Lupe Fiasco says his criticism of former president Barack Obama cost him a major brand deal.
The Chicago-bred rapper made the claim during an Instagram Live broadcast Wednesday night. He began talking about the incident while addressing the topic of wealth and fame—specifically how many people make extravagant purchases simply with the goal to impress. He pointed to luxury brands like Rolex and Ferrari, which he slammed as inferior products.
"Rolexes are garbage ... Bro, y'all watches are fuckin' garbage," he says (25-minute mark). "I've had Rolexes since I was 19, ever single one of them bitches broke. The goal isn't to make a watch, the goal is to make a watch that constantly needs to be maintained."
He continues: "Ferraris are garbage. They're garbage. This is from a guy who had a Ferrari deal on the table, until I fuckin' called Obama a terrorist, then I lost all that shit. But that shit's garbage. How do I know? I had four of 'em."
Lupe made the "terrorist" comments during a 2011 appearance on CBS's What's Trending with Shira Lazar.
"My fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama in the United States of America," he says. "I'm trying to fight the terrorism that's actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen. The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists."
Lupe's appreciation for Ferrari has been well-documented over the years, as he's rapped about the luxury carmaker in a number of records; however, it's unclear what kind of deal he was negotiating with company. Complex has reached out to Lupe's team for comment.
Elsewhere in the stream, Lupe spoke about his fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West, whom he credited for helping his career. Ye had tapped Lupe for this 2006 "Touch the Sky" track, which arrived shortly before Lupe's breakout single "Kick, Push." Lupe says he initially didn't want to do the collaboration, but he was ultimately convinced by his manager.
"It was one of the best decisions my manager ever made, because I was dead set on not doing that shit," he says at the top of the broadcast. "... Me and Kanye go back very far. We weren’t boys, we weren’t homies, y’know? But he’s always been Kanye. He’s always been that dude to call you in the middle of the night, and be like, ‘Yo what do you think of this verse?’ And he was honest about that shit. I always respected Kanye because of that."
He went on to describe Kanye as a "very generous" man who had done a lot for Chicago artists; however, Lupe says Kanye also received a lot of help from other artists.
"... I had a career before Kanye, I had record deals before Kanye," he added. "... I got my first deal in 2000, I didn't meet Kanye until 2003-4, some shit like that ... Everybody was helping Kanye. Everybody. Well, not everybody, but it was a bunch of motherfuckers helping Kanye, which I think is something that doesn't get told a lot. Whether it was n***as helping him write his raps, n***as helping him with music, n***as helping him with deals—all kinds of shit. So Kanye is a product of a bunch of n***as, everybody in the city has helped everybody else. So when Kanye said, 'I put n***as on in the city,’ n***as is like, 'Yeah but n***as the one who got you that meeting.'"
He continues: "... Kanye is also a fucking Gemini, and the n***a’s bipolar. There’s tons of n***as in the city that can point to what they did for Kanye, and every little piece counts, right?"
Lupe says Kanye has been "removed from reality," but admits he is "one of the greatest artists of all-time."
"Do I think he's the best rapper? Fuck no. Do I think he makes the best beats? Fuck no," he says (32:00). "But, I think it doesn't matter because the n***a will take whatever the fuck it is, the weakest beat the whackest rap the dumbest looking clothes ... And he will turn that shit into solid gold."
Though Lupe seemingly respects Kanye's work as an artist, he says he does not share Kanye's views on politics: "You validated Trump," Lupe says. "N***a, that shit's not cool."
You can watch Lupe's full Instagram Live stream above. He touches on Kanye's recent criticism of the music industry, and suggests Kanye's so-called enemies are the same people Kanye shook hands with and aspired to be like.
"Why you shaking hands with the devils? Them your people. Now all of sudden they ain't your people," Lupe said. "C'mon, man. You know how this shit work ... I hope that he get better now. I hope he gets his shit straight and he lives the life he wants to live with his family."
