Lupe Fiasco

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Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco (/ˈluːpeɪ/ LOO-pay), is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco is the chief executive officer of 1st & 15th Entertainment.

Raised in Chicago, Jaco developed an interest in hip hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity and misogyny. After adopting the name Lupe Fiasco and recording songs in his father's basement, 19-year-old Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak. The group disbanded shortly after its inception, and Fiasco soon met rapper Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records. In September 2006, Fiasco released his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on the label, which received three Grammy nominations. He released his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, in December 2007. The lead single "Superstar" became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. After a two-year delay, Lasers was released in March 2011 to mixed reviews. However it became his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. His latest album, Tetsuo & Youth, was released in January 2015.

Superstar (Lupe Fiasco song)

"Superstar" is a song performed by rapper Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos. It is the first single off his 2007 album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. iTunes released "Superstar" on September 25, 2007 along with a radio version of "Dumb It Down."

On November 5, 2007 the official video was released and it was directed by Hype Williams. It premiered on BET's 106 & Park on November 23 and on February 19 it moved up to the number one spot on the countdown. As of December 31, it appeared at number 84 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007 countdown. The song is featured on the soundtrack of NFL Tour and recently NHL 2K10. Star baseball player Hanley Ramírez used the song as his walk-up music at Florida Marlins home games.

In the song Lupe yells "FREE CHILLY" that is a reference to another song on his album. The song "Free Chilly" is about Lupe's business partner "Chilly" who was sentenced to 44 years in jail during the recording of "The Cool".

Critical reception