Interview with Sean of lupEND.

This is the first of hopefully a series of interviews I will be doing with fellow Lupe site owners or ..prominent Lupe fans. If that makes any sense.

Sean runs the Lupe blog lupEND. I think of that one as an international Lupe site while mine is more of a fan based site while Lupe's favorite girls over and The Lupe Fiasco Show have a more general one.

Anyway, I recently got a chance to talk to Sean about his intrest in Lupe and he clears up the confusion about his famous Glow In The Dark Mixtape.


Lupe The Killa: Okay, so I need to get some basic stuff out of the way. Basic stuff like name, alias & age..

Sean Smith The Future Blogger: I'm 22. My real name is Ludwig and my alias is Sean Smith The Future Blogger. Some people also call me Jeezy.

LTK: Where'd the Jeezy nickname come from?

Sean: Well it hasn't to do anything with the rapper. Basically, it was el-jay first but then some people said Jeezy sounds better so I left it that way.

LTK: Oh okay. That's good to know. Okay a question about your blog. Since possibly millions of people will read this...maybe..explain to the ones who don't know what the whole 'Amajanese' thing is about.

Sean: Alright, I got the inspirtaion for that when I heard Gold Watch because Lupe raps about how he has American and Japanese influences. So, I thought how can you put that in one word? So I came up with the word "Amajanese". And I basically want Lupe to use it on one of his next projects. It stands for the mix of American and Japanese culture.

LTK: Seriously..I really think he should mention it. What was it about Lupe that made you make a site for/about him?

Sean: I think his lyrics and the whole music he does comes from his heart. And there are not a lot of Hip Hop artists that make music about real life issues that people can actually relate to. But Lupe does that and that's one main reasons. I also really like his style and that he's a little nerdy. It's good to hear music that's not about bitches and guns and all that.

LTK: Yeah, I know what you mean. Would the lupEND blog be the first time you ever did anything like that?

Sean: I did blogs before but I never really lasted that long. Now with the blog about Lupe I found something that's really important for me and I really care about it. So it's the first time I have a blog for more than 2 months.

LTK: What/who were the other blogs for?

Sean: I did one basically about Hip Hop and entertainement. It lasted 2 weeks. And the other one was about female skater and it also lasted 2 weeks.

LTK: LOL, okay. So, to the Lupe questions. What was the first song you heard of his?

Sean: It was Touch The Sky with Kanye.

LTK: Same for me. I actually listened to it on my computer for the first time and while I was listening to it I started looking for stuff by him on Limewire...but this isn't about me, LOL.

If you could only listen to one of the 2 for the rest of your life [for whatever reason] which cd would you pick. Food & Liqour or The Cool?

Sean: Ah damn...that's a tough one. I think I would pick The Cool. Because I like the content of it more and I really like Matthew a lot more on The Cool. And my secret crush Nikki Jean is on there, too. Yeah I would pick The Cool.

LTK: LOL, everybody loves Nikki. Okay so, if you were trying to introduce somebody to Lupe's music and they only agreed to listen to two songs. What songs would you play for them to try and get them hooked?

Sean: Somehow depends on the other person but I think I would play Streets On Fire because it's really catchy and deep at the same time. And I would play Dumb It Down because it's my favorite right now and if you don't like Lupe after that song you'll never like him.

LTK: True. Then again, I've played that song for someone and they didn't like it. To me that meant they didn't understand it so I left it alone. For now. But..do you think you really know Lupe's songs? This answer will determine if we do what I consider the fun part..

Sean: Do you mean all the lyrics or the meanings behind them?

LTK: Lyric wise. I think some of the meanings differ. It depends on the individual listening. Lyric wise and maybe song titles.

Sean: Alright. I'm bad lyric wise but we can try it just for the fun factor.

LTK: LOL, Okay. So,..wait before we do that I meant to ask you 2 "Either/Or's". Tilted or Tilted In Any Colour You Like? & vacation wise..Paris or Tokyo?

Sean: Tilted and Tokyo

LTK: Okay. Just give me the next part from this line "Cuz I know I'm not the smoothest..."

Sean: Ah damn. Is that from He Say, She Say? I told you I suck at stuff like that.

LTK: LOL, I'll give you a hint. It's from 'And He Gets The Girl'

Sean: ...told myself i shouldn't do this.

LTK: Yep. He Say She Say was the father/son thing lol. You think you could guess the song if I give you a whole line?

Sean: Yeah

LTK: "You can't destroy me, know who dem boys be/ I ain't no employee" I couldn't give you the next part because that'd give away the song. Just to let you know..all the ones I mention are gonna be from mixtape songs. Albums are too easy, lol.

Sean: I should go back and listen to the mixtapes.

LTK: Okay, we'll end that then, LOL. It was Boss Playa. But lemme see...I had more questions anyway.. Don't worry though I'm almost done.

Sean: Oh..I could go on for hours...lol.

LTK: LOL, too bad I don't have hours worth of questions. I couldn't think of much. I'm sure I'll think of stuff I should of asked later. Two more "Either/Or's" first. Fast food or home cooked? and Boat or Plane?

Sean: Home Cooked. I love my mom's food...and I'll take the plane.

LTK: Good choice. I only asked the boat/plane thing because of Dumb It Down. Okay two more questions.

Sean: Alright

LTK: 1. What Lupe song has the most meaning to you?

Sean: Probably He Say, She Say because I never really had a father so sometimes I can't even listen to that track.

LTK: Wow. I'm sure you're not the only one. I've heard that alot. Okay..so 2. What does the line "When the fighters are all around, all the lovers are underground" mean to you?

Sean: What does it mean to me? I think you need bad stuff to appreciate good things. That's pretty much what it means for me. The more bad happens to you the more you can appreciate the good things... Don't know if that made any sense...but that's how I see it.

LTK: I understand what you mean. It's kind of like the whole thinking that you have to have bad relationships to appreciate a good one.

Sean: Yeah, pretty much.

LTK: Okay, I know I said two more but really quick..what are some of your other favorite artist in hip hop and other genres?

Sean: I like Kanye West, N.E.R.D. , Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, M.I.A. Linkin Park, U2, Coldplay...and of course Nikki Jean and Optimus.

LTK: That's great. Okay then..thanks for the time and maybe we can do this again. Maye next time I'll be asking you what it felt like to hear Lupe to use 'amajanese' on lupEND.

Sean: Oh yeah that would be cool. Thanks for having me...just really quick can I say one more thing?

LTK: Sure.

Sean: Alright about that Glow In The Dark Mixtape. I did the cover with the 3 heads on the black background and I compiled the tracklist so it's more like a compilation. There has been some confusion if it's official or not. Just to tell everyone once and for all...it's not. And oh yeah shout outs to Lupe, Nikki, Optimus, everyone from FNF, The Femmes, and everyone who reads that.

Visit lupEND.
Dowload the Glow In The Dark Mixtape here.

Lupe watches Conan O Brian?

Ha! Another reason I love him. If you don't watch Conan...you are living a meaningless life. LOL. Anyway. Here's his interview with MTVU. Yes. I'm late. Your point?

Go Where Hip Hop Interview with Nikki Jean

GWHH: Who is Nikki Jean, the artist?
NJ: nikki jean the artist is a songwriter who is attracted to the beauty in the ugly truth.

GWHH: Who is Nikki Jean, the person? (likes/dislikes, personality quirks, etc.)
NJ: nikki jean the person. . loves=baking, knitting, good food, FINE chocolate, FINE linens, small spaces. my ex-boyfriends, and complete darkness. dislikes=hate, most seafood, parking tickets I'm running late a lot, I'm clumsy, strangers make me nervous.

GWHH: What has it been like to perform alongside Lupe Fiasco at one of his sold-out shows so far on his tour? Can you recall any crazy or funny stories from your any of your experiences with Lupe in the studio, on tour, or in general throughout your career?
NJ: Performing alongside of Lupe has been incredible. I mean, great venues thousands of fans. . SOLD OUT shows. . lines around the block. . people waiting for hours. . It's inspiring. It makes me really want to hustle and get my stuff together. The tour has a million funny moments. . but it's not my tour, and I'd prefer to let Mr. Jaco or the FNF family illuminate them as they see fit.

Read the entire interview here.

-- Courtesy gowherehiphop.com

*CLASSIC* Lupe Interview.

*Classic Lupe Interview*

And on the heels of the Classic Blog comes the Classic Interview...

You ever notice how I like to start entries off like I was already in mid-sentence? hmm...

Lu talks about some stuff back in October of 2006 that caused controversy when he brought it up recently. He's telling the truth maybe? Maybe?

Anyways...[[I say that often too]]...here's a little taste..a tid-bit if you will..

The last time I interviewed Lupe Fiasco, I did it for Pitchfork. This time, as soon as he saw me, he said, "I don't even know why I'm talking to you guys," and he brought up every problem he had with Sean Fennessey's Pitchfork review of his album and the 7.9 rating that it got....

Do you think it makes sense to make plans this far in advance at a time when the music industry is floundering?

The music industry is wack. I think we got too caught up in the numbers. I don't really think people were selling back in the day like that...

Something that I've learned from knowing a few people who make music is that when somebody thinks that something is their best album, it's never their best album. They get into their headspace, people telling them that they're right all the time. Do you ever worry about that happening with you?

You kind of start living in a bubble. You never know the real impact of your music unless you force yourself to participate in arenas which are shunned by your fellow artists. Like the internet; do you know how many rappers aren't on the internet, don't know what's going on, don't care? It's shunned; it's nerdy.

So you talked about killing people.

Yeah, but this is what people don't understand about me: I've had a gun since I was like twelve. My gun, given to me by my father who was in the military, who taught me how to shoot when I was four, how to shoot AK-47s and take apart M16s. I used to write my raps with my 9 millimeter right there. I understood what it was for, and it went from the stage of being like, "I have a gun, and I'm not going to kill you, but I'll defend myself" to getting caught up in the industry: "Yo, I'll shoot you." And then it got to the point where you can't explain that to people, you can't explain your history of it. Everybody's not going to read that one interview where you do, so I'd rather just not talk about it at all.

...and we see exactly why today...

--Courtesy my favorite place in the world for stuff like this: Village Voice**

**None of those answers are Lupe's complete answers. Click the link to read the whole thing.

Lu explains how "Street Fighter" influenced LupEND...

Actually it was just the title..but it had an influence nonetheless.

Last one for tonight. I have to work tomorrow..and get ready for the concert that is in approximately..4 Days, 19 hours, & 10 minutes.

Another interview with Lu...

Part I.



Part II.



..for some reason I lost the 3rd part. Shit sucks. I decided to post this one instead.



He really does keep it tilted to the left side..hmm..

Lupe talks why he only wants yellow M&Ms, living in Paris, & his novel.

He talks about a novel he is working on, his Chicago anthem, how Chris Brown declined to appear on The Cool, & how he wants nothing to do with Vibe.

I may be late..but it wouldn't be the first time. You take that how you want to...

Some of the main interesting parts for the lazy who don't feel like reading the whole thing.

Briefly run down the concept for your new album.

For this album, it picks up on a [song] from the first album called “The Cool,” which is about a hustler who gets killed and comes back to life and who digs his way out of his own grave, and goes back to his old neighborhood and gets robbed by these two kids, ironically with the same gun he was shot with. I kind of took that story and expanded on it. I just started to tie in all these different stories and characters and plots, to make it kind of the pre-history for “The Cool.” So, it’s about how The Cool starts off as this little boy, he grows up without a father, he’s raised by The Game, falls in love with The Streets, goes on to be this big-time hustler, gets killed, and comes back to life. He ends up at the crossroads with the little kids.

I went back and took the little boy from “He Say She Say,” off the first album, and now he’s The Cool. The three main characters, The Cool, The Streets, and The Game, they’re all walking, talking characters. The Cool is played by Kadeem Hardison, from A Different World. The Streets has dollar signs for eyes, and tattoos of all her slain boyfriends across her chest. She’s like a temptress, almost. When you see her tattoos you see Al Capone and Alexander the Great and King Tut. And then you have The Game, who is an amalgamation of all of those vices in the world. He has dice for eyes, he has bullets for teeth, he has crack pipes for lungs, and he breathes crack smoke, and his suit is made out of blackened dollar bills. It’s a really graphic, really intense kind of character.

[The concept is] only on five records, and some of it is done kind of abstractly. The artwork ties everything in, and if you want, you can go backwards into [my] albums and the mixtapes, and figure out the characters and the story. A lot of my fans are doing that now. It really has kind of a cinematic feel to it.


The Cool seems pretty light on big name guest appearances and producers. Did you consider trying to get will.i.am and T-Pain and Akon and all of them?

I had a song called “Blackout,” which is probably going to pop up on one of these store’s bonus tracks, and I was trying to get Chris Brown on it. And they turned us down. [Laughs.] I was like, “Oh, okay.” So, that was probably the only attempt to try to get somebody huge. But, I really like Chris Brown. He’s dope.

Your new song “Gotta Eat” is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger, and it’s about the lack of healthy food in many black neighborhoods. Do you avoid trans fats and fast food and all that?

No, not at all. I’ll eat a bowl of grease. Solidified, white, crusted, all with a spoon....

Want more? Read the rest of the interview here at Village Voice thanks to Def Sounds.