Before Lupe Fiasco ever delivered on his quintessential Food & Liquor album in 2006, he recorded "Hey Lupe." The track remained in whatever crevice he could find until it quietly resurfaced on the 2010 Vintage Fiasco tape. Still, there was no sign of life from "Hey Lupe" until this week when Charles "Chill" Patton, co-founder of Lupe's 1st & 15th label decided to package together a three-track playlist. On it, you'll find the previously-released "Gametime" and "Run Game" singles with the official "Hey Lupe" recording leading the pack.
"I vividly remember the day Lupe recorded this song," Chill tells The FADER. "I got the beat from the producer and played it twice for Lu while we were riding in a white Suburban, 20 minutes later we made it to the studio and he immediately went in and knocked out the whole song — verses, hook, adlibs, etc. It was natural for him, but not so natural for me to see this, and I had been around some of the greats. This is when I knew he was a Monster!! It’s been in the vaults for many years, and now we are excited to share it with his fans."
Quotable Lyrics
They should break in the company and take him in custody
For takin sumthin so basic and makin it uppity
So publicly so what if he hold something so stubbornly
So grudgingly up in here for something that he does so lovingly