EIU to Present Lupe Fiasco in Concert April 4
Mar-05-2009 
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 9, for Eastern Illinois University's spring concert headlining Lupe Fiasco and featuring special guest Shwayze.
The live concert will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 4, in Lantz Arena. Tickets, priced at $10 for EIU students with Panther Card ID and $20 for all others, are available between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays through the MLK Jr. Union Ticket Office, located on the second floor, west wing. For information, phone 217-581-5122.
Ticket sales began March 2 for EIU students. The event is being sponsored by UB Concerts.
Lupe Fiasco, who was born and raised on the west side of Chicago, was influenced by California gangster rap artists such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube. Eventually, Fiasco became more interested in the positive messages that artists such as Nas and Jay-Z could send.
In 2004, Fiasco signed with Atlantic Records and launched his own company, 1st & 5th Entertainment, and began his debut album, "Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor." Another Chicago native, Kanye West, helped him receive recognition with his hit single, "Touch the Sky," in which Fiasco sang one verse; this gave him enough recognition for his first solo single, "Kick Push."
In 2006, Fiasco was nominated for three Grammys, including Best Rap Album, Best Solo Rap Performance and Best Song for "Kick Push." Now he returns with his second album, "The Cool," which has his hit single, "Superstar."
This new album shows that Fiasco is no average hip-hop artist; he is much more with his three Grammy nominations, four BET Hip-Hop Award nominations, and recognition as GQ's "Breakout Man of the Year."
Opening act Shwayze and Cisco Adler are two gifted songwriters "from a trailer park in Malibu." Their musical style consists of a melting pot of laid-back melodies, hip-hop rhythms and acoustic guitars. Shwayze collaborated with Adler and together they co-wrote all of the songs on the album. Their inspiration comes from in the Malibu summer feeling. "It's about Malibu being like an endless summer," Adler said.
