Lupe Fiasco has had a very interesting year. His record 'Lasers' was shelved by the label. Then most recently, the album is now has a released date thanks to a petition by his fans. Then Lupe is also set to drop "Food & Liquor II". He released the song "Go To Sleep" from the forthcoming album.
Finally, he admits that he is the voice behind the secretive group Japanese Cartoon in an interview with Complex Magazine. If you have not heard Japanese Cartoon, think hip hop meets punk meets electro. They dropped their EP "In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death, which you can download free from their site. The true inspiration of Japanese Cartoon is Joy Division according to the interview in Complex Magazine.
The true inspiration for Japanese Cartoon is the band Joy Division. You ever watch footage of Joy Division singing? [Joy Division’s lead singer] Ian Curtis is like a straight nerd. And he [doesn’t look] like the rock and roll type. But when he got on stage, he became a completely different animal, like he was having a seizure on stage. When he was performing he just threw himself into the performance, but when he came off stage he was a mild-mannered person. Japanese Cartoon is like a tribute to Joy Division and Ian Curtis.
According to Lupe, Japanese Cartoon was his plan B if Lasers didn't come out. I have to say if Japanese Cartoon was his plan B, I really want to hear Lasers now because the Japanese Cartoon EP is amazing!!! Japanese Cartoon recently dropped the latest video for my favorite song "Heirplanes." The video seems to have a zombie-like theme, but you decide.
Take a listen to the Japanese Cartoon EP