Lupe Fiasco
In 2001, Lupe was a part of a gangster rap influenced group called Da Pak. The group inked a deal with Epic Records but only released one single before disbanding. After the split, Lu starting working as a solo artist and was signed to Arista Records only to be dropped like a horse turd a little while later.
That’s until…
He befriended Jay-Z. Jay, then the president at Def Jam, was so impressed by the rapper he called him “a breath of fresh of air” and later helped Fiasco land a deal with Atlantic Records. He also executive produced Lu’s breakout debut Food & Liquor in 2006.
