Whether the perception was accurate or not, Lupe Fiasco has by and large been viewed in many circles as an unassuming, almost docile artist. Things changed a few months ago, when the Chicago emcee was at conflict with his label and many of the very blogs that helped him gain popularity. A fan-initiated, online petition against Atlantic Records spawned “Fiasco Friday,” with Lupe’s admirers hoping to lock down a firm release date for the album, Lasers. Additionally, rumors circulated of Lupe being directly and indirectly involved in beef with various blogs over leaked tracks. Now, with Lasers slated for a March 8, 2011 release, Lupe says the key to both situations is balance.
“When it’s something that’s done illegally or maliciously, it’s different,” Fiasco said in a recent interview with Billboard. “It’s songs you don’t even have as the artist, and some dude in the middle of nowhere that hacked into a computer has it. It upsets the balance of what you want to do as an artist and how you want to roll your album out.”
A few weeks ago, while speaking to Dr. Cornel West’s class at Princeton, Lupe claimed leaked tracks cost him upwards of $8,000 each. While he didn’t put a figure on the damages with Billboard, he added that engineers can be fired and studios potentially sued for song leaks.
All seems to be well now, as Lupe and Atlantic are working to promote the latest single, “The Show Goes On.” 
It remains to be seen just what Fiasco and Atlantic consider success for an artist who has enjoyed critical acclaim from the outset with six Grammy nominations over the span of two albums. The critic’s praise has not always translated into commercial success, as to date, only the singles “Superstar” and “Shining Down” have reached Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
“I think I set the precedent for record labels—showed everyone that you can have rappers that don’t fit the format and still have a presence,” Fiasco added. “You look at a person like me, or Kanye [West], and it was sort of a shock to the system. I definitely think I was part of changing that, and an influence to a lot dudes that are coming out today.”
Give this guy some french CRIES and a WAAAAMburger..
You’re dumb.
your a fuckin dick, gtfoh lupe is the best emcee alive besides nas
ur hurting….lupe is the greatest…do ur research….30 mixtapes….3 albums …punk rap whatever ……kill urself
This nigga said give him some french cries and a waaamburger lol what a cornball
I agree with Lupe, its not right motherfuckers are leaking his tracks, Im Beamin and Shing Down were my favorite tracks this year and sadly they arent gonna be on the album because of leaks. sad. LASERS
Fiasco added. “You look at a person like me, or Kanye [West], and it was sort of a shock to the system. I definitely think I was part of changing that, and an influence to a lot dudes that are coming out today.â€
Hey Lupe, relax bro. We know its fun to compare yourself to relevant and influential modern music artists, but you’re not in the same stratosphere as Kayne. You’re a nice MC, but since you made it all about the money, look at kayne’s track record compared to yours. You’re not Kanye d00d!!
KANYE IS NOT EVER CLOSE TO LU AS A RAPPER….R U KIDDING? LUPE WOULD DESTROY HIM….PAY ATTENTION AND DO UR RESEARCH…..LU HAS 30 MIXTAPES 2 RAP ALBUMS AND A PUNK ALBUM….AND 2 ALBUMS ON THE WAY…HANDS DOWN HES THE GOAT.
they have different styles that’s all.. And he’s mainly comparing himself with kanye cuz they are buds.
yeah i know right? they’re close friends and he’s just saying that they’re basically weird compared to the other rappers and they brought something new to the table, damn. this might not make sense but kanye is my favorite rapper but i think that lupe is the best?
What the hell has Kanye have that Lupe doesn’t? Kanye is a joke! 8o8’s and Heartbreak belongs in the garbage bin along with his new album with the song Power.
LUPE FIASCO IS THE GOAT…
seems like every Lupe fan says that. Shad>Lupe. Lemme guess, “who’s Shad????”
fuck a shad
Lupe a lyricist and good rapper so he can actually talk. But to his point, leaks and downloading don’t only hurt the artist it affects everything else. i live in LA and the music studios that used to employ a shitload of engineers and a lot of people and provided people with income to feed they families are now shut down. Engineers get fired, even the grunts will get fired cuz they afraid someone is leakin the music. Like all niggas on this site bitching about real hip hop, go out and buy the fuckin albums cuz by readin these posts it seems the reason why niggas like Lupe can’t sell while shit acts like Gucci and Soulja can sell is that these “hip hop heads” download they shit rather than buy it. Fuckin buy albums and quit complainin about Lupe’s sales.
lupe has sold more than both those dudes. soulja sold 15k first week with his new album.
actually, the show goes on peaked at 55 on the billboard top 100, so its not the only song which reached. get your facts straight before you put out these kinds of shit articles.
who gives a fuck about at Top 100? 99% of the greatest rappers ever never made any kind of charts at all. People who REALLY care about the craft know that numbers don’t mean shit.Would you rather have your album be #1 for 2 weeks and make shitty music or do what you do as an artist regardless of sales and get mad respect for it?
“would you rather be underpaid or overrated?”- Jay-Z
seriously, this is a horrible article. very misconstrued and inaccurate.
FUCK LUPE FIASCO. THAT BITCH ASS IS BITCHING ABOUT LABEL COMPANIES. WHY THE FUCK YOU JOINED ONE IF YOU HATE IT? BITCH ASS NIGGA! I FUCKING HATE THESE RAPPERS THESE DAYS. ONLY NERDS LIKE LUPE, EMO FAGS LIKE ATMOSPHERE, WHINERS LIKE EMINEM, ILLUMINATI LIKE JAY-Z, KIKES LIKE DRAKE, QUEERS LIKE KANYE, OR FAKE GANGSTERS LIKE 50 CENT. LISTEN TO REAL HIP HOP LIKE LOWKEY OR JEDI MIND TRICKS. LOWKEY IS THE BEST RAPPER ALIVE!
Vinny Paz, please stop posting on HHDX. The all-caps is hurting my ears.
Hows that dick taste? Must be pretty good to get you to spill your period riddled filth on this site.
gtfo here you dumbfucking nut hugging squirel bitch. lupe fiasco>your favorite rapper. sorry dumbass just the way it is. his lyrics outshine anything you can think of.
GTFO…
This nigga said illuminati like jay-z lol what a cornball
Yo shut the fkuc up you midget bitch lupe lyrically dominates lowkey. his sperem has more knowledge than your bitch ass
\white power
jk
straight up ignorant dude. Honestly think before you speak. Wreckless
LMAO I fuckin’ love the internet… dude’s gettin’ emotional cracks me up!
Lupe is one of the GOATS tho!
I feel that Lupe can take Llyod Banks route and do plat. by himself.
he almost went plat on the cool fam
lupe is a lazy fucking sell out. hasnt dropped an album in how long? gettin jerked by his label. happy to sell out. this nigga doesnt love his job, he dreads it. he doesnt love making music, he dreads it. he got a legion of stans, that wont cop his shit, but will gas him on the net. real life? lupe is a fuckin bum, that had the skateboarding joint. he had a spark, but he lost it. all his new shit sounds like it shoulda been released by b.o.b. hes gonna doo what the label wants and make a jingle for the coons, his shit will flop, and yall will be making a petition to help im release his next album. this dude is one of the most overrated ever. had a jay-z cosign, kanye cosign, what he do with it? got lost. he cant call either now. hurry up and drop that bullshit pop album so we can forget about you.
U MUST BE FROM THE SOUTH SAYING LUPE IS A SELLOUT U PROBALY THINK WAKA FLACKA AND LIL WAYNE ARE THE BEST RAPPERS OUT SELLOUT? HOW? HIS MUSIC IS ACTUALLY POSTIVE AND NOY ABOUT SELLING DRUGS AND HOW MANY HOES HE HAS LOL MAN U ARE A COMPLETE IDIOT LUPE IS TOP 5 DEAD OR ALIVE
I will period on everything you love
LOL bad troll don’t fall for it.
yeah i love how he calls lupe a sell out and then talks about jay z in the next sentence. ironic?
Ummmm “he cant call either now”
How’d he end up with kanye’s beat for “show goes on”?
clearly know fuck all about hip hop man. the whole point of the song “the show goes on” is about not getting fucked by the people who try and control you and hold you down. fuck, you retarded, ignorant fuck. fuuuuck i hope to fuck that you’re just trollin’ homeboi
Don’t feed the Troll.