The four tracks Lupe Fiasco likes to fight to
Chicago emcee Lupe Fiasco has had an interesting ride in the music industry. From his emergence in the mid-2000s with songs such as ‘Superstar’ featuring Matthew Santos to ‘Kick, Push’, he has worked with the best in the business. From Ghostface Killah to Trey Songz, Fiasco has reached dizzying heights.
In 2005, the Food & Liquor musician (real name Wasalu Jaco) featured on Kanye West’s iconic track ‘Touch The Sky’ and stole the show. That said, the Grammy-award-winning lyricist is far from just an emcee and, in an interview, revealed that he likes to fight.
More specifically, Jaco is skilled in mixed martial arts (MMA), and while speaking with Red Bull, he explained how he began his MMA journey and his favourite tracks to fight to. While opening up about his entrance into MMA, Jaco confirmed it was a result of his father.
Recalling his childhood, Fiasco detailed, “It’s something I’ve been immersed in since birth.” He delved into how his late father ran karate schools, adding, “A lot of what I do either references or reflects it, and I still practise today, almost daily.”
As he highlighted the four tracks that he listens to while practising for his fights, Lupe Fiasco began by naming Willie Hutch’s 1985 song ‘The Glow’, recalling, “When I was a kid, I’d always watch this ’80s Black martial-arts film called The Last Dragon. This is one of three songs from the soundtrack that I regularly listen to when I’m training.”
Recounting his introduction to the track, Jaco continued, “I first heard it when I was about three years old, and it’s been imprinted on me ever since. I’d watch the movie, hear the song and see them doing a fight scene, then the next day, I’d be in the dojo, acting out that same scene.”
The following song Lupe Fiasco listed was one he was exposed to by his father. That said, he insisted that Vince DiCola’s 1985 song ‘War’ was essential to his MMA journey, remembering, “My dad would play this track [from the Rocky IV soundtrack] endlessly at home and in the dojo. It was one of his all-time favourites. We’d design entire martial arts demonstrations to it, from breaking boards to self-defence presentations.”
According to Fiasco, the song’s arrangement is bizarre but potent. He added, “It’s really long, and there are no lyrics, but it has such power. Sometimes, it’ll bring me to tears because it’s so directly connected to my childhood and my martial arts experience.”
George Lam’s ‘Nan Er Dang Zi Qiang’ also made an appearance on the list. However, it wasn’t introduced to him by his late dad but instead through the media. Revealing where he first heard the 1983 track, Jaco disclosed, “I first heard this song in a couple of martial arts movies in the early ’90s, but I could never find it anywhere – this was before the internet and Google. But a couple of years ago, I went down a YouTube rabbit hole and eventually found it.” He asserted it would make anyone want too try “some kung fu.”
Lupe Fiasco concluded by speaking about a track that is relaxing, ‘Berimbau’ by Astrud Gilberto and told the journalist about the history of martial arts in Latin America, finishing, “Capoeira is an art form that originated in Africa and migrated over to Brazil during the slave trade. It looks like a dance, but it contains powerful and very lethal martial arts techniques. It’s always set to music, and the most iconic instrument used is a single-stringed bow called the berimbau; it’s very distinctive. This bossa nova track has some berimbau on it, and I use it to relax once practice is over.”
You can listen to Lupe’s tracks below.