Lupe Fiasco Says “Hip-Hop Is Coming To An End,” Yet Denies Singing For Indie Rock Band

After two tracks leaked onto the net by an indie band called Japanese Cartoon many fans speculated that the singer of the group was Lupe Fiasco. The Chi-Town rapper took to the Okayplayer.com forums to dismiss the rumors, among a list of other topics including his new album,the current state of hip-hop and new Interscope signee Charles Hamilton.

Over the weekend music by the British band hit the net and many sites said that it featured Lupe singing under the moniker Percival Fats. Yet according to the group’s MySpace page, Fats is a real person and while Lupe is not in the band, he is involved with the group financially.

“Percival Fats (Born Percival Hindenburg-Fats) Is NOT Lupe Fiasco (Born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco). Although he is a dear friend,” it read. “Lupe does finance the band but is NOT I REPEAT NOT THE SINGER IN JAPANESE CARTOON. He is however the producer and we value his participation very much.”

Lu, under the moniker FNF Up And Away ok, also cleared the air himself on the Okayplayer.com forums– where he has been known to post in the past. “I like those kids a lot,” he wrote. “Met the bass player overseas last year and their publicist/manager is a good friend from like childhood. May sign them. Not me singing though.”

During the forum chat, the Atlantic rapper also gave his two cents on the current state of hip-hop. “I feel like hip-hop is coming to sort of a..i dare say…an end???…(no pun intended),” he explained.
”It’s not the same energy…hasn’t been for a long time…just a bunch of nothing out there…take it how u may…I hope the new vanguard proves me wrong and brings back the day of substance minus the webcam video to announce its return.”

“Not ‘end’ in the since of cease to exist,” he clarified. “But more so transform into something else so expression is more meaningful…I put question marks on it because I still question my own thoughts about the feeling. But so many “what the fuck?!?!” moments have piled up so incredibly over the last few years that it begs a rethink of the trajectory of the art form.

As far as who the next generation he is speaking of, Lupe listed the Cool Kids and Charles Hamilton in that category. “I’m a ‘new nigga’ but old in the senses of the fast food generation…. the ‘new new niggas’ i.e. The Cool Kids, the incredibly interesting and though provoking Charles Hamilton and the like are the vanguard I speak of…honestly I want it to change…never really been a fan of preserving…attention span is way too low and distorted for that hahaha.”

Fiasco also promised that his highly anticipated upcoming album, now titled Everywhere instead of LupEND, will be coming a lot sooner than expected.

As of press time there is no release date set for the album and still no word if this will be the rapper’s final album. –Elan Macini