Lupe Fiasco: Chicago Is A ‘Wasteland’

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The outspoken Chicago-native hip-hop artist, Lupe Fiasco, has been very critical of the violence that plagues his hometown over the past few years. It’s no surprise that Lupe is an avid fan of the late historian Howard Zinn, whose 1980 classic, “A People’s History of the United States,” documented the toll paid by common people so that the political and economic elite could advance their agendas. In a recent interview, he discusses his new album, Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Part I and what he thinks about the silence from politicians regarding the gun violence that plagues black communities across the nation.

 

On the context of his new album:

“The bulk of this album speaks to how America hasn’t changed,” he says. “The great turning points in history, we romanticize them too much. The general arc of the way society works hasn’t changed in terms of racism, class bias, oppression, happiness, joy, displacement, urban decay and urban renewal for decades. There are certain things we have to address, but have not really addressed for decades, really — youth violence in the city, for one. The same cycle of violence keeps happening in Oakland, Detroit, Miami, Houston, Chicago.”

On violence in the rap industry:

“My first comments were to express concern about the incubators of violence,” Fiasco says of his remarks about Chicago-native Chief Keef. “I was more distraught and concerned about what causes all this violence to happen in the first place. Many of my friends are gangsters. Some of my best friends in the music business are gangsta rappers. I’m not flinching at a gun in a video, or a song about selling crack. I talked about the same things in my older records. It’s not like this is brand new. My concern, and what everyone’s concern should be, is that the circumstances that create a culture like that haven’t changed. There have been no real solutions. So why wouldn’t you expect a new crop of music like this from all cities?”

On the origin of the violent music:

“The mimicking of the culture you see now, the style of the music, originated in Atlanta, imported from (Atlanta rappers such as) Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane. Where did that come from? Detroit, Oakland. It starts to go around the map. It’s the same venting in the music, how it sounds, its attitude, the callousness and aggressiveness. Underneath, what’s there? I’m afraid Chicago is becoming Detroit. I’m afraid Chicago is dying. There is some semblance that society is running as normal. But as soon as you go two blocks outside the downtown radius, it’s a wasteland.”

On speaking up:

“Howard Zinn had a sense of humor, and he realized the unpopularity and the futility of some of his views,” he says. “But he never backed away from the importance of what he was saying. He was saying, ‘I am preaching at you. I am a teacher. I have no shame in doing that.’ Some of the people we hold in highest regard in this society, whatever our background, whatever our experience, are preachers.”