It looks like Lupe Fiasco was staging a political protest from the bully pulpit of a headlining slot.
StartUp RockOn, or #SURO if you’re talking about them on Twitter or something, is an events/promotions company aimed at the startup and the entrepreneurial set. Sunday night, StartUp RockOn staged a concert, their Inauguration Celebration, in recognition of President Obama’s swearing in for his second term.
So who better to help ring in the next four years of the Obama Administration than Lupe Fiasco? A rapper from the President’s hometown who’s also a conscious, passionate voice in the hip-hop community? Sounds like a slam dunk.
Oops, there’s the buzzer. It’s too bad that whoever booked the show didn’t realize that Fiasco isn’t really a fan of the President. Even worse for that poor soul, Fiasco took the stage last night wanting to make a statement.
Lupe Fiasco just got thrown off stage here at the Hamilton Live after he went on an anti-Obama diatribe mid set.
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013
That’s the first in a slew of tweets from Josh Rogin, a Washington DC-based reporter for Foreign Policy Magazine. How official! Let’s see what else Rogin and others had to say.
Lupe refused to move to the next song so a team of security guards came on stage and told him to go.
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013
So Lupe played one anti-war song for 30 min and said he didn’t vote for Obama and eventually was told to move on to the next song.
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013
Things going terribly wrong at @lupefiasco performance during #SURO. Kicked off stage, bashing obama.
— Matt Dornic(@mdornic) January 21, 2013
#SURO slammed by @lupefiasco‘s nonstop, anti-obama rap. Corporate sponsors scurrying.
— Matt Dornic(@mdornic) January 21, 2013
I won’t lie seeing #lupefiasco tonight was amazing. 40 min protest and he gets kicked off stage.
— Sajad Ghanizada (@TheRealSajad) January 21, 2013
In which Lupe Fiasco gets removed from stage for bashing Obama #suro #getyourlifetogether instagr.am/p/UvAYSmCvaS/
— Kelli jo (@Kelli_jo_) January 21, 2013
Whoever had the balls to invite @lupefiasco to the #SURO event clearly has never heard “Words I Never Said”
— Sara Jo سارة (@HelloSaraJo) January 21, 2013
The photo at the top from Instagram user and aforementioned tweeter kelli_jo_1, shows Fiasco just after he left the stage.
The real victims here were the people in attendance. It sounds like Fiasco was in rare form in more ways than one that night.
Just watched Lupe Fiasco rap for 35 minutes. Not sure he took a breath. And he only stopped cause his mic died. Holy crap. Impressive. #suro
— Andrew Nacin (@nacin) January 21, 2013
StartUp RockOn has kept mum since the debacle. Better luck next inauguration guys?
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