From LOSER to L.A.S.E.R.S: The Lupe Fiasco Story

This week we are discussing people who have risen from obscurity to popularity. So who would be no better to do this blog on but none other than Lupe Fiasco. Not only is he one of the best rappers alive but I find him very inspirational to the youth. In essence, his story sways from the average depiction of "rags to riches". He grew up in a poor neighborhood however he still had his mother and father (who were both very intellectual people) and had the means to be educated. He wasn't one of those people who submitted to devious acts or went in and out of jail. He may have lived a crime swarmed environment but his life was quite the juxtaposition.

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois to Gregory Jaco,his father,(engineer) and Shirley Jaco,his mother, (gourmet chef). You probably can derive this from his name, but Lupe is Muslim and was raised, for some portion of his life, under the Islamic faith. Lupe (one of nine siblings) grew up in a very tumultuous, turbulent neighborhood. Crack addicts trotted around his premises with drug dealers not to far from view. Any other individual who heard of conditions like this would be devastated and angered by the individual's who create such standards of living but Lupe--having to live under these conditions--took another perspective; "I saw the dudes who would be the gangsta, big-time guys on the block, but would also be dedicated fathers." instead of getting caught up in the crime he witnessed and knew his friend committed, Lupe joined the chess club at his high school along with drama and the high school decathlon. Ultimately, Lupe was a paradigm shift from the average boy who grew up in such an impoverished neighborhood.

Wasalu's love and knowledge of music really came to par through his father; in the car Lupe and his other siblings would listen to N.W.A, along with jazz and other world music from an extensive jazz collection his father owned. At the age of 17, Gregory allowed Wasalu to use the basement as a recording studio. Of course, lupe did not have the funds for a real recording studio so he scoured flea markets and secondhand stores where he found an old mixing board, a record player, some vinyl records, and mic stands. At the age of 19 he entered a group called "Da Pak" under a record deal with Epic Records. Their first and only single was one about guns, cocaine, and women. Lupe was actually opposed to hip-hop because of this vulgarity and in order to acquire his dream he compromised his morals (peer pressure); Lupe felt like a hypocrite. This incident didn't deter Lupe however as he continued to record tracks that led to another deal with Arista Records. That contract was nullified however when L.A. Reid, previous CEO of Arista Records, was fired. It seemed that every step forward led to a great leap back for Lupe. However, Lupe kept in mind that when one door closes another door opens. For the short period Lupe was at Arista Records, Lupe met Jay-Z, who was the President of Def Jam at the time. Kay-Z described Lupe as a "breathe of fresh air" adding that Lupe reminded him of a "younger version of himself". So Jay-Z got Lupe the hook up at Atlantic Records (he wanted him at Def Jam but the contract wasn't very good).

Ever since that faithful day Lupe has been nominated five times for the Grammy's and has become one of the best innovative and evocative rappers of the 21st century. It was difficult to reach this premise but Lupe overcame this difficulty and intends to reach the optimum of the hip-hop hierarchy. Right now he is keeping it cool until "he gets there" (it's a song off of L.A.S.E.R.S).

Strata, strata, does it really matter..........

Previously, social stratification was a means of identifying who you are as an individual. People who attained highly -valued possessions were looked at with admiration but mostly envy. Most people felt that reaching the clout in which they can afford such items was futile. The prestige of the upper class use to create an aura of low self-esteem for those residing in the middle class. However, in recent years, more people have acquired the means to attain the same highly-valued items considered to be attainable only by the rich. As a result the rich has lost their grip over the lower socioeconomic classes. In fact, the "poor" are beginning to be confused the "rich" because of more reasonable foods showing up in the market.

Society has shaped into a Weber-laden world; everyone can have attain the same strata regardless of class. It's kind of admirable. Everyone has the ability to reach the same prestige like those who had it for years. If you look at it from this perspective, it seems as if society has become more meritocratic and lessened on the competitiveness of capitalism. On the other hand, one consider the means in which people who have the same status as the "rich" did to attain that status. Did they sacrifice their personal needs to reach that prestige? Did they buy something just to say they have it? Nowadays you can have the same status without being barred down by your class means, however one has to consider how he/she will maintain that status. For instance, let's say a middle class individual and a upper class individual buys a BMW 528i Sedan. The value has depreciated to 26,000 which is affordable for both the upper class and the middle class individual. Both will be commended for acquiring a luxury car but then the individual has to maintaining the vehicle. If no one knew this before, oil changes for some luxury vehicles can be anywhere from $150 up and that's just for a simple change;. Imagine if it was for fixing brake parts. I bet the car doesn't look so "luxurious" anymore, especially to the middle class individual. How is the middle class individual going to incorporate those fees when money is so scanty already. Yes, items that were considered "for the rich" are more attainable, but one must consider that the desire for status from attaining those goods comes with other consequential effects.