Question. Is Lupe wearing mascara?

FNF in-house producer Prolyfic isn’t too happy with Lupe Fiasco and Chilly’s business practices and vocalizes them in the Okayplayer forum. Best told the way HipHopDx summed it up.

With last year seeing the imprisonment of friend/co-executive Chilly, 2008 has started with more turmoil within Lupe Fiasco’s 1st and 15th crew. Lupe and (apparently, former) in-house producer Prolyfic have exchanged barbs about the other’s business practices in the OkayPlayer message boards.

A user on the forums started a thread that inquired why Prolyfic didn’t have any beats on Lupe’s latest album, The Cool, when he had produced standouts like “Just Might Be OK” and the Jay-Z-featured “Pressure” on 2006’s Food & Liquor. Prolyfic—who posts under the name “Prolyfic…yea that umm Pro”—responded, saying that while he doesn’t want to be responsible for Lupe losing anymore fans, that he “had a shitty shitty extremely contract along with everyone else who’s ever signed/is signed to that company. The only ppl that the structure of that company is set up to eat is Lupe and chilly everyone else is flat fucking broke.” He continued to say that the label didn’t meet his means contractually, and that an ensuing legal battle found him leaving the label with “nothing but [his] freedom.”

Lupe, who has been particularly active in the forums as of late, responded by starting a thread of his own, entitled “And In The Name of FNF And It’s Crew…” Posting as “FNF UP UP AND AWAY,” he says, “NEVER have we taken anything from of our artists or producers unfairly…If anything we give TOO much in the eyes of the industry and based on common industry standards & practices (and alot of times we are hurt by having this mentality: professionally, financially & personally).” He goes on to say that the label’s producers are all multiple-Grammy nominated, and that FNF implements a “Home First” system that emphasizes in-house producers over those from freelance beatmakers.

Prolyfic responded, implying that Lupe didn’t have a direct hand in the label’s practices—something that Lupe’s OKP signature of “Co-Owner/VP Of Operations & Acting CEO of 1st&15t Ent.” conflicts with. “Did your publicist write this for you to say or what, bcuz it is a complete opposite fabrication of what the company does to it’s artist(s). … Have you ever read ANY of our contracts? When we was on the phone and you said, ‘This Pro shit is whatever,” did you realize that you was telling me that my son starving is “whatever?” Did you even have a motherfucking clue? Or did u just follow whatever chilly told you without finding out for yourself ?”

Neither Lupe or Prolyfic could be reached for comment.

OkayPlayer is an online community started by The Roots’ drummer ?uestlove in 1999. The site’s message boards are known for artists such as ?uest, Rhymefest, 9th Wonder and countless others post and interact with other users, and for their musically-inclined userbase. The site has also been critiqued by Lupe and others as a hub for “hip hop elitism,” which culminated when Lupe caught flack from users after admitting that he hadn’t listened to A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders album. Said admission evolved after Lupe’s much-publicized flub during his performance of the album’s popular “Electric Relaxation” single during last year’s VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors. – [ SOURCE ]

Sad that internal business has to be discussed externally. But what you gonna do? Sometimes that’s the only way you can get the answers that you seek.

Recently SOHH.com spoke to Lupe Fiasco about his presidential choice:

“I’m not voting for anybody,” Lupe told SOHH. “I don’t believe in voting on that level. But I want Hillary [Clinton] to win,” he says. Surprisingly, the Chicago emcee does not support the junior United States Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.

“Obama doesn’t really impress me like that,” Lupe told SOHH. “It’s not a shot at him but some of his agendas, the bombing of Iran and all that stuff.* He ain’t gonna do nothing but perpetuate the nonsense that all the Presidents before have done, and what Bush is doing now. It’s to the point now where the world is so twisted and so messed up that we need somebody to come in.”

“I think Hillary will set an example for women all around the world and hopefully effect some change, as opposed to another man pushing for agendas and pushing policies,” Lupe said. “I think even if she don’t do anything, just the statement that it makes–that the United States is run by a women–would be so phenomenal for the world.” — [ SOURCE ]

Fellow Chicago rapper, EL Che aka Rhymefest just wasn’t feeling what Lupe said and responded on his myspace blog:

Recently, a prominent Hip-Hop website asked an artist who they supported in the 2008 presidential primaries. Shockingly, their response was Hillary Clinton. Now, I’m not one to judge a person’s political, religious or [even] artistic views; however, the reasons that this artist gave were so fucking erroneous and outrageous that it compels me to speak out, even if only to give fans the right information so that we are not following uninformed-ass rappers down the hole of ‘abstract nothingness.’

First of all, the facts:

Barack Obama has stated he is not opposed to military action against Iran if they were persistent in their ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons; weapons being the operative word. However, he also states that as president, he plans to talk to Iran without preconditions about certain assurances in the context of them showing some good faith, as well. Barack Obama stated “I think it is important for us to send a signal that we are not hell-bent on regime change, just for the sake of regime change, but expect changes in behavior. And there are both carrots and there are sticks available to them for those changes in behavior.” This clearly does not describe the agenda of a candidate who supports ‘the bombing of Iran and all that stuff.’

I would be very interested to know if this particular artist even knows what Hillary Clinton’s position is pertaining to military action against Iran; and, no, I’m not giving him the answer.

Barack Obama being the only Black senator from Illinois automatically gives me a sense of pride and appreciation for his journey. Of course, for America to be flipped on its axis with a qualified woman president would be a significant milestone in this chapter of our country’s history. But, I fail to see how a qualified Black man as president wouldn’t be just as significant a milestone. Please, to all artists who dare to speak on political issues in this election: understand that Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus by inspiring more young people and women to vote than any previous presidential candidate. How could it not be impressive to see the new Bobby Kennedy of our day in the White House?

In the words of Gabriel when he revealed the Holy Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the cave: “READ.” Please do not let your arrogance be the fuel for your ignorance.

Peace,

Fest a/k/a EL CHE — [ SOURCE ]

Foot-In-Mouth disease is a muthaf****a. Fest’s MJ Dedication album, Man In The Mirror, is available for Free99 in the drop below.

On the strength, Santos makes the song. Just like T-Pain on that Plies track. Man I’m diggin’ how Hype is doing his work now. “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and now this. Sick.

Lupe Fiasco - “Bottom Top”
Lupe Fiasco - “Cold Blooded”
Lupe Fiasco - “Proper”