Lupe Fiasco Calls J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar the "New Lupes" and Says He Doesn't Want to Be Relevant

The Chicago rapper opens up about his status in rap.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Earlier this week, Lupe Fiasco announced he would be quitting Twitter. His decision to do so lines up with the release of his upcoming fifth studio album, Tetsuo & Youth, which is his last on Atlantic Records. Twitter rants and beefs aside, his media run for the project has been relatively quiet, except for a recent interview with Billboard, in which the Chicago native opened up about why he feels his run in music is nearing its end.

"I don't want to be relevant today," Lupe said. "I don't want to be the go-to guy for the club song or to speak on all the dumb shit that's going around." He explained that newer artists in the game will fill the void that he once occupied in rap. "You have a Kendrick Lamar and a J. Cole and the other people who are the new Lupes. I don't have the same lingo. I don't sip lean or smoke weed. I can't compete with a Wiz Khalifa for the attention of a 12-year-old." 

He also touched on why he threw his hat into the ring when Iggy Azalea was receiving Twitter backlash last month for her comments on hip-hop and cultural appropriation. "You realize, 'Oh, this is a game. Let's play this controversy-sells game. Let me just engage this fan and have people watch this conversation,' which is what happened."

"My tweet was literally, 'Iggy Azalea has her place in hip-hop,' which is so open-ended," he added. "Half the people are coming at her throat, the other half are supporting, and I'm more in the middle -- it's like, I don't even care."

Asked about Spotify, Lupe shared a detailed explanation as to why he feels it's bad for artists. "I think Spotify has had a hand in destroying the value of music. I think it's something that was understood as coming from record labels." Referencing Taylor Swift's own dilemma with the music streaming service, he added, "You are supposed to be on the artist side. If you wanted to be on the artist's side then you should have did deals directly with the artists, and not the labels."

You can read his full interview with Billboard here, in which he also discusses his passion for painting, his views on politics in music, as well as breaks down the theme behind his record, "Deliver."

[via Billboard]

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