29 Days of Lupe Fiasco: Fortification

I used to hate Hip-Hop too, Lupe.

Forget women being degraded, I was never that sensitive. There was a time in my life that I didn't want anything to do with rappers. Maybe it was the bling, maybe it wasn't. Like Ye said, "There's a 1000 you's and only one of me", individuals were missing. All I know is I got plain sick of them.

As a freshman in high school, I started to give an open ear for different music. The No Limit era had officially died. Really, I was still waiting on that second 504 Boyz album to drop, with that cruise ship. The new mainstream rap never hit me. What I used to love rap for was gone and this new era wasn't talking about nathin'! More and more, I begin to LimeWire old rock bands, 80s music was my shit and I took note of classics acts such as Dylan and the Beatles. I don't know, Techno had my heart and Bruce Springsteen had my soul. It was an inevitable drift though. I learned of so much more--there is a life outside of rap music.

Hating Hip-Hop also gave me a reason for re-entering rap music. I had to ask myself 'why are you listening to this?' I've always listened to Rap, shit my first cd was Eazy-E's 187 Killum so feelings were blah and based on tradition. Why did I spend my school nights blasting Master P? I was growing up and the shit I was listening to wasn't really saying anything special or progressive. So I left it behind. I missed the whole East Coast mixtape inception and some of the older dudes come ups but eh. And since I've been back into rap back in '04 I've seen my own progression in tastes. It's as if leaving rap for a while, I was able to branch out and explore. Then when I yearned for that raw, passionate and meaningful music, I returned to rap. I fell more in love with rap, knew why I liked it and I might as well cop a PHD for my investment in rap culture/music.

Listening to Lupe makes more sense of this idea. His music is why I listen to Hip-Hop. Yeah, I've got plenty of other rappers I can get with but damn if Lupe didn't make my life. Had he been around seven years ago when I left, I might have never drifted. He's profound, real, lyrical and creative. The songs he pens have the innate ability to hit on different levels; I can listen to it in the ride, take notes or sing along. He's one of a few acts to attain the ideal rapper. Hating everybody else made me love him more. Enough said: Lupe is Hip-Hop.