Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop artist and producer. He first became known to the mainstream hip-hop community in 2005 when he appeared on Kanye West's album Late Registration on the track "Touch the Sky." In 2006 Lupe released his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on Atlantic Records, and in December 2007 he released his second full length album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool . His next studio album, entitled Lasers, was released on March 8th 2011 after a protest against Atlantic's decision not to release it. The Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free) Songfacts reports that Fiasco’s first single off his fourth studio album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 debuted on May 21, 2012. On "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)," he spits rhymes about aspects of modern American life he doesn’t like such as "Suicide bombers and prosperity gospels, emaciated models, with cocaine and blood pouring out their nostrils” as well as socio-political problems in Ghana and the invasion of Iraq. Lupe released his fifth studio album Tetsuo & Youth on January 20, 2015. Two years later, on February 10, 2017, he released DROGAS Light. This was followed by an album similar in name titled Drogas Wave which released on September 21, 2018 and talked about slave ships, the myth of the longchains, and other topics such as drugs and tragedy. Two years later on July 24, 2020 Lupe released an EP titled HOUSE that talked mostly about consumerism and the current state of the world among other more distant concepts such as dinosaurs. Lupe's 8th Studio Album DRILL MUSIC IN ZION was released on June 23rd 2022. In 2024 on June 28th, Lupe released his most recent album Samurai, a concept album inspired by an Amy Winehouse interview where she talks about a dream she had in which she was a battle rapper. Lupe has previously been on label Epic with his group Da Pak and then signed a solo deal with Arista. His years at Arista only led to the 2003 promo single "Pop Pop" as well as guest appearances on singles from Tha' Rayne (2002's "Kiss Me" and 2003's "Didn't You Know") and K Fox (2003's "This Life"), then Arista folded in 2004 and Lupe was signed to Atlantic Records.