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in Chicago, Illinois, the rapper took his stage name from an extension of this nickname, "Lu", the last part of his first name, and the "Fiasco" portion from his affinity for the song "Firm Fiasco" by the rap group The Firm. Fiasco started rapping as a youngster, and by the time he turned seventeen, his group, Da Pak, had been signed to Epic. Opting instead for a solo career, Fiasco signed a deal with Arista Records, released the promo single "Pop Pop" in 2003 and appeared on singles from Tha' Rayne and K Fox. One year later, Arista folded and he was signed to Atlantic Records. Impressed by Fiasco, Jay-Z offered to sign him to Def Jam records but Lupe declined, having already started his own "1st and 15th". His first brush with mainstream success was a guest verse on Kanye West's "Touch the Sky." Soon after, in 2006, Fiasco released his own debut album, Food & Liquor. Executive produced by mentor and friend, Jay-Z, the album went on to garner three Grammy nominations, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Kick Push."



Catapulted to fame, Fiasco came out with his sophomore offering, 2007's Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. The album featured production from Soundtrakk, Unkle, Patrick Stump and Chris & Drop, among others. Guest appearances included GemStones, Snoop Dogg, and Matthew Santos. The album debuted at #15, moved a spot up to #14 on the Billboard 200 in its second week. It debuted as the #1 rap record and remained there for 9 weeks. Since that time, it has been certified Gold. Hip hop superstar and mogul Jay-Z has described Fiasco as a "breath of fresh air" in a new hip hop world characterized by mainstream pop and glamour, while critics have called him the "Hip-Hop Generation's Next Vanguard." Fans would be hard-pressed to disagree.