Lupe Fiasco is one of the strongest examples of endurance within the music industry. After a strong debut and sophomore album, he hit something of a wall with his label. All of his ambitious ideas were immediately shot down.
They would even dismiss his attempts to do songs that the label would approve of. It made him eventually grow to hate how his third album, Lasers, turned out.
“I don’t hate the music, but I hate the process. When I look at it, I don’t see song titles and artwork; I see the fight,” Lupe Fiasco told The Guardian in 2011. “I see the emotions, the blood, sweat, and tears. There are a couple of songs on there that I love; but Lasers is a little bit of what you love, a little bit of what you like, and a lot of what you had to do.”
Lupe Fiasco Feels Like a ‘Ghost’ in the Music Industry Today
Nowadays, his career is strong, with a devout fanbase that supports him and his lofty ideas. Still, he feels like he’s forfeited the kind of music career that most artists would have. In a 2024 interview with FLOOD Magazine, he likened his music since Lasers to that of a “ghost.”
“I’m out. I’m over. Lupe’s been over since Lasers, really. I was operating either off of having to complete a contract with Atlantic or doing something to keep the lights on, or just having an idea that’s dope where it’s like, “Why not?” In terms of chasing things or getting accepted, my career has been over. It’s almost like this is the ghost,” Lupe Fiasco said.
“I’m not even really here,” he continued. “I have a regular nine-to-five. Rap is literally on the weekends. Because that’s the case, I don’t really think about it too deeply. I still perfect my craft and still give my all to my art, but as a career, that’s been over for 15 years.”
Even with that ghostly feeling, Lupe is still celebrating the career he worked so hard to build. Ultimately, he likens his experience to someone with a Guinness World Record but works a regular job at Walmart.
“They might turn a coin on it or not. Fortunately, for my team and I, we’ve been able to just ride regardless,” Lupe Fiasco continued. “Through sheer force of will and putting out good music that people enjoy. When you compare my career to the music business, or what’s expected from people of my caliber, it’s nowhere near them, because we’re out. You make a mistake, or you do something, and people move on. You think it’s gonna go for just a season, but it lasts 20 years.
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