Over the weekend a rumor started that Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco — who had been threatening to retire — has taken a new musical path instead and is fronting a British indie rock band called Japanese Cartoon.
The band’s MySpace page claims that their lead singer is actually a huge Prodigy fan named Percival Fats and that Lupe is just their producer, financier, and a “dear friend.” What we’re wondering is, do you think this is just a really creative way to drum up publicity for the upcoming release of LupE.N.D., his “final” album? Or maybe an attempt to side step the inevitable fishbowl scrutiny that a new side project (especially one that crosses genres) from a Grammy-nominated artist would normally receive?
Take a listen to these two tracks (we suggest “I Gotcha” and “Heirplanes”) and let us know what you think.