Wasalu Muhammad Jaco aka Lupe Fiasco Birthday

Happy birthday to Wasalu Muhammad Jaco aka Lupe Fiasco. The American rapper, artist, producer and CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment turns 29 today.

Chicago native Fiasco (born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco) first started writing and recording hip-hop tracks when he was 17, and at 19 formed a group called Da Pak (they signed a record deal and released a single but split up before an album could be completed). Fiasco made a big splash on the mixtape circuit, dropping the beloved Fahrenheit 1/15 series over the course of 2006. In the meantime, Fiasco attracted the attention of both Jay-Z (who he met briefly during his tenure as a member of the Arista Records roster) and Kanye West (who liked Fiasco’s mixtape versions of “Jesus Walks” and “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”), and he scored a breakout hit with “Kick, Push,” a pop-friendly blast of fresh air that blended streetwise storytelling with Fiasco’s brainy worldview. It remains the best hip-hop skateboarding anthem of all time.