The Houston rapper who inspired “Hip-Hop Saved My Life” didn’t even know that the song was about him.
MTV Base investigates:

“It is based on Slim Thug,” Lupe revealed. “I was with him when we shot the video, and he was like, ‘Yo, is this song about me?’ I didn’t know at the time, but there was a situation in Houston where they were trying to figure out who the song was about. Was it about Slim Thug? Was it about Chamillionaire? And it was about Slim Thug,

Lupe says the song also doubles as a tribute to Big Bun Bitta:

he genesis of the track came when the Chicago lyricist went to Houston for a show. The rapper said the town was “spaced-out,” in terms of the distance between things, and it gave the city a feel as if there wasn’t much to do. So UGK legend Bun B picked up Lupe and led him on a tour of H-Town. “He had his wife Queenie with him, and I was just sitting back, soaking it all in, and I was just thinking, ‘How can I pay Bun B back?’ ” Lupe recalled.

Lupe Fiasco – Live Lounge
Lupe and Matthew Santos stopped by BBC’s Radio 1 for an interview awhile back. They also performed an acoustic version of “Superstar” live. It’s worth it to listen to the end for their funny rendition of the Frosted Flakes theme song.

[Props: Feroz Gajia for the link]

The Cool is still in major rotation here at the Rizoh Mansion, and “Hip-Hop Saved My Life” has a lot to do with that. I’m not just saying this because the ’story’ is set in H-Town. This song, like many of Lupe’s gems, forces the listener to visualize, which makes for a more interesting headphone experience. The music video? Well, that’s just an icing on the cake.

Lupe Fiasco feat. Young Jeezy & T.I. – “Superstar” (Remix)

Never thought I’d have say this about a Lupe song someday, but this remix is wickity wack. Jeezy sounds decent, whereas Lupe starts off sounding like he’s never heard this beat before. And T.I….well, he really needs to get out more. But I guess that’s hard to do when you’re under house arrest.

Loopy performing the instaclassic “Paris, Tokyo” on Jay Leno.

Kanye’s Glow in the Dark Tour will feature Rihanna, N.E.R.D., and Lupe Fiasco. I’m looking forward to the Houston event.

Consult the complete tour schedule below to see if the gang is coming to a hood near you. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t see it anywhere on ew.com, but Lupe is featured in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly. Margeaux Watson asked him if he was picked on a lot as a kid, and he had this to say:

“When the gangbangers would try to pull it, I was like, ‘Yo, I will f**k you up. And if you wanna call your cousin, call him. I’ll call me! I’ll call me right now.’ We were shooting TEC-9s when we were babies, so the whole gangsta image, that ain’t nothing.”

Lu, you’re my dude and all but this one gets a big N*gga Please.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lupe explains how he sneaks social commentary into his music. If you still haven’t picked up a copy of The Cool, hurry up and align yourself with this little piece of history while everyone else is still sleeping.

Btw, congrats to Tavis on his 5th year anniversary on PBS.