lasers] record.'” He laughed some more. “That was a specific order from the top. ‘You’re rapping too fast or too slow, or it’s too complex.’ … There are consequences and combat that comes from that process and the eventual compromise. With me, though, I’m not writing about someone else. I’m writing about me. This is my life. It’s very personal for me. So for somebody to kind of put their fingers in that and play with that, it becomes more damaging.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
In October 2010, after announcing a March 8th, 2011 release date, Fiasco explained how he squashed his beef with Atlantic.
“We just came to a reconciliation, saw both sides of the argument of what was going down, found a midway point that we can all agree on, and we’re rolling,” Fiasco said. “March 8: Lasers. Single drops in a couple weeks. It is what it is…I’m not a 360 artist, and I’ll never be a 360 artist. And you should never be a 360 artist. If that’s something that you need, then your situation is different. I’m not the type of artist that needs a 360 deal, but it’s probably some newer artists that need that kind of motivation or extra support to enhance their operations in the future. I don’t necessarily need that. If it comes along in the future, who knows? But, right now, I don’t need it. Thank you, but no thank you.” (MTV)
Check out some recent Lupe Fiasco footage below:
