American Rapper: Messages from Lupe Fiasco

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Recommended: Hip hop and race relations in America

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, or better know as Lupe Fiasco, is a Chicago born American rapper. Fiasco was first recognized when he debuted his first album in 2006 called Food & Liquor. Shortly after its release, the album made its way to Billboard’s Top 10 albums. “Critics hailed the rapper as the savior of the genre on the strength of tracks…” (Rolling Stone) and gave him great reviews for his sensible subject matter and compelling story telling. This album earned the rapper three Grammy nominations including Best Rap Album.
Gaining recognition through Food & Liquor, Fiasco’s popularity has grown tremendously. Much of the reason was due to his approach to rap. While he does rap about mainstream themes such as sex, money, and drugs, Fiasco also shares his concerns about the American government and politics, foreign affairs, and racism in our culture, capturing a more mature audience’s attention. Through his music, Lupe Fiasco represents the voice of Modern America by informing his listeners about the modern corrupt practices in the United States and asserting his opinions on them through his music. In his song “Bitch Bad”, Fiasco describes how the vulgar word “bitch” is used throughout American society carelessly and in ways it shouldn’t be due it's degrading denotation. His song “Strange Fruition” reiterates the message in Billie Holiday’s largely popular song “Strange Fruit” and incorporates the modern take on racism in the United States. The messages in both these songs portray the depravity in present American culture.
Along with rapping about his strong opinions about a corrupt America, Fiasco also speaks about them in various interviews. A particular interview on CBS’ “What’s Trending” caught the attention of many when he calle...

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...udience into creating a better society. In “Bitch Bad”, Fiasco spreads a message about the use of the vulgar word “bitch” and in “Strange Fruition”, he spreads a message on the practice of modern racism in our country. These are only two of the many songs where Fiasco is using his words to get a point across. With the strong messages he sends to his audience, Fiasco adequately represents the voice of Modern America.

Works Cited

Greene, Jayson. "Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1."
Pitchfork. N.p., 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 May 2014.
"Lupe Fiasco Biography." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.
Ramirez, Erika. "Lupe Fiasco on Calling Obama a Terrorist: 'I've Got Nothing to Clarify'" Billboard. N.p., 9 June 2011. Web. 23 May 2014.
Raz, Guy. "Lupe Fiasco: Two Sides To Everything." NPR. NPR, 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 May 2014.

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