One of my favorite live performances in the last few years was seeing Lupe Fiasco at Lollapalooza in 2008. I had seen him the year before in 2007, and what made Fiasco’s set such a jaw-dropper was witnessing his maturation and evolution as a live performer.
That said, we’re pleased to share this news that Fiasco will be stopping by the Vocalo.org studios for an interview at 3pm today, and then from 5-8pm he’ll be at PHLI, INC. 1813 E. 55th St. for a meet & greet.
I’m sure Vocalo.org’s interviewers Jesse Menendez and Richard Steele, will ask Fiasco a few questions about his forthcoming 2011 album Lasers. But I also hope they toss in a few questions about his recent mixtapes and what it’s like to perform for his hometown fans in Chicago.
Fiasco recently performed at the campaign kick0ff for fellow Chicago emcee Che “Rhymefest” Smith, so we’ll be listening closely to see how that show impacted Fiasco, and we’re curious to see if he’ll share any insights into his live performance as well so we can continue our other hip hop, call-and-response, and freestyle experiments.
You can tune in to the Lupe Fiasco interview at 89.5 FM or online at vocalo.org.
Update: 11/22
This was a great interview and I learned a lot of new things about Lupe Fiasco including:
- that his experiences as the frontman in his punk band Japanese Cartoon inspired him to create a personal manifesto for his life and music (check out their debut album In the Jaws of The Lords of Death below via Soundcloud).
- That he doesn’t vote in elections but instead encourages fans and citizens to change their community by getting involved and started their own organizations of change.
- That he sees, values and respects KRS-One, Chuck D of Public Enemy and other old-school rappers as indispensable references on how to use hip hop to change the world and guide him through his own musical career.
- That he believes that no one can rock a live crowd like Busta Rhymes.
Thanks again to Vocalo.org’s interviewers Jesse Menendez and Richard Steele for conducting a great interview and be sure to tune in next time to see what they uncover next about Chicago’s local music community!
As we mentioned before, Fiasco performed at Rhymefest campaign kick off earlier this month. Here’s a video from the show featuring one of Fiasco’s freestyles.
It’s a great addition to our freestyle experiment. And I love his send off punchline, and man those brassy horns are so soulful.
Judging by the video is was truly another night where the community of fans at The Shrine was grooving as one once again.