"Kick, Push" may be the single that brought Lupe Fiasco to solo fame, but that doesn't mean the song didn't have a few haters. Reflecting on the single on SKEE Live, the rapper addresses a lack of support from the skateboarding community during the song's initial run on radio.
“There was some very insecure skaters, Tony Hawk not being one of them, fortunately, who just felt like I was trying to encroach on their territory when I really did the song as a tribute for a skate shop,” said Lupe. "It was never supposed to be a single--never meant to be a single. It was for a skate shop called Uprise for a skate DVD and then it just took a life of its own. But when you’re the first through the wall, you always get a little bloody. Then it paves the way for the Lil Wayne’s and the other people to kind of come in and capitalize on the culture even 10 times more than I did. From there all the way up until now, I always try and make things that I’m personally attached to, that have a personal vibration with me that I feel are real and honest and wherever that takes me. So whether that’s skateboarding or having a grandmother that passed away from cancer and homies that are fighting it right now to make a song like ‘Mission,’ it’s all in the same boat.”
Lupe also goes on to discuss his new album, which he claims will only have 11 tracks.
“I only get paid for 11 records,” he says. "There’s a cap on your royalties where you only get paid, the record label only pays you for 11 records and in my position, anything over 11 records is not just free, like, ‘Oh, you’re just doing extra joints.’ It actually pulls money out of my royalties. So, every time I do like The Cool, you do 19 records, you’re getting banged. That’s why [Nas’] Illmatic only has like 10 songs because back in the day it’s like, ‘You’re only paying me what? OK. Then I’m only giving you this.’”
Check out Lupe performing a brand new track featuring Chris Brown right here.
How's everyone feeling about the new sound Lupe's taking on this release?