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Lupe Fiasco Brings His 'Laser' Club to Brooklyn

Posted Feb 28th 2011 4:00PM by Tracey Ford
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Matt Jelonek, Getty Images

It's been three-plus years since Lupe Fiasco's sophomore album 'The Cool,' which featured the hit single 'Superstar,' and since then, the rap star has seemingly avoided being a hip-hop superstar by threatening to retire [see: 'LupE.N.D.'] and eventually changing his mind and announcing 'We Are Lasers,' now simply 'Lasers.' But, it was made evident on Sunday (Feb. 27), that Lupe fans are willing to stick by him through the thick of it, whether it's his punk band Japanese Cartoon or his Lasers movement that almost didn't see the light of the day.

Last week, the Chi-town emcee announced he was taking over Brooklyn and putting on a free show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, thanks to Walmart Soundcheck presented by AXE. Before taking over Williamsburg, Lupe would rock out with the Robert Glasper Experiment at New York's legendary Blue Note jazz club and to prove that laymen weren't the only ones who missed him, Kanye West and Mos Def jumped on the stage for a quick two-man cypher.

Dan Fletcher for AXE

On Sunday, Lupe pulled up to the venue and was greeted with a line that was wrapped around the corner. Hardcore fans admitted to arriving at the venue at 2PM. It would be worth it. The rapper, backed by a full band, took the stage at 8:30PM (after spending over an hour greeting fans who'd been given the honor of meeting him before the show) and would rock out (literally) for 60 minutes. Lupe started things off with 'Shining Down' off 2007's 'The Cool' and set the tone for the evening. The rapper's hits would get an amped up, rock remix treatment including 'Kick Push' off his 2006 debut 'Food and Liquor,' 'Go Go Gadget Flow' off 'The Cool' and originally guitar-heavy tracks like 'Never Lies' would be even louder.

The rapper, donning a denim jacket with the words 'Laser Club' written on the back, army fatigue pants and Pro-Ked-like kicks, would bounce out of his jacket and eventually his white t-shirt while vivaciously rocking the crowd. Rarely standing still, Lupe treated his fans to some 'Lasers' tracks and never seemed to lose them as the crowd rapped along to 'State Run Radio,' 'Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)' and eventually, the already crowned gold 'Lasers' single 'The Show Goes On.' Lupe wrapped things up with 'Daydreamin',' the smoothest track of the night, and continued to plug his upcoming album 'Lasers' as he thanked his fans, including Fiasco Friday protest leaders and Walmart and AXE heads.

Lupe's third, and hopefully not final, album 'Lasers' hits stores and online retailers on March 8. It's currently available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes.

Watch Lupe Fiasco Perform 'The Show Goes On' at the Music Hall of Williamsburg