Grammy Awards

The **Grammy Award** is an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize "Outstanding Achievement in the music industry" of the United States.

Lupe Fiasco has been nominated eleven times and won one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with "Daydreamin'".

## 2007

In 2007, Fiasco was nominated for the first time at the Grammy Awards, in three categories: Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Song ("Kick, Push"), and Best Rap Album (*Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor*). When asked if he was happy with the Grammys acknowledging "Kick, Push," he responded to *Rolling Stone*, "I was. A lot of people didn't believe in that record because it was a [hip-hop] record about skateboarding. But later, mothers would run up to me and be like, 'You got my son skating!'" He mentioned that he would want to see Mary J. Blige win awards, and added, "She was one of the first superstars that got behind me. Backstage at a show, she was like, 'I love 'Kick, Push.'"

## 2008

In 2008, the song with Jill Scott "Daydreamin'" won a Grammy Award. However, Fiasco was unable to attend the ceremony that year, contracting pneumonia, so his lawyer accepted it on his behalf. Years later, his assistant transported the award to New York, and he held it for the first time. He made an acceptance speech at the Cincinatti show during his Tour for the Fans on April 18, 2016, stating, "In nine years, I've only seen this one time. My lawyer had it in her garage for nine years..." He thanked his fans and family before concluding with an anecdote of his late father:

> "When I was a little kid, my father told me, we was driving through Chicago, and he used to say 'You see all these buildings? You can take all these buildings and if you put 'em together they'll turn into a robot.' From that point, that was the initial point where all of my creative energies and fascination with telling stories and putting things together and seeing the potential of the world and the potential of people become things fantastically beyond their wildest dreams. So I wrote a song about it and the song is this song right here."
>
>

Afterwards, he launched into his song "Daydreamin'".

The GRAMMYS also acknowledged this moment, tweeting: "Glad you finally got your GRAMMY back!"

## 2009

In 2009, he was nominated in four categories: Best Rap Solo Performance ("Paris, Tokyo"), Best Rap Album (*Lupe Fiasco's The Cool*), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Best Rap Song ("Superstar").

Bonsu Thompson of *XXL* magazine shared to MTV News, "With this album, I think he shocked everyone because even his core fanbase expected the same intricate rhyme patterns, [but] he took it further. With concepts like 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life,' even his commercial records like 'Paris, Tokyo,' they were beautiful records. He focused more on instrumentation and [showed] that he really had an ear for music, just as sharp as ever."

## 2011

In 2011, Fiasco performed at *The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!: Countdown to Music's Biggest Night*, which broadcasted live on November 30th.

## 2012

In 2012, he was nominated in three categories: Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance ("The Show Goes On"), and Best Rap Album (*Lasers*).

MTV News reported, "Lupe Fiasco may be the dark horse of the group but considering the Recording Academy's knack for acknowledging hip-hop with a message, don't be surprised if the Chicago MC takes home the golden gramophone. *Lasers* was a commercial success thanks to its radio-friendly sound, but it didn't sit well with some die-hard fans because it was a departure from Fiasco's earlier work. Regardless of the LP's sound bed, Lupe's message remained potent. His criticism of President Obama on "Words I Never Said" was polarizing and opened up much political debate."

## 2013

In 2013, his fourth studio album, *Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1*, was nominated in the Best Rap Album category, but lost to Drake's *Take Care*. During the GRAMMYS week, Fiasco also performed at the 15th annual Play It Forward: A Celebration of Music's Evolution and Influencers. The event featured live music performances and archived footage that commemorated the history of musical artists. Fiasco was the closing act of the night.

## References

1. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco". *Grammy Awards*.
2. ↑ Hoard, Christian (February 8, 2007). "Catching up with Grammy Nominee Lupe Fiasco". *Rolling Stone*.
3. ↑ Slavik, Nathan (April 22, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco Finally Gets GRAMMY Award for "Daydreamin" 8 Years Later". *DJBooth*.
4. ↑ Thompson, Desire (April 23, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco's Overdue Grammy Speech Will Warm Your Heart". *Vibe*.
5. ↑ Simmons, Ted (April 22, 2016). "Lupe Fiasco Gives Grammy Acceptance Speech Nine Years After Winning". *XXL*.
6. ↑ "Grammy Awards (@RecordingAcad)". *Twitter*. April 23, 2016.
7. ↑ Rodriguez, Jayson (February 3, 2009). "Is Lupe Fiasco's The Cool Hot Enough To Win A Grammy?". *MTV*.
8. ↑ Zulian, Paula (November 3, 201). "Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco and Sugarland to Perform at the Grammy Nominations Concert". *The Hollywood Reporter*.
9. ↑ "2012 Grammys, Best Rap Album: 'Watch The Throne' vs Young Money". *MTV*. February 8, 2012.
10. ↑ "Drake, Best Rap Album: Grammy Winner Triumphs Over Lupe Fiasco, Nas, The Roots, Rick Ross". *Huffpost*. February 10, 2013.
11. ↑ Downey, Ryan (February 8, 2013). "Backbeat: Ed Sheeran, Emmylou Harris, Lupe Fiasco Rock the Grammy's Music Preservation Project". *Billboard*.
12. ↑ "Grammys 2007: A list of the nominees". *EW*. December 7, 2006.
13. ↑ "Grammy 2008 Winners List". *MTV*. February 10, 2008.
14. ↑ "Grammy 2009: Winners & Nominees". *People*. February 5, 2009.
15. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2012: Complete Winners and Nominees List". *The Hollywood Reporter*. February 12, 2012.
16. ↑ "2012 Grammys: Hip-Hop Award Winners List". *MTV*. February 13, 2012.
17. ↑ Kim, Wook (February 11, 2013). "Grammys 2013: The Complete List of Winners". *Times*.