Lupe Fiasco: music over politics

Lupe Fiasco played to a full house at Boston’s House of Blues on Sept. 13 with backup from the talented Ms. Sarah Green. He managed to bring together an incredibly diverse audience, from rowdy college kids, businessmen, grandmothers in full sari and young children.
Rap music is normally perceived as the music of the younger generation or even of delinquents. Yet this show’s audience is a powerful counter-argument to this misconception. As Lupe himself said, “There’s someone’s mother in the front row. And she knows every word!” Someone’s mother was a lady introducing her granddaughter to Lupe’s music.
Lupe Fiasco kicked off his show in high gear by bursting onto the stage with “Words I Never Said,” a favorite off of his new album, Lasers. With it, he brought a tangible force and energy to the stage with the frenzy of his rap and movement, assaulting the air and screaming at the audience. This wasn’t just anger, this was frustration at U.S. political and social problems that were channelled into the lyrics and the performance. Lupe rapped about how the government needs to improve and help poor people, especially poor children.
Lupe is set apart from many of today’s musicians because of his activism. He uses his art to spread his political beliefs in a way that’s reminiscent of 60’s folk and rock. With his music, he does what more artists should do: call out for social change and peace.
However, his performance wasn’t characterized solely by politics. After a few songs, he slowed down and started to play with the audience. He sang “Paris, Tokyo” and “Kick, Push,” some of his earlier, jazzier songs. With these more positive songs, he had the audience smiling and swaying with every verse.

His tone shifted even more with a rendition of “All Black Everything,” a song about his dream of a world without race or hatred. It was a rendition that stilled the entire audience, sent chills down their spines and pulled tears from their eyes.
Despite the vastly different flavors of Fiasco’s songs, they all had one point of union. Each one was meaningful and carried with it a message to the audience, whether for hope and peace, personal happiness or social and political change. However, preaching can be dangerous. At one point in the concert, Lupe called out, “President Obama is a m———— terrorist,” immediately followed by the roar of the crowd.
Nevertheless, this does not take away from the incredible performance Fiasco put on. Even if we choose to ignore the implications of his music, we must respect his talent as a musician, poet and performer who had the audience practically off the ground.