{"id":628112,"date":"2024-07-18T19:01:10","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T16:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/lupe-paints-amy\/"},"modified":"2024-07-18T19:01:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T16:01:10","slug":"lupe-paints-amy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lupe-paints-amy\/","title":{"rendered":"#Lupe paints Amy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d83373459f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d83373459f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lupe-paints-amy\/#Lupe_Fiasco_discusses_the_deep_intention_behind_his_new_album_Samurai_a_portrait_of_Amy_Winehouse_as_a_mythic_battle_rapper\" >Lupe Fiasco discusses the deep intention behind his new album Samurai, a portrait of Amy Winehouse as a mythic battle rapper.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"deck\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lupe_Fiasco_discusses_the_deep_intention_behind_his_new_album_Samurai_a_portrait_of_Amy_Winehouse_as_a_mythic_battle_rapper\"><\/span>Lupe Fiasco discusses the deep intention behind his new album <i>Samurai<\/i>, a portrait of Amy Winehouse as a mythic battle rapper.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"content_blocks\">\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262703\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left image\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_rkxx65\/lupe-fiasco-photo-via-publicist.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"Lupe paints Amy\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Lupe Fiasco. Photo via publicist.<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262704\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            <span class=\"lead-text\">Lupe Fiasco\u2019s creative process<\/span> is more studied than most. Now 42, the Chicago MC born Wusalu Jaco has been r<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing professionally for most of his life. His 2006 debut LP, <i>Lupe Fiasco\u2019s Food &amp; Liquor<\/i>, is widely regarded as a modern masterpiece, and he\u2019s spent the ensuing 18 years honing his craft and teaching it \u2014 at his <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.societyofspokenart.org\/\">Society of Spoken Arts (SOSA)<\/a> and in his Rap Theory &amp; Practice course at MIT.<\/p>\n<p>            His latest album, <i>Samurai<\/i>, released on short notice late last month, stems from an unusual premise: a hypothetical scenario in which Amy Winehouse is a battle rapper. The concept isn\u2019t entirely a figment of Lupe\u2019s imagination; it comes from a voicemail Winehouse left for her producer, Salaam Remi, made public via <i><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE&amp;ab_channel=A24\">Amy<\/a><\/i> \u2014 the stunning 2015 documentary on the incomparable singer\u2019s tragically brief life.<\/p>\n<p>            \u201cI keep coming out with all battle raps \u2014 they\u2019re just pouring out of me,\u201d she says in the message. \u201cWu-Tang stuff \u2014 really neat, very beautifully alliterated little battle raps. So next time you wanna come for me and have a battle rap-off, I\u2019m gonna kill you because I\u2019m a samurai.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262705\" class=\"content_block paragraph embed triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\">\n    <iframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/1O6d4cNuUV78GeXv7hgr4e?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe allow=\"autoplay *; encrypted-media *;\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"450\" style=\"width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;background:transparent;\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.music.apple.com\/us\/album\/samurai\/1742012449\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262725\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262706\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            Lupe has been outspoken about <i>Samurai<\/i>\u2019s central conceit, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bet.com\/article\/f3geoc\/lupe-fiasco-honors-amy-winehouse-on-evocative-new-album-samurai\">discussing his inspiration openly<\/a> in promotional interviews for the album. His portrait of Amy isn\u2019t the first he\u2019s made for an artist he admires: He\u2019s recorded tributes to late legends like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XyD6Fcywn8g&amp;ab_channel=Release-Topic\">Dick Gregory<\/a> and hip-hop peers such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_htyy-xHFW0&amp;ab_channel=GerrardUp\">Royce Da 5\u20199\u201d<\/a> \u2014 though the two later became embattled in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hiphopdx.com\/news\/royce-da-59-lupe-fiasco-diss-kxng-crooked\">real-life rap beef<\/a> \u2014 as well as elegies for child victims of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4w0lnjvqyUM&amp;pp=ygUYYWxhbiBmb3JldmVyIGx1cGUgZmlhc2Nv\">European refugee crisis<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tmROW5e5j1A&amp;pp=ygUbam9ueWxhaCBmb3JldmVyIGx1cGUgZmlhc2Nv\">domestic gun violence<\/a>. Some of these portraits have been publicly released, but he claims he\u2019s kept many of them private, preferring to deliver them directly to the ears of the artists for whom he made them. <\/p>\n<p>            Absent his on-record statements, though, <i>Samurai<\/i>\u2019s subject would be all-but unguessable. He drops small hints dropped here and there. The most direct comes in the hook of the record\u2019s opener and title track, in which he quotes a passage from Winehouse\u2019s voicemail to Remi verbatim: \u201cI got these really neat \/ Very beautifully alliterated \/ Little battle raps for you.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>            Other references are far more oblique \u2014 a recreation of our rap-warrior protagonist\u2019s stage presence on \u201cBigfoot,\u201d triumphant bars delivered in her ultra-confident persona on \u201cCake.\u201d The project rarely strays into the biographical realm, never relying on the facts of Amy\u2019s actual life while resisting the facility of a fictionalized <i>8 Mile<\/i> hero arc.<\/p>\n<p>            Earlier this month, I called Lupe at an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States of America to talk about his indirect homage to Amy, rap research, and the art of portraiture.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262707\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left video\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top: 56.25%;\">\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lupe Fiasco - Samurai (Official Music Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AcoRc2ieFzE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n \/\/trackYouTubeVideo('262707');\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p><b><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><\/b><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262708\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            <b>The FADER: You\u2019ve always had an affinity for concept albums, it seems. What appeals to you about having a concise, stated vision for a project?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            <b>Lupe Fiasco:<\/b> It gives you a foundation and consistency to work from and an opportunity to go down different rabbit holes, as long as the overarching concept is still attended to from time to time. It\u2019s a workflow thing, but it\u2019s also an inspiration thing: When you find something that\u2019s inspiring, there\u2019s a lot of untapped content and vocabulary. It\u2019s a cheat code.<\/p>\n<p>            <b>Can you walk me through the process of expanding this germ of an idea \u2014 \u201cWhat if Amy Winehouse was a battle rapper?\u201d \u2014 into the album you just released?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            If you start to ask a question like that, you have to answer it. And as you answer that question, there\u2019ll be another question. [In this case], I had to make a song about how [Amy] got her battle rap powers. And then what did she do with them? When did she do it? Where did she do it? How good was it? And what was the reaction? It\u2019s a chain of questions, and the album is how you choose to answer them.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262709\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left pull_quote\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"pull_quote\"><p>\u201cA portrait is supposed to express appreciation. It\u2019s not a survey of a person or a list of their attributes.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262710\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            <b>You\u2019ve said you\u2019re a deeper fan of jazz than any other genre at this point. What, in your opinion, makes a great jazz artist? And how does Amy embody that for you?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            I don\u2019t know what makes a great jazz artist; it\u2019s up for them to decide. Different strokes for different folks, different ways to get to their skill levels. I just know what I like. Amy was a great songwriter, very technical. I never met her, but I got insight into her process through the documentary. She would practice writing to Thelonious Monk melodies. In jazz, you have these crazy melodies that aren\u2019t just freestyle expressions; they\u2019re actually charted out. The fact that she was attaching lyrics to music as abstract and asymmetrical as Monk\u2019s\u2026 That was fucking fire. So I appreciate the technical aspect of it, but it\u2019s also her tonal qualities, her voice, her attitude, her ability to perform.<\/p>\n<p>            <b>Have you ever done that type of transcription in your own music?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            Yeah. Transcription to melody is one of the courses we teach at SOSA. We try to find very complex melodies, or, in certain cases, [melodies] that are low-hanging fruit and well-known but have never kind of been transcribed. One we did was Dave Brubeck\u2019s  \u201cBlue Rondo \u00e0 la Turk,\u201d which <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oQrkYQkUjrU&amp;ab_channel=Nas-Topic\">Nas actually did on one of his albums<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>            You do that [as a rapper]; you figure things out. It\u2019s a great way to challenge yourself. It\u2019s not something new. There are well-known hooks and choruses that are just transcriptions of nursery rhymes \u2014 I was thinking of one the other day, a Three 6 Mafia record. It\u2019s sampling. That\u2019s what hip-hop does.<\/p>\n<p>            <b>Did you transcribe any of Amy\u2019s melodies while you were writing this record?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            No. I went back and listened to <i>Back to Black<\/i>, and I was like, \u201cNope, not doing that.\u201d I wasn\u2019t trying to recreate Amy from a biographical or musical standpoint. There were some records that didn\u2019t make the album where there were some hints, like, \u201cThat might be something that she would do.\u201d But in the end, I was like, \u201cNope, pull that. Let\u2019s keep it very one to two, as opposed to being one to one.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262711\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left video\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top: 56.25%;\">\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lupe Fiasco - Cake (Official Music Video)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L_brIj-go8U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n \/\/trackYouTubeVideo('262711');\n<\/script><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262726\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262712\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>\n            <b>What about the <i>Amy<\/i> documentary inspired you to create a portrait of her, beyond the voicemail where she said she was writing battle raps?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            It was just that statement. I never wanted to do the Amy Winehouse biography or try to rewrite her legacy. That\u2019s for her estate. I\u2019ve always respected her and loved her music, but in terms of making [the album] a portrait, it was just that. If that quote wasn\u2019t in the film, you wouldn\u2019t get <i>Samurai<\/i>. There might be references that would pop up here and there, but you wouldn\u2019t get a completely dedicated project.<\/p>\n<p>            <b>What <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly inspires you to make a portrait of an artist?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            Portraiture is one of the units in the class I teach at MIT, and there\u2019s a set of rules and standards we put in play as to what it means to write a portrait. Some of them are self-generated, taking authority and liberty from me being Lupe Fiasco. We pull from other folks who\u2019ve done portraiture as well \u2014 works like Nas\u2019s \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eOI3cz9RsFg&amp;pp=ygUHbmFzIHVicg%3D%3D\">Unauthorized Biography of Rakim<\/a>\u201d \u2014 and then we take those frames to the classical understanding of what a portrait is meant to be: How does that translate from the visual space into the aural space? What other elements can we attach to it [in place of] what you lose in that transition?<\/p>\n<p>            The song \u201cSamurai\u201d was the original portrait of Amy, and it turned into a record beyond that. The original version of that song follows the standard rules of portraiture we teach at MIT. It had those pieces in there, but we had to remove them for sample clearance reasons, so [the final version] doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>            I [make portraits of] people that I appreciate. That\u2019s one of the rules. What I try to instill in my students when they do portraiture is to investigate, interview, be with the person as much as you can. A portrait is supposed to express appreciation; it\u2019s not a survey of a person or a list of their attributes. <\/p>\n<p>            If you don\u2019t have an experience with a person, you can\u2019t make a portrait of them. But if you have to generate or curate that experience, that\u2019s fine. That\u2019s the thing: It\u2019s not just sitting back at home and writing a rap based on your own thoughts. You have to engage with the person in a physical sense. I\u2019m unable to do that with Amy, but the documentary acts as a stand-in for that.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262714\" class=\"content_block diptych triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper half_gutter_right gutter_btm\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1043_1_pd7cn0\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 50vw\" alt=\"Lupe paints Amy\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"caption\"><br \/>\n      Lupe Fiasco. Photos via publicist.<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><br \/>\n      \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper half_gutter_left\" style=\"\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_760,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/921A1044_1_a7daan\/lupe-fiasco-photos-via-publicist.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 50vw\" alt=\"Lupe paints Amy\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262715\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            <b>Did you use any source materials other than Amy\u2019s music and the documentary when you were researching this project?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            A lot of the project is imaginary. Even the samurai is reframed as this opera house thing. Taking these kinds of liberties in portraiture is fine to do as long as it\u2019s grounded in a certain reality. Beyond that, the album is personal experiences, relying on my own expertise and authority from being a professional artist since I was 19 \u2014 record label dramas, awards, fan interactions, stalkers, heartbreak, the whole shit. You can apply that to many, if not all, artists.<\/p>\n<p>            When you don\u2019t have much insight into a person\u2019s life, you\u2019re not trying to create a biography; you\u2019re imagining new worlds to populate her in. If I didn\u2019t tell you it was about Amy Winehouse, it could be about anybody.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262713\" class=\"content_block breaker triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left pull_quote\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"pull_quote\"><p>\u201cIt\u2019s a chain of questions, and the album is how you choose to answer them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-262716\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            <b>Did you always plan on revealing that Amy was the inspiration for the album?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            I mean, I revealed it as I was doing it. <i>Samurai<\/i> is a pandemic baby. We started in like 2020, so it was already known that I was writing a piece about Amy Winehouse. Was it ever meant to be released? Not really. It sat stagnant until my manager Chilly got out of prison and we sat in the studio and went through all the little projects I had in various stages. He was like, \u201cNo, that\u2019s a record, that\u2019s the joint,\u201d so I was like, \u201cAlright, cool, let\u2019s finish it.\u201d In terms of revealing the conceit, the only hesitation was not wanting it to infringe upon any type of intellectual property, or for people to look at it like I was just coming up off of her.<\/p>\n<p>            Whenever I do a portrait in this resurrective space, like a \u201cJonylah Forever\u201d or an \u201cAlan Forever,\u201d or my portrait of Dick Gregory, it\u2019s coming from a space of injecting new life and new spirit into something, as opposed to hijacking somebody\u2019s legacy for my own benefit. <\/p>\n<p>            But then what are the limits of doing that? Are you authorized culturally? Legally? We did reach out to get clearances, and we went back and forth between the estate and the producers of the documentary, trying to figure out who to go to for a sample of a particular moment.<\/p>\n<p>            It got into a limbo space, so we went through the album and pulled out the direct samples and things that were too on the nose. We decided to take some creative liberties, and to let people know that while it\u2019s inspired by Amy Winehouse, it\u2019s not about Amy Winehouse\u2019s life.<\/p>\n<p>            <b>Since we\u2019re taking creative liberties here, can you tell our readers what they\u2019ve been dying to know?: If Amy Winehouse was a canonical battle rapper, who would she be?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>            Nope. She\u2019d be the samurai.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n    <span><br \/>\n      By <span class=\"credit_name\">Raphael Helfand<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/span><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/2024\/07\/18\/lupe-fiasco-samurai-amy-winehouse-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lupe Fiasco discusses the deep intention behind his new album Samurai, a portrait of Amy Winehouse as a mythic battle rapper. Lupe Fiasco. Photo via publicist. \u00a0 Lupe Fiasco\u2019s creative process is more studied than most. Now 42, the Chicago MC born Wusalu Jaco has been rapping professionally for most of his life. His 2006&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":628113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/c_limit,w_1024\/c_crop,h_533,w_1024,x_0,y_36,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_pvavwd\/LupeFiasco_JHP_0937_1_pvavwd.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[73851,70532,129564],"class_list":["post-628112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-amy-winehouse","tag-hip-hop","tag-lupe-fiasco"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}