Lupe Fiasco can at times be viewed as a polarizing figure in the hip hop community with his intense passion and how unfiltered he can be with fans and critics. Recently he spoke about his label as a “conscious” rapper, and what it means to not be like the stereotypical artists of today and fixated on acquiring wealth. The Chicago rapper was open about how he does not feel he is above other rappers, and even he himself has done things in his career simply to earn extra cash.
In a sit down with Pete Bailey on NBC’s “Nitecap” talk show program, Lupe addressed his image, and says things are not as “black and white” as some might think in terms of being a “conscious” artist. The Windy City native said, via HHDX, “There's all these different factors, so it's not like a simple yes or no kind of thing; there's certain things you have to do for the sake of sending your little sisters to college - that's the greater good, and sometimes greater good means you have to go through a lot of nonsense to get there.”
He talks about the merit behind creating music just to get paid, and how if you are using that money for good, even “ignorant” rappers could be bettering their communities. “But I don't really look at the industry in those terms as black and white, conscious or not. Everybody do their piece and do their part - a lot of the most, that kind of ignorant music that people make sometimes, they can turn around a massive fortune off of that and…in one check, write away the ills of their community."
After being embroiled in some needless Twitter feuds this past summer, it is good to see Lupe taking a level approach to such conversations. You can see part one of the interview below.
