"I don't want to be relevant today," Lupe Fiasco told Billboard this week, explaining why he's taking a step back from Twitter and the spotlight in general. "I don't want to be the go-to guy for the club song or to speak on all the dumb shit that's going around. I'm happy being that somewhat sophisticated, overly deep weird guy making powerful music -- but just two or three degrees away from the center of attention." Earlier this month on Twitter, Lupe got into a war of words and memes with Azealia Banks; not long afterwards, his Tetsuo & Youth cut "Adoration of the Magi" caused an argument involving fried bologna between him and GrandeMarshall, so it's little wonder he's getting tired of the platform. But from the sounds of his latest offering "Mural"—a sprawling eight-minute track where he declares I prefer my pictures in word form —he's been pouring his attention into his craft instead, and it's sounding good. Tetsuo & Youth is set to drop on January 20.
Now that my contract is over and I have other things that I'd rather be doing I get to make the decision to go back to the shadows.
— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) January 14, 2015Lead image: Chris Weeks/Getty Images
