Lupe Fiasco versus Daigo Umehara

Lupe Fiasco versus Daigo Umehara was a Street Fighter V exhibition match between Lupe Fiasco and Daigo "The Beast" Umehara. The event was held at Folsom Street Foundry on February 15, 2016, as part of the launch party for Capcom's latest release."Street Fighter V Launch Event: Lupe Fiasco VS Daigo Umehara". Capco. February 12, 2016. The game ended in three-two, with Fiasco declared as the winner. Fans speculated that the fight was a publicity stunt, due to the high climatic end and Umehara's play seeming to be off.
== Background ==
Fiasco has been a long-time fan of the Street Fighter franchise. On Twitter, when asked if he ever watched Evo (the world's biggest fighting game tournament), he responded, "Only to study Daigo...""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. January 26, 2016. This led to Mark Julio tweeting, "I'm Mark with Mad Catz. How about a session to go ham on SFV with our man Daigo? I'll bring the sticks. Let me know." Fiasco responded, "!!!! It would be an honor to lose to Daigo-San...""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. January 27, 2016.
The game was held on the day before the official release of Street Fighter V, where Fiasco (Ken) and Umehara (Ryu) played a total of five matches. It was live-streamed over Twitch and began at 10:45 ET.Byford, Sam (February 15, 2016). "Watch Lupe Fiasco defeat Street Fighter legend Daigo Umehara". The Verge. In the final fight, Fiasco won, leading to a surprising victory. He wrote on Twitter, "Thank you for the dream come true! One for the history books! #HaLuKen"Clark, Trent (February 17, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco Beats Gaming Legend Daigo Umehara in "Street Fighter V"". HipHopDX.
In the aftermath, when asked by Kotaku if the match was staged, Alex Verrey at MadCatz replied, "No sir, it was not! Daigo would never allow such a thing." Daigo added in a statement, "Given that Lupe is such a wildly talented artist, it shouldn't be surprising that he came to play against me last night. I would like to congratulate him on his victory last night, but let's say that you can eagerly await a rematch. The crowd warmly welcomed us and was so excited. I thought it was a great run. Lupe gifted me his own "Metal Gear" jacket (which I wore at the autograph session latter). I believe it was because he thought we had good matches too!"Ashcraft, Brian (February 16, 2016). "The Theory That the Lupe vs. Daigo Fight Was Staged [Update"]. Kotaku. Fiasco also addressed the rumors, "Just to be clear. I actually take opportunities like this seriously. I trained very hard for the Daigo match just for peeps to call it fixed.""Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco)". Twitter. June 30, 2016.
== Reception ==
Inverse wrote how, regardless of whether the game was staged or not, Fiasco's win "is a victory for the fighting game scene," with increased exposure for the eSports community.Francisco, Eric (February 16, 2016). "Why Lupe Fiasco's 'Street Fighter' Win Is a Victory for the Fighting Game Scene". Inverse. Kotakus Brian Ashcraft reasoned, "There could be other factors the contributed to this outcome. Maybe Daigo was jet-lagged, maybe he's still not that familiar with Street Fighter V, or maybe he was being polite. Or maybe, you know, Lupe is good," while Hypebeast said, "it's hard to ignore a match like this when Lupe, a known gamer, goes up against a player who once parried an entire Chun-Li Super Art in Street Fighter III: Third Strike during EVO 2004—a feat that will forever be engrained into the history of competitive gaming."Eng, Eddie (February 16, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco Somehow Defeated Legendary Gamer Daigo Umehara in 'Street Fighter V'". Hypebeast.
Heidi Kemps of Vice observed, "Daigo's play, however, seemed... somewhat unpolished, to say the least." She continued, "In the end, Lupe won narrowly in the very last round of the set, and practically everyone—the crowd at the foundry, the people watching on Twitch, even Lupe himself—went nuts. Lupe even stormed into the commentators' booth and gave announcer Mike Ross a giant hug. So yes, Lupe beat Daigo, one of the best Street Fighter players ever, technically. Whether or not Lupe won legitimately, however, is not what's important here..." She concluded, "What's really key here, though, is the level of sheer admiration Lupe had for Daigo. Lupe was clearly filled with respect and emotion for Daigo, and it felt like just the act of playing someone he admired made him absolutely elated. After the match, he gave Daigo his jacket, which seemed expensive."Kemps, Heidi (February 16, 2016). "Rapper Lupe Fiasco Beat One of the World's Best 'Street Fighter' Players". Vice.
== Date ==
Date 	Date	Time 	City 	Venue
February 15, 2016	Mon 	9:00 – 12:00	San Francisco	Folsom Street Foundry
== Gallery ==
File:Street Fighter V - Lupe Fiasco versus Daigo Umehara
File:Lupe Fiasco versus Daigo Umehara.jpg
File:Mad Catz - February 15 2016.jpg|@MadCatz: "Congrats to @LupeFiasco ! Great match vs @daigothebeast ! #LupeVSDaigo"
File:Daigo Umehara - February 15 2016.jpg|@daigothebeast: "#LupeVSDaigo"
File:Daigo Umehara - February 20 2016.jpg|@daigothebeast: "@LupeFiasco Good @StreetFighter ! Tru, u tuning in to my show?http://bit.ly/1SYtFHC Rematch? U can study my book ;)"
== References ==
Category:2016 events
Category:Events