Robert Glasper

**Robert Andre Glasper** (born April 6, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger. American rapper Lupe Fiasco was featured on the following albums *Black Radio* (2012) and *Black Radio 2* (2013).

## Background

It was noted by *The New York Times* of how Fiasco first came across Glasper's music by "an in-flight entertainment menu." Fiasco said, "The precedent was set. It was just waiting for somebody who was a master with jazz, in its own right, to come in and bridge the gap. It was a matter of the stars aligning, and they aligned over Robert, and the Experiment. They play hip-hop and jazz, but with a mastery of both. And not a schooled mastery."

On September 1, 2013, he joined the Robert Glasper Experiment onstage for Chicago Jazz Festival. The following year in 2014, Fiasco appeared as a special surprise guest during the band's set at the Born in Blue: Remixed and Reissued. The exhibition event was in celebration of 75 years of Blue Note Records. From his 2015 mixtape, *Pharaoh Height 2/30*, Fiasco sampled Glasper's "J Dilla Interlude #2" for "Valleys."

In 2017, Fiasco was part of the lineup for Glasper's hosted benefit concert, Help Houston Heal.

In 2018, for the band's live session on *Sway in the Morning*, Fiasco was one of the many featured guests where he did a freestyle. That same year during Glasper's 48-show residency at Blue Note Jazz Club, Fiasco was a special guest on October 6th where they performed "Dumb It Down" together.

In 2020, for the UPROXX-presented concert Grammy Jam, Fiasco was a surprise guest where he and the band performed his songs "Kick, Push" and "The Coolest." Fiasco also sampled the band in his *Tokyo Freeze* (#1 and #3) songs.

In a 2022 interview with *GQ*, Glasper revealed that he first met Kanye West on stage at the Blue Note Jazz Club. he recalled, "Lupe Fiasco was my special guest and Mos Def phones me and tells me he's coming and bringing Ye with him. I was like 'oh shit.' They come in after the show starts, all hooded up so no one knew who they were. I'd told the sound guy to put two extra microphones out just in case. So Lupe is on stage and says 'I got two extra microphones out here' and Mos Def walks out and everybody's screaming. Lupe goes again, 'I said I got two extra microphones out here' and Kanye walks out and when I say the roof was blown off that motherfucker, man. So that was technically the first time even though we didn't meet—he finished and bounced before we got off stage." This same moment was recounted in 2019 with *Document Journal*—said to be in 2011, during the break between sets, Glasper had the call from Mos Def. Around the second set of the night, which was "Dumb It Down," Lupe announced the two MCs on stage.

On September 9, 2023, Fiasco performed as a special guest at Glasper's concert, Black Radio: A Hip Hop 50 Celebration.

## Gallery

* Highline Ballroom
* Sway in the Morning Pt. 1
* Sway in the Morning Pt. 2
* Blue Note Jazz Club
* Grammy Jam

## References

1. ↑ Chinen, Nate (February 24, 2012). "The Corner of Jazz and Hip-Hop". *The New York Times*.
2. ↑ Reich, Howard (September 1, 2013). "Review: Chicago Jazz Festival Goes Eclectic for Grand Finale". *Chicago Tribune*.
3. ↑ Guinto, Richard (September 15, 2014). "Sonos Studio and Robert Glasper Present – Born in Blue: Remixed and Reissued". *The 5th Element*.
4. ↑ Williams, Aaron (September 14, 2017). "Robert Glasper Is Hosting a Benefit Show for Houston Hurricane Relief in Los Angeles". *Uproxx*.
5. ↑ Espinoza, Joshua (January 26, 2018). "Watch Lupe Fiasco and Rapsody Freestyle on 'Sway in the Morning'". *Complex*.
6. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (October 8, 2018). "Robert Glasper Joined by Anderson Paak & Lupe Fiasco at Blue Note Residency (Watch)". *Brooklyn Vegan*.
7. ↑ Moore, Sam (January 14, 2022). "Robert Glasper Is a Kenny G Stan, Too". *GQ*.
8. ↑ Berntson, Kedar (November 15, 2019). "Sex, Drugs, and Jazz—Robert Glasper's Mission to Restore the Original Cool Kid Music to Its Rightful Status". *Document Journal*.
9. ↑ "Robert Glasper (@robertglasper)". *Instagram*. August 18, 2023.