Japanese Cartoon is Weird, But I Like It.

I don't write a lot about hip hop on this blog. I'm generally not a huge fan of hip-hop or rap. In fact, I'm big enough of a non-fan that I couldn't even tell you the differences between rap and hip-hop, despite being assured that there are differences. However, I still know talent when I hear it. I like listening to Eminem spout things that I can't even believe he was able to make rhyme. I like Jurassic 5 and their independent sound and mindset. I like Wu-Tang and their diversity of influences.

But a couple years ago, at Coachella, I got the opportunity to see Lupe Fiasco play live and I was pretty much floored by how much I genuinely enjoyed the whole thing. He played with a live band which, as you can read in the Phoenix New Times' review of his show here last night, rocked pretttty fucking hard.

First, I'd like to point out Lupe Fiasco's braver, more effective, and much more direct approach to protesting the Arizona SB1070 law that has been blocked by the courts. Chris Piel reports Fiasco saying last night, "Mexican immigrants are allowed at my show, too" (read more).
Fiasco is set apart from the rest of the hip-hop world, in my eyes, sort of like Kanye West has done. Kanye is his own brand, and he grew it that way by shunning the stereotypical "rules" of what hip-hop had become. Not that Kanye shies away from being flashy, but Kanye shined a positive light into the dark world of rap and hip-hop. However, most people realize that he is a narcissistic, possibly sociopathic, douchebag. Lupe Fiasco has that same swagger of independence from expectations. Growing up in a rough neighborhood in Chicago, Lupe separated himself early on by choosing to read National Geographic magazines or listen to a Benny Goodman record (one of his biggest influences). He isn't your typical rap star. He keeps the subject matter above a certain standard, it seems - instead of objectifying women or bragging about riches he tries to bring attention to important world matters like war, poverty, and social structure.

While folks like Gym Class Heroes have been trying to successfully fuse indie rock and hip-hop styles, Lupe Fiasco just took a leap right over the blending line and straight-up started a rock band. With Lupe on vocals, Japanese Cartoon released an album last year, titled In the Jaws of the Lords of Death. While there are moments of heavy-ish industrial rock, there are some pretty genuine indie/garage rock efforts in there. He shows that he draws influence from all over the spectrum of music, and has genuine interest in artistic integrity and creating new, original things.