Lupe Fiasco

Biography

Despite his track record, Fiasco met a number of obstacles on the way to the release of his third album, Lasers. The process culminated in a petition signed by over 30,000 followers who demanded that Atlantic release the long-delayed album, which was followed by a fan protest outside the label's New York City offices. Lasers, finally issued by Atlantic in March 2011, topped three charts: the Billboard 200, Hot R&B/Hip Hop Albums, and Hot Rap Albums. It was propelled by "The Show Must Go On" (which barely scratched the upper half of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop, but went Top Ten on the Hot 100) and "Out of My Head" (number 40 Hot 100; number 11 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop). Work on the MC's fourth album, cumbersomely titled Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1, began while Lasers was in pre-release limbo. Its development and September 2012 birth was relatively uncomplicated, though Fiasco — never one to evade controversy — received some backlash for "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)" (for its bold use of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's 1992 classic "They Reminisce Over You [T.R.O.Y.]") and "Bitch Bad" (criticized so firmly by Spin magazine that it prompted Fiasco to call for a boycott of the publication).