Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco is basking in the glory of his sophomore album, The Cool, holding the title of #1 rap album on the charts four weeks in a row, but his fans should savor each track; there might not be more to come. After performing for a sold out crowd at Las Vegas’ House of Blues this past Friday (January 18), Lupe chopped it up backstage with HipHopDX about his lack of desire to be in the industry much longer.
Lupe first made remarks regarding retirement back in November, but now seems more resolved than ever. When asked what is currently the best and worst aspect of rap music he declared flatly, “Rap music.” Though he wouldn’t elaborate on his enigmatic response he did go on to say he was “85% sure” he would be retiring soon. “It actually fluctuates,” Lupe continued, “It was 96% about a week ago…I just get tired you know? I get tired. It’s a tiring pace that I keep. You see that [show I just did]? I gotta do that again tomorrow. With this [hoarse] voice I gotta find a way to do it again. Then get on a bus for 16 hours, get up and do it all over again for the next two weeks.“
But along with the daily stresses of coping with the demands of performing, it seems that Lupe has also grown bored with the industry. When DX inquired if the reality of fame and success had lived up to his expectations, Lupe responded, “I realized stuff that was exciting to me [when I found fame] was stuff I was already doing. A lot of the stuff that people would equate with success, I was already doing at like 19. So now that I’m here at 25 it’s like …[there’s not much left to excite me]“
With a slew of rave reviews and overflowing venues constantly chanting his name, the burning question now is how much longer will the four-time Grammy nominee decide to make music? “I don’t know; we’ll see,” he says with a slight smirk, “I always look for motivation and inspiration…that’s why I only say 85%.“
