The greasy grown-ups who put words in Avril Lavigne's mouth probably didn't envision Lupe Fiasco when they penned her hit "Sk8er Boi." Fiasco is a pop culture anomaly-a Muslim rapper from Chicago's (wild) West Side who raps and skates well, rarely curses, and doesn't drink or bone groupies. Skate and street culture comfortably coexist in the 24-year-old, whose nimble flow shines on his debut, Food & Liquor (Atlantic), executive-produced by Jay-Z. The mainstream may soon picture Fiasco whether they're thinking kick drums or kick flips. Complex sat with the self-proclaimed "Negro Nigo" to discuss Chicago's pimp culture, groupies, and, of course, skateboarding.

You didn't like hip-hop initially because you felt it degraded women. How do you feel about Chicago's pimp culture?
It's wack. Degrading women [in hip-hop] was based off that. Not that I don't rock to "Like a Pimp," but if you look at it objectively, snatch all the artistry away from it, and just look at the message with no music, it's really vulgar.

On "He Gets the Girl" you woo a chick by talking about playing the tuba and having an autographed Linkin Park shirt. What kind of game do you kick?
I don't kick game no more. If your purpose in life is to find that one person you can trust and be with for the rest of your life, it's not gonna come through no game.

So you haven't got hoes in different area codes?
We can jump on MySpace right now! Ask them, "Have you ever done anything with Lupe?" They'll say, "No, I took a picture with him." When I leave shows, I'll walk right to my car and go straight to my hotel and go to sleep. Because to me, it's a job.

What clothing lines might we find you rocking these days?
I rock Clot, a company out of Hong Kong, and Fragment, out of Japan. I wear a company called LMAC out of Singapore, my man Le Messie and his fiancée, Amanda. I rock with them kind of heavy. My love is streetwear; it's almost like I study it. People like Futura inspire me and make me want to create.

On "Kick, Push," you name-drop some skate tricks. How nice are you with the board?
I'm all right. Skateboarding is hard, and what separates good skaters from terrible skaters is consistency. I'm a rapper first. Skating is a hobby.

How do you deal with hater skaters who think you're using the culture as a marketing ploy?
I'll go ollie over a garbage can, like right in their face, kick-flip off onto something ridiculous, or nose manual onto something crazy. It silences the haters immediately. I had the opportunity to make a song and put it out there to really bring attention to skateboarders. And then Tony Hawk and Stevie Williams are calling me, and the real skaters are like, ‘‘Thank you for not commercializing my lifestyle and bastardizing it." Because it's not a vain attempt like I don't know what I'm
talking about.

Launch our jukebox and listen to Lupe Fiasco's "Kick, Push."