By Robb Murray
The Free Press
ST PETER — Leave it to Gustavus Adolphus College to bring in the social activist of hip hoppers.
Lupe Fiasco, who has one Grammy Award and several nominations to his credit, will perform at Gustavus April 17 in the college’s Lund Arena.
Never heard of him? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Unless you’re in tune with the hip-hop world, you won’t have had many chances to happen upon Fiasco’s work.
But according to Gustavus senior Kyle Goodfellow, Fiasco’s a well-known commodity among the rap world — his single “Superstar” made it to No. 13 on Billboard’s pop music chart and is a staple tune for major league ballplayers when they come up to bat.
And he’s not just a rapper. Consider this: Fiasco recently lead a group of celebrities on an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the need for potable water in developing countries.
“I think the one thing about him is, even though, technically, he’s lumped into a genre of rap and hip-hop, he’s not your typical rap artist,” Goodfellow said. “He doesn’t make radio albums. It’s not all just heavy beat and sex, drugs and rock and roll. He brings in a lot of his own experiences into his music.”
He won his Grammy in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category in 2008 for his song “Daydreamin.” He’s been nominated eight times.
He released his debut album, “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor,” in 2006. Singles from the album included “Kick, Push,” “I Gotcha,” and “Daydreamin” featuring Jill Scott. The album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album.
Fiasco released his second album, “Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool,” in 2007. The album’s first single was “Superstar.”
Goodfellow said the fact that Fiasco has a definite social activist side to his image is a good fit for Gustavus, a college where community service and engagement is encouraged at every turn.
But Goodfellow said he wondered whether a Fiasco concert at Gustavus would be a good idea.
“We did a schoolwide vote and, of the five artists we were considering, he was hands-down, far and away the winner,” he said. “And now it’s garnered tons of great reception. It’s getting received better than I thought it would.”
