"I would be in the projects listening to Tchaikovsky on the record player or reading
the encyclopedia while they were shooting across the street," recalls Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco of his childhood on the West Side of Chicago. Unusual pursuits for any kid, including those in the Madison Terrace housing development. But then again, the 23-year-old rapper has never minded being different from his contemporaries.

Equipped with a quick wit, a dexterous tongue, and entertaining songs about skateboarding and a fear of approaching women, this self-described "cool nerd" is poised to lead Chi-town's next wave. Along with the buzz garnered from his trilogy of critically acclaimed mixtapes, credit his hometown brethren for fanning the flames: Fiasco's first major exposure came via his verse over the Mayfield horns of Kanye West's "Touch The Sky" from Late Registration. The pair had known each other for several years, but only forged their relationship after speculation that West had jacked the concept for his remix of "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" from Lupe's "Conflict Diamonds," a track recorded over the instrumental to West's conscience-free original. Of course, any dispute has clearly been settled. "I'm happy with it," says Fiasco, who attributes the similarities to simple like-mindedness. "I'm glad he put it on the world stage, because I couldn't."

Shuffled through labels since his late teens, Fiasco now seeks the elusive world stage with Atlantic Records and a debut album, Food & Liquor, due in early '06. Aware of the record industry's fickle nature, Fiasco has hedged his bets with a publishing company (1st &15th) and Righteous Kung-Fu, a company devoted to toys, Japanimation, skate decks, and anything else that captivates his active mind. "I like to call myself the Negro Nigo," he says with a laugh. "I'm just going to let all my nerdiness flow."