Lupe Fiasco

Grindin'

Jay-Z's favorite new-school emcee, Lupe Fiasco, coasted into the game on the strength of a skateboarding anthem, "Kick Push." Zeeks caught up with the Chicago wordsmith to discuss his connection to the sport.

By Luke Fox

Zeeks: What was your first skateboard?
Lupe Fiasco: The GT Coyote III. Small plastic, big yellow wheels. I was about six or seven.

Z: Who did you look up to then?
Lupe: Actually, no one. I didn't really know anybody; I only knew, like, one dude. I think I saw some pictures of Christian Hosoi and [Steve Caballero]. My mother bought me this book about skateboarding, and it showed a lot of the Cali kids skateboarding on vert ramps and stuff like that.

Z: Did you face racism being a black skateboarder?
Lupe: Yeah, I faced it, but not in public. I would go to a skatepark around my house — recently — and all the white kids would leave. It was unspoken. Like, oh, snap. But publicly now, I don't get any criticism, because I'm not a skater, which I constantly reiterate to people. I consider skaters people who skate every day, the Terry Kennedys and the Stevie Williams and the kids who are not professional and not rich, but they skate every day and they're actually out there. I'm a rapper. I rap every day. That's my profession; that's what I do. I'm not a skater. "Kick Push" was about a skater; it wasn't about me. It wasn't my personal experiences or anything like that. It's about someone else who skates every day, been skating for 20 years.

Z: On your song "Kick Push II" you shout out skateboarders Tony Hawk and Stevie Williams. Do you have a relationship with those guys, or do you just respect what they do?
Lupe: I have a relationship with 'em. I had to perform at this charity event, like a year ago, to build skateparks, so that was fresh. We just stayed in contact. Tony came on the stage for a show I did in L.A. for House of Blues, which was dope. Kinda surprised me. And he invited me out to the next charity event. The camaraderie in the skate community is very good. The love that I get back from them is very good.