LUPE FIASCO EXPLAINS HOW NWA INSPIRED HIS REBELLIOUS PERSONA

All we hear is Lupe this, Lupe that...What’s the deal with Atlantic, Lupe? Lupe, why’d you call President Obama a terrorist? What's Wasulu doing on Bill O’Reilly?

The Chicago lyrical enigma has spent much of the past nine months headlining Hip-Hop news in one largely head-scratching way or another. Whether it was his protracted public dispute with his label home, Atlantic Records or his declaration that he hated LASERS one week before it’s oft-delayed release -- on and off wax, Cornell Westside has consistently refused to bow down to the conforming pimp-hand of Corporate America. It’s officially part of the irony of his rap moniker: Lupe Fiasco.

When detailing the influence his father’s wide-ranging musical tastes had on him at an early age, Lupe states that, "[My father] played NWA specifically to make the white people at his job mad."

He continued: "So for him it was less about the content and more about the expression -- the whole movement, the idea of it, to cause a reaction, to get people to react to it, to face up to actually what was being said because in NWA there was a lot of truth. When it came time for me to connect with my peers and [decide that] this is what was going to represent me, it was NWA. It was [Eazy-E]. MC Ren, specifically. My first rap name was MC Ren. My partner was Eazy and my other partner was BG Knocc Out. My other partner was DJ Yella, and my other partner was this, and my other partner was that.”

Suddenly it all makes sense. Pre-Fisaco Wasulu latches onto the revolutionary rhetoric of the world’s most notorious rap group and their uncanny ability “to cause a reaction.” Post-Fiasco Lupe lashes back when his latest apocryphal comments causes a negative reaction, which subsequently causes an even greater negative reaction.

Wait, maybe it all doesn’t make sense. Either way, in the aftermath of his “Obama’s a terrorist” firestorm, we don’t expect to see Lupe attending any affairs at the White House any time soon a la fellow Chicagoan Common last month, or Eazy-E in 1991.

Watch the full interview below:


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FULL ARTICLE PUBLISHED @THEWELLVERSED.COM

ZION I & THE GROUCH: AGAINST THE GRAIN INTERVIEW [PART 2]

In the conclusion of TWV's chat with Zion I and The Grouch, the collective opens up about the future of West Coast Hip-Hop, politics in the age of Obama and why the evolution of music is like skateboarding.

The Well Versed: I think if you make good music and you’re a talented individual and uncompromising in your message, people gravitate towards that regardless of whatever you’re talking about. I think Zion I is a great example of that. What I’ve also noticed is that West Coast music in general is getting a lot of light right now. Whether it’s older cats coming back with new projects like Mack 10 & Glasses Malone or [newer acts like] a Fashawn or a Dom Kennedy or an Odd Future. Not to say that the West fell off, but it seems like there is more attention now. Does it feel that way in The Bay or are you at a point now where you don’t pay that much attention to the trends and who is on the cover of what magazine?

Zumbi: I definitely pay attention, man. I’m a fan of this culture as well and I feel as an artist it’s important to be a fan, stay humble and learn from your peers. Especially the youngsters. They’re doing a lot of dope things as far as not trying to follow the cookie cutter format for Hip-Hop. That’s very inspiring from an OG perspective. The West Coast is interesting to me because I feel like the West Coast cats are really utilizing the blogs and it’s very connected to establishing the fan base and staying one on one with the fans. Cats aren’t really trying to necessarily do the label thing. It’s more like, “OK, I’ve got some dope music. Check it out. I’ve got my blog. If you want to hear my music, come to my blog.”

Out here, people are coming to the shows, they’re buying merchandise, they’re buying a CD. It’s just like a very organic process so maybe that has something to do with why the West Coast is where it is right now. It’s definitely inspiring to me.

TWV: Has it always been that way out West, would you say?

Zumbi: I wouldn’t say always, but there’s definitely always been a sense of community music-wise. We were in Atlanta and that’s one of the reasons we moved out here was because my family was out here. I remember when we left Atlanta and we came here and we did an independent show and I started passing out our cassette tapes, our EP cassette. I started passing them out and within a couple of months there was just this buzz about, “What is Zion I? Who is Zion I?” People were running up on me like, “Yo, you got another EP? You got another tape?” I was like, “Damn,” because we were doing the same thing in Atlanta for months and months. I’d go to the shows and pass out the tapes and then I’d see the tape on the ground, never really got any feedback. It was tough. But once we got out here, it was like the feedback mechanism was already in place. The people were already like, “Yo, what’s up, man? We’d like you to do a show.”

TWV: You’ve been active politically throughout your career, in a sense. From your support of Prop 21 to bringing attention to black owned businesses in the Bay Area. California is in a rough time right now. Budget crisis. The economic situation happening across the country is absolutely highlighted by everything that’s happened to California over the past five years. California has always been a progressive state. Whatever happens in California tends to spread throughout the rest of the country soon after. How are you feeling about the political landscape out there but also the state of America? You talked about how you have friends having breakdowns and people going through a rough time, but if you turn on the TV [to any channel other than the cable news networks’] you don’t hear that as often. It’s an odd paradigm we’re in.

Zumbi: That’s why I really don’t watch TV that much. I don’t have cable at my house. This whole tour -- I watch the game, I watch some videos, I watch movies. I don’t just sit there and watch TV because it’s so unrealistic. It’s so paper-Mache for me right now, just in life. I really just try to tune into my inner voice, what my intuition is telling me and my own insights instead of being overwhelmed with all these other ideas of what’s important. Politically, economically, yeah, California is definitely going through it. The real estate thing is crazy. People can’t find jobs.

During the game yesterday, they had a quick news flash and people were going to the train out here -- it’s called the BART -- and they’re putting up these signs like, “WeAllNeedJobs.com.” And they’re sitting at the BART putting up these things but they’re all white! They’re all white dudes and I was tripping because I’ve never seen that in my life. It was like white people -- white men, white women at the BART station talking about, “I need jobs.” That’s a new one. I’ve seen a lot of Mexicans, a lot of black cats out here trying to get jobs like just sitting on the block or whatever. I’ve never seen white folks have to do that so it just kind of tripped me out with where things are. These are like middle-aged people. These aren’t like college graduates. These are forty, fifty years old people you see and normally [assume] they’re probably doing decent but they’re out there struggling. It’s weird to me.

TWV: I tend to think cynicism is a good thing. I don’t think we ask enough questions, broadly speaking. I was looking at Yahoo! yesterday and on the front page of Yahoo! News there was an article on black unemployment rates are closer to 18-19 percent, where the national unemployment rate is around 8 percent. It’s an interesting paradigm to have at the same time we have the first black President. We can only hope for the best in the future and maintain our focus.

Zumbi: Obama won the presidency and I remember immediately after that, there was an interview where people were asked, “Oh since now Obama is President, you guys don’t have any problems now, right?” And I’m like, “What, Obama got everybody out the ghetto, too?” It’s just like, “Oh you killed Bin Laden, so we got jobs now? What, taxes are cut in half?” What does that really do for the everyday person’s life? The world is safer? Your security at the airport has to go up when you kill him? I don’t get it. All these little things.

TWV: One of the things we’re also seeing across the nation is “reverse white flight.” All the white people left the cities for the suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s and are running back to the cities now. Rents are going crazy. You have $200 thousand dollar starting prices for condos and co-ops. You see it all over the place in New York City. A lot of the historic neighborhoods where artists of all types thrived, they don’t live Manhattan in numbers anymore. Whats it like in the Bay Area? I’m unaware, but I feel like San Francisco might be a similar to Manhattan.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW @THEWELLVERSED.COM

Election Day Running Blog Pt 1

November 4th, 2008. 9:41AM.

Just sat down behind my desk in my 10 ft x 12ft glass office that now feels less like a place of business and more like a den of punishment (think OZ-like prison cell. Only with more sunlight). My current discontentment for corporate america preceeded the recent economic crash by 6 months or so, but on this day, I awoke with an earnest sense of 'Hope.' Hopeful that a positive political strategy defeats the fear tactics and unilateralist policy we've trumpeted over the past 8 years. Hopeful that Obama wins by wide margins. Hopeful that McCain will return to the 'straight talk express' he rode for 20+ years only to abandon it for Bush-like fear mongering in a soul-selling attempt to win an election. Hopeful that the middle class will once again be the barers of the bounty, the focus of fiscal policy. Hopeful that Sarah Palin becomes little more than a political punch-line, or trivia question.

Hopeful that the this election will prove to be proof that America's turntables might wobble, but they won't fall down.

Hopeful that work won't suck today.

THE ELECTION DAY RUNNING BLOG

9:48AM

Text from Karmen: "I have been in line for 45 minutes and haven't moved an inch"
Return Text: "Si Se Puede"

9:53AM.

EP called while standing in line to vote at a Harlemworld elementary school (PS something or another). She's been at her precint since 8:30...lines extending out of the building. Normally voting lines Uptown arent' this long, but apparently 'Hope' has hit Harlemworld, and the masses have begun to show-and-prove.

10:06AM

Noell calls in with her D.C. voting report. She was in line for 2 hours (7 to 8:54). Theres an honest excitement in her voice. Not only did she cast her ballot for the first black presidential candidate, but since Election day is a teacher work day in Fairfax county (Maryland), she also has the day off. Win-Win.

Noell: "It will be a completely different experience if he loses, rather than if he wins. Poor black people, latinos...there is a groundswell of lower income people who have hope. But if he loses, they will be so disappointed, angry, disenchanted, disenfranchised...it will be ugly. And if he loses, the voter turnout will be non-existent in the next election. I don't want to deal with all of the nonsense if he loses."

TCM: "Yeah, it will be painful. It will shake peoples faith in our electoral process."

Noell: "Yeah, and I want a black man to win. It will be amazing. But also if McCain wins...I dont' want him to be able to f*ck with my benefits, and my insurance, and...it'll just be ugly."

Seriously.

10:24AM

EP calls back. "I just voted! Oh, and by the way, they didn't check people's ID there. And this girl was there who looked like she was 14 - but she must've been 18 since she was voting - and 8 and a half months pregnant saying 'I've never done this before...can you teach me?' Should I tell the press or something? I mean, she could have been anyone. She could have been her mother or something"

Voter irregularity in Harlemworld? At least its on our side this time.

Maybe thats bad for Obama.

10:32AM

Text from Karmen: "I am surrounded by McCain supporters voting at Riverside HS. Yuck!"

10:44AM

First election results are in! Obama is declared the winner of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, defeating John McCain 15 - 6!

Dixville Notch (sounds like the main character in "Boogie Nights 2") is a tiny town in northern NH with a population of 75 people and is best known for being one of the first to declare its US Presidential Election results. Since 1960, Dixville Notch has held a middle-of-the-night vote, where all eligible voters gather at midnight in the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, and cast their ballots. The polls are closed one minute later, and the results are broadcast to the rest of country immediately afterwards (FIRST!). And get this, there is an informal rivalry between Dixville Notch and other NH burgeoning metropolis' (Millsfield, Hart's Location, Ellsworth, Waterville Valley) for the recognition of being the first (FIRST!) to report its election results.

Now, not only is interesting for the Obama campaign, but also for the Democratic party. Dixville Notch has voted for the Republican candidate in each election since 1968 (when the good people of Dixville Notch supported Hubert Humphrey over Richard Nixon, 8 to 4).

Si Se Puede. Si Se Puede.

11:28AM

Text FWD from Yahnick: "They have a sign up sheet for volunteers to help Bush pack up his shit and get the f*ck out, Nov 5th. I put us down for the 3-8 shift..."

11:37AM

Text from Karmen: "Still here havent' voted yet"
Return Text: "Si Se Puede. Si Se Puede."

1:33PM

Back from an hour-plus-long meeting which also represents the first work done today. But on the up side, so far work hasn't sucked. Yes We Can. Checked my text backlog and received an update from Karmen at 12:43PM:

"Just finished"

3 hours and 43 minutes...longest time recorded on todays Election Day Running Blog. Now thats dedication. Not only did she wait almost 4 hours to vote, but she did so in the Republican locker room: South Carolina. Sure her vote is unlikely to count since SC isn't exactly a bastian of liberalism. Nevertheless, she stuck it out and staked her claim as a part of history. She'll have this story to tell forever, regardless of whether or not Obama wins.

I wonder if she would have waited to vote for Kerry? Or Edwards? Maybe Hillary.

2:03PM

My boy Devan emails:

"FED hires former Bear Chief Risk Officer. Whats wrong with this picture?"

2:10PM

Heading outside for a Black & Mild break. Wine is the new Regular. Tastes like Hooka.

2:35PM

This just in from CT. Sherese says there was no wait when she voted, "but her aunt waited an hour, and her girl waited 3 hours!...its worth the wait!"

2:44PM

My suddenly-arch-Republican homie, "JB", emailed this article to me:

Posted: November 04, 2008
12:48 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Black Panthers blocked a doorway to a polling station and intimidated voters in Philadelphia, according to a Republican poll observer.

After one of two men wearing Black Panther gear brandished a nightstick to threaten voters, the poll observer called police.

As I walked up, they closed ranks, next to each other," he told Fox News. "So I walked directly in between them, went inside and found the poll watchers. They said they'd been here for about an hour. And they told us not to come outside because a black man is going to win this election no matter what."

He said he then walked back outside and the man with a night stick told him, "'We're tired of white supremacy' and he starts tapping the night stick in his hand. At which point I said, 'OK, we're not going to get in a fist fight right here,' and I called the police."

Officers escorted the man with the night stick away from the polling location, but the other person in Black Panther gear is a poll watcher and lives in the building where voters are scheduled to cast their ballots. He was allowed to remain on the premises.

A little backstory:

For the past 3 months, "JB", Sean P, and I have engaged in an intriguing, often anger enducing, running debate over The Election, the candidates, politics in general, whatever. JB (with the occasional input from his older brother) might as well be the Republican Elephant itself by the way he's co-signed his party's policies over the past 8 years - no matter how false history has proven them to be (Iraq's possession of nuclear weapons, for example). And Sean and I put on for the liberals.

Now there is a fundamental difference betweeen supporting a party and supporting the principles of that party. For example, its contradictory to say you agree with the way the Bush Administration has run the government while still calling yourself a conservative. Conservatism favors small, less intrusive, fiscally prudent government and the Bush Administration has recklessly spent tax payers dollars (fighting 2 multi-billion dollar wars while arrogantly cutting taxes, and borrowing money from other countries to float the bill) and sanctioned domestic wire tapping - just to name a couple. So when I say JB is a Republican and Sean and I are liberals, I mean he pulls for his team, and we pull for liberalism (regardless of whose effing up the government).

Now these conversations expanded from sporadic phone calls, to daily I-might-get-fired-due-to-chronic-misuse-of-company-property emails back and forth. Neither side would hesitate to blow up the others spot with a random factoid, or FoxNews/MSNBC 'breaking news' release, or Sarah Palin comedy routine (err...interview) just to prove the others' idiocrocy. After a while it got to the point where we were no longer debating viewpoints, but fighting each other. It became clear that nothing said would make a dent in the others resolve, but rather heightened each others sensitivities. The debates turned toxic and I've since put down the pipe. You vote your vote. I'll vote mine.

2 things learned:

1. I doubt I will ever understand the fiscal motivations of non-rich Republicans. To me its simple, Republican party policies help the rich first, and possibly trickle down to everyone else (tax cuts for the wealthiest 5% of Americans and Fortune 500 companies, for example). The non-rich are the last to benefit. The argument is that when you give money to the richest few, more jobs are created which helps the economy as a whole - middle class and lower class included. Republican commentators further defend this ideology by reminding us that wealth is not static -meaning that when wealth is given to one population, its not necessarily taken away from another population. There is no set size to the pie.

Fine. I get it.

But wealth equals Opportunity. And those with the wealth control the Opportunity. People don't want money because they like having pictures of dead presidents in their pocket. People want money because it provides the Opportunity for more stuff, more experiences, a perceived better life. When wealth is redistributed to the richest few (which is exactly what a tax cut for the rich is...wealth redistibution), you are not only providing them with more resources, you provide them with more Opportunity - in hopes that they find it in the kindness of their hearts to let it trickle down to the rest of us. True, the company with lower taxes may hire more people, but at the same time they control when they hire, who they hire, where those people who are hired will come from, what schools they will require, etc, etc, etc. And with an under funded education system (possibly inconjunction with a reduced tax revenue base to support public schools. Tax cuts?) Americans as a whole are becoming less competitive on a global scale. Which means that many of the best jobs available are not necessarily reserved for Americans. My firm spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year paying for H1-B Visas for international transplants. Sure the economy grows, but who benefits? The shrinking American middle-class?

Control the wealth. Control the Opportunity.

Non-rich Republicans control neither. Its as if they believe that they will be rich at some point in life and want to make sure they will benefit from the same system thats currently shafting them. Breaking news - Fiddy got rich. You'll die trying.

2. As much of a circle-jerk as the convos became, its still refreshing to vere from the usual debates about college football, 'whos' uglier', and scattered-ass. I don't know if its The Election capturing the global consciousness, or us getting older - but either way, its appreciated. I learned quite a bit from JB. And I'm better for it.

Pardon my tangent.

Anyhow, JB is back at it with this Black Panther report. The irony is that I'm not sure how to react to this story. I mean, for decades we've heard Democrats complain about voter suppression in swing states - putting armed, off-duty cops in predominantly black polling locations, or telling people if you owe taxes that you will get arrested if you vote as a means of keeping minorities from dropping their ballots. Now we have Republican's being intimidated by Black Panthers??

I guess thats whats poppin' in 2008.

Voter suppression is unconstitutional no matter who is responsible. But I can't front, it feels much better on this side.

Cautious optimism.

Cautious optimism.


3:13PM

Marcus dials in with a "Happy OBAMA DAY!!!"

TCM: "So what do you think? Does he pull it out?"

Marcus: "Obama better win. If he doesn't its a conspiracy. Brandie's been nervous all day. Stressing about it. Calling me every five minutes. Its like she's in love with Obama...Gotdamnit."

Marcus: "One of my [clients] asked me if I voted today. I said 'Yes ma'am.' She said 'I can tell your a young black man...don't vote for him because he's black...vote for him because he's a young smart man. Vote for him because you believe in his policies.' I said 'Yes ma'am, I believe in his policies'....it helps that he's black, though."

3:46PM

Text from Derron: "Rosa Parks sat so Dr. King could walk. Dr. King walked so Obama could run. Obama is running so our kids can fly."

I've never forwarded a text message before. This one might be the first.

4:13PM

Text from Marisol: "I just Baracked the vote - Yay!!!"
TCM: "Nice! How long was the wait?"
Marisol: "None"
TCM: "How do you feel?"
Marisol: "GOOD and I'm wearing my Obama shirt."
TCM: "Any resistence?"
Marisol: "Nah lol where I vote is Tracey towers ghetto as hell"
TCM: "Where chinese delivery man got trapped in an elevator?"
Marisol: "Yup lol"

4:37PM

I wonder what Mary thinks of all this?

4:47PM

Got this yesterday from my boy James. Finally watched it today.



Definitely a one time watch.

I still need to make a Youtube video.

Si Se Puede.

Si Se Puede.

5:15PM

Sean's sister Shauna sent this one. Much better than the previous.




6:19PM

Nearly a complete day of non-work related work. Headed back to BK to recharge before the Election Night party (the new phenomenon in the 2008 election season. People just need a reason to drink.

9:32PM

MSNBC reports Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Ohio in the bag for Obama.

HUGE.

I repeat in bold: HUGE.

Cautious Optimism.

Chris Mathews makes a good point about McCain's downfall in this election. The moment he stated that the 'fundamentals of the economy are strong' a week prior to the collapse of the financial sector, McCain essentially married himself to the Dubya's failed economic policies. Add that to his short-sighted Palin pick and you have an old, scattered, erratic presidential candidate who doesn't look Presidential.

McCain looks like a Ninja Turtle.

Minus the Ninja.

Cautious Optimism. Cautious Optimism.

9:44PM

MSNBC electoral talley: Obama 200. McCain 94.

70 votes to go with Democratic strongholds still open.

9:49PM

Tossing on the jeans, kicks, hoodie, and blazer. Headed to the election party. Looks like a throw down is on the way.

PART 2 ON THE WAY