Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name
Lupe Fiasco, is an American
rapper,
record producer, and
entrepreneur. As an
entrepreneur, Lupe is the
chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album,
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of
rock band
Japanese Cartoon under his real name. Raised in
Chicago, Fiasco developed an interest in
hip hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of
vulgarity. After adopting the name Lupe Fiasco and recording songs in his father's basement, 19-year-old Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak. The group disbanded shortly after its inception, and Fiasco soon met rapper
Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with
Atlantic Records. In 2006, Fiasco released his debut album
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on the label, which received three
Grammy nominations. He released his second album,
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, in December 2007. The lead single "
Superstar" peaked at number 10 on the
Billboard Hot 100. He released
Lasers on March 8, 2011 after a two-year delay. The album's lead single "
The Show Goes On" peaked at number 9 on the chart, thus becoming his most successful single since "Superstar". In addition to music, Fiasco has pursued other business ventures, including fashion. He runs two clothing lines, Righteous Kung-Fu and Trilly & Truly; he has designed sneakers for
Reebok. He has been involved with charitable activities, including the Summit on the Summit expedition, and in 2010 he recorded a benefit single for victims of the
2010 Haiti earthquake. Fiasco is also noted for his
anti-establishment views, which he has expressed in both interviews and his music.
The
Blackstone Hotel is located on the corner of
Michigan Avenue and Balbo Street in the
Michigan Boulevard Historic District in the
Loop community area of
Chicago, Illinois. This 290 feet (88 m) 21-story hotel was built from 1908 to 1910 and designed by
Marshall and Fox. On May 29, 1998, the Blackstone Hotel was designated as a
Chicago Landmark. The hotel was added to the
National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1986. It is also a historic district contributing property for the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. The hotel was named for
Timothy Blackstone, a notable Chicago business executive and politician, who served as the founding president of the
Union Stock Yards, president of the
Chicago and Alton Railroad and
mayor of
La Salle, Illinois. The hotel is famous for celebrity guests including numerous
U.S. Presidents, for which it was known as the "Hotel of Presidents" for much of the 20th century. The hotel known for contributing the term "smoke-filled room" to political
parlance. The hotel fell disrepair that necessitated closure and renovation. It reopened on March 6, 2008 after a $128 million renovation under the
Marriott International Renaissance Hotels brand still using the Blackstone name.
_b.jpg)
.jpg)
_4-1-22.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
