Following the continued success of his album The Cool, Lupe Fiasco sat down with Contact Music to discuss his journey since his first single, “Kick, Push”, the concepts behind his latest record “Paris, Tokyo”, and the reasons why he prefers to work in-house on his projects.
Reflecting on his beginning with the debut album, Food and Liquor, Lupe explained the achievements and busy schedule that transformed him from having a small buzz to world acclaim.
“[A] couple of world tours, Grammy nominations, Grammy wins—a win, and a little bit of everything,”Fiasco says. “[It took] a lot of work. Grinding from nobody status to number two, and number four on a few other charts—I was like ‘Yeaaah’.”
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In speaking about the idea behind his old-school sounding record, “Paris, Tokyo” [click to view], Lupe revealed the motivation that sparked the song’s theme.
“It was the end product of all that touring, all that traveling and going to see the world. [T]he other side of that is the stuff you leave behind—you leave your loved ones, your family and friends, and your girl. You always gotta make that song to let her know that you’re still thinking about her, and that you’re coming home—wherever I go, you come with me. Whether if it be physically, in spirit, or mentally,” he explained.
Noticing the strong in-house presence on a majority of his songs, ranging from artists to production, Lupe reasoned this preference despite his ability to easily attract artists like Kanye West and Snoop Dogg.
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“Matthew Santos, who sings the hook off of Superstar, is 1st & 15th. Soundtrakk is 1st & 15th. Paris, Tokyo [is] Soundtrakk, 1st & 15th. Hip Hop Saved My Life—is Sountrakk. Dumb It Down—was Soundtrakk. So it was very important to me to make sure my people get the looks, they get their first looks,”Lupe revealed. “The stronger that I make them, in their own right, the more respect they get in their own right. It means it makes my job easier,” he continued.
The Chi-town native further explained his intention to give his people a stronger public presence and continue to expand his company.
“Now Soundtrakk is equated to those other guys, those producers, because he has Top 10 records and Grammys, and Grammy nominations. [It’s to] push the company forward. For me, it’s company first, Lupe second. Make Lupe do whatever he has to do to make the company look good. [1st & 15th] is what’s gonna, hopefully, make the company a dynasty—an empire,”Lupe said.
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Reported By Cyrus Langhorne
