On Halloween night, Chicago’s own Lupe Fiasco had a homecoming, giving a high-energy House of Blues show to a sold-out audience. The all-ages crowd was a mixed bag, with 15-year-olds in decorative hoodies and Chuck Taylors singing alongside 30-somethings in button-down shirts and sweater vests.
Whispers went through the crowd hailing Fiasco as “real hip hop” despite his recent lyric flub during a Tribe Called Quest tribute at VH1’s Hip Hop Honors awards show.
The event – dubbed Fiascogate – has done little to calm the anticipation for Fiasco’s new release The Cool, which will be out Dec. 18 after a slew of pushbacks. Fiasco is poised to be more than just a critically acclaimed artist. And if he hits the top, he will be in company of fellow Chicagoans Common and Kanye West who both had number one albums during their first week of sales.
In recent years it seems that Windy City natives have a lock on a certain segment of hip hop addicts. But the idea that the something about the city produces conscious rappers is questionable. Da Brat, Twista, Do or Die and, more recently, Yung Berg, have gained a degree of mainstream exposure without falling into that category. But the brand is not new.
There are artists from every region that can claim a conscious, or alternative, perspective to the music that is more mainstream. Brooklyn-based Talib Kweli and Mos Def are just a few. But the sales are not the same. Kweli’s album Ear Drum debuted at number two with 60,000 sold in the first week, while Common’s Finding Forever made a mark at number one with first week sales reaching 155,000 units. So what is the difference between Common and Kanye, Talib Kweli and Mos Def?
“We really want our artists to succeed,” says Nia Arnold, a Medill freshman and Chicago native. “I know people who bought three copies of Graduation.”
But star power is not something to deny. While Common has been on the scene since 1992 and is often recognized for his hip hop classic “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” his album sales did not reach critical mass until BE – produced by West – which was first deemed a classic by hip hop magazine XXL. Lupe Fiasco’s mainstream was on Kanye’s “Touch the Sky.” And while Lupe and Common still struggle to do major numbers, Graduation sold 957,000 during the first week.
“Kanye is backed by bigger rappers,” says Mike McGee, a Weinberg sophomore who listens to artists like Rhymefest as well as those that are more notable. “Other rappers never got that big person to back them.”
And Kanye is doing different things, says Mena Abebe, a Weinberg sophomore. “He is staying current without completely compromising.”
Whether it’s for Chicago unity or the support from other stars, these rappers are filling a void in the hip hop industry. Complaints about the content of hip hop has been increasing in the past years, along with claims that the genre is dead. Fans and critics name these artists when they talk about the future of the genre.
“If cats right now are trying to get put on,” says Abebe, who is the host of WNUR’s hip hop show, “The Project.” “They are going with the more gimmicky, one hit-type of songs.”
Even those who love the songs that lack snaps are not so sure that Chi-Town’s finest can change the current state of hip hop.
“I prefer real hip hop, and I would love to see another Kanye come up,” Arnold says. “But I doubt that will happen soon.”
Medill senior Niema Jordan is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
