The accessibility of social media means that all celebrities can be inundated by their fans, 24/7. They may not take the time to reply and check every single comment or message, but the fact remains that any fan can send a comment or message directly to their favorite celebrity whenever they please-- whether it's good or bad.

There are some artists who choose to engage more often with their fans. Lupe Fiasco appears to be one of them. The rapper decided to reveal one of the many DMs he receives daily, which was in fact, a negative DM. Lupe took a different approach in his response to the upset fan-- he not only offered his "acknowledgment" directly on an Instagram post, but he hit the booth and recorded a full-on song over Eminem's "Stan" instrumental.

The fan wrote to Lupe, "Damn man. We the fans made u rich and u don’t even have decency to acknowledge us, that’s so wrong man. ur doing it wrong." After screenshoting the message and sharing it on IG, as you can see below, and then he elaborates further on this idea that it's the fans who've made him (or any artist) rich by exposing misinformation in the "Stan" freestyle.

"I mean Pat, I think you gotta understand / I'm just a regular person / I'm just a man / I know you like a fan and felt / you did a lot for me / but I had something to do with writing raps / right, possibly? / I mean I did a lot to get to where I am / a lot of sacrifice to have someone like you as a fan / And this ain't easy, the record labels are greazy / Even with all of that / I don't want to downplay your role / Believe me," he raps.

He continues: "The last thing you wanna hear is some fan saying that you made me / Or that you pay my bill," Lupe continues. "You pay like $10 to keep it real / if you bought every album that would probably be like 50 or 60 / if you did a show, that's another 35 / that's less than $100, that's not enough to keep us alive / and I don't wanna downplay your input / or your financial transactions to get us where we are / but there's more to our job than just pretending to be a star."

Listen to the freestyle below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco) on May 25, 2020 at 10:01pm PDT

The animosity that Lupe Fiasco has with certain Atlantic Records executives is real. The rapper hasn't been shy about voicing his displeasure with a select few from his label, and in a recent Instagram Live chat with Joe Budden, Lupe revisited his enmity toward Atlantic. He clarified that he wasn't at odds with everyone, especially because his "picture [is] still up there on the wall."

Jason Merritt / Staff / Getty Images

"You bring 14 Grammy nominations and a Grammy into the building and you sell three, four, five million records," Lupe said. The rapper also shared the story of his mega-hit single "Kick, Push," stating that Atlantic made some shady moves in order to delay the release of the record. "Kick, Push" samples singer Celeste Legaspi's track "Bolero Medley" that was released in 1982, and according to Lupe, his record label found the Filipina singer and purchased the rights to her song just so they had some rights over his single.

"You know what they did? They flew down to the Philippines to find the woman who we sampled the record from," Lupe told Budden. "[They] bought the entire record from her. They actually own the song 'Kick, Push' is sampled from. That's what they did." Budden wasn't letting Lupe Fiasco off that easily and told him that it wasn't as if Atlantic didn't put the machine behind Lupe to make sure he was a success. Listen to clips of their Instagram Live chat below.

With the Coronavirus sending the world into a state of barely restrained panic and uncertainty, many have felt lost in their efforts to make sense of it. In response, Lupe Fiasco has come forward in an attempt to calm the waters, taking to social media to share an update on both his own career and the ongoing battle with COVID-19 and the fear it leaves in its wake. Especially given that a sense of rising panic and hysteria has gripped the nation, with many taking to the toilet paper aisles hellbent on hoarding that coveted two-ply supply.

"The shows in Seattle and Cleveland [And San Francisco] that were slated for this weekend are now postponed," begins Lupe, speaking in a calming and reassuring tone. "They're actually rescheduled into June. We'll be updating the [website] with the changes soon...Those are the dates right now that have been postponed due to the Coronavirus." 

Jeff Schear/Getty Images 

"Just remember that the Coronavirus is you," he declares, with a slight smile. "What I mean when I say that is that it doesn't make you panic. It doesn't drive you crazy. It doesn't drive you to do extreme things. It makes you sick. It shouldn't drive you to panic. It shouldn't drive you to racism or to overreact. It shouldn't drive you to bullying or profiteering or price gouging. That's human nature, the nature of humanity coming out. That is the disease in us as human beings that never goes away. Our greed and our selfishness. Us overreacting."

"Don't allow that to happen," he implores. "As this thing grows and gets a little more out of hand. Corona is what you make it. If you make it a crazy panic-driven fear-filled thing, that is what it will be. The disease isn't only the disease itself, it's also the reaction to the disease. In some cases, most of us will be experiencing the reaction to the disease. Make sure you are disciplined, sensible, and consistent. Vigilant. But don't go crazy, don't start to panic or overexaggerate things. Don't get caught up in myths and rumors. It's not necessary."

Check out the entire PSA below, and sound off in the comments - is Lupe speaking facts here? 

View this post on Instagram

Glasses @warbyparker

A post shared by Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco) on Mar 11, 2020 at 7:35pm PDT

Even if you're an accomplished rapper like Lupe Fiasco, boasting a repertoire of classic records and aspirations to become the fourth member of Slaughterhouse, the harsh sting of rejection remains one of life's biggest unpleasantries. Unfortunately for the Drogas Wave emcee, his request to replace Joe Budden as Slaughterhouse's fourth member was met with a kind rejection from Royce Da 5'9", who explained the reasoning behind the decision during a HipHopDX interview. 
 

Maintaining that Slaughterhouse is more than just a gathering of lyrical elites, but rather an established dynamic, Royce made it clear that Lupe wasn't lacking in his credentials. "He's no group replacement guy. He's great. He's not just an emcee, he's a master," he breaks down. "It's not just lyrically what makes Slaughterhouse click. It's something about the dynamic of us four people. There's even still things about that dynamic that people are drawn to that I still haven't figured out and I'm one of the people who was instrumental in pushing for us to be a group."

Unfortunately, the "it's not you, it's me" approach did little in letting Lupe down easy. Dreams shattered, Fiasco took to Twitter to fire off a bombardment of memes in response. Beginning with the classic "Crying Jordan," Lupe eased in with a familiar face, asserting his tone to be firmly tongue in cheek. Next up came another crying gentleman, this one equipped with some accompanying wordplay. 

The history between Lupe Fiasco and Joe Budden is riddled with scathing words and heated exchanges, but when Lupe joked that he would take over the podcast host's vacant Slaughterhouse spot, hip hop fans were divided. Many who are hoping for another Slaughterhouse project seemed eager to entertain such a possibility, while others couldn't see anyone taking Budden's place. Royce Da 5'9" was recently questioned about Lupe's suggestion, and we'll let you guess what side he's on.

The New Orleans rapper, Jay Electronica, who dizzied fans with his storytelling abilities and feats of lyrical sorcery holds a unique distinction. In the same breath, Jay— real name Timothy Elpadaro Thedford— is both a storied veteran and an unproven rookie. Crash-landing into hip-hop’s wider consciousness 13 years ago with the Jon Brion inspired Act I: Eternal Sunshine: The Pledge, the former drifter turned five-percenter philosopher became the toast of the underground as his MySpace racked up hits in the millions.

Over time, Jay Elec would gradually transition from next-up to something more hypothetical. Granted the dubious title of “the best to never do it,” Electronica is finally preparing his long-awaited debut album. Over a decade in the making, Elec wiped the slate clean on his Twitter earlier this month and proclaimed “album done.” “Recorded over 40 days and 40 nights, starting from Dec 26,” the clock may be ticking down towards Written Testimony’s purported release date, but fans remain cautiously optimistic. All told, this is a man that’s had a tendency to promise the world, only to routinely underdeliver.

Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

2010

“Me and Mos [Def] have a project that we’re doing,” he told MTV back in 2010, at a time where the hype was at record levels. “I would like to do a project with Lupe, we’re going to do a project at some point. Me and Nas have a project that we’re doing.” A decade later, each one of these collaborations have went unrealized. Yet when charting the agonizing road to his debut album, it’s important to remember that constructing the enigma that is Jay Electronica has been crucial in obtaining the audience’s undying interest.

“[He’s] a weird-looking cat,” said the soon-to-be mother of his child Erykah Badu on a voicemail from The Pledge. “He looks like he’s an alien, but in a very beautiful way. Like some kind of mythical creature who would have a bow and arrow on his back and wings.”

Humble in interviews but no stranger to on-wax profundities, Jay echoed these sentiments on “Exhibit C,” detailing how a voice of an angel that’d told him he’d “be a great man.” Amid the divine intervention that accented his timeless, Just Blaze-produced hit, Jay went so far as to preface this culture of anticipation that’s become a defining characteristic of his career, spitting: “Nas hit me up on the phone, said “What you waitin’ on?” Tip hit me up with a tweet, said, “What you waitin’ on?” Diddy send a text every hour on the dot saying When you gon drop that verse? N****, you taking long.”

Packing a mystique that few could emulate, Jay has been accustomed to playing things his way since his unsigned days. “Labels know that they have to deal with my terms,” he informed Spin in 2010. “I recognize that it’s a blessing. I’m not saying it in an arrogant way. It’s just, the rules do not apply.” In November of that same history-making year, Electronica showed the first signs of conformity to the music business machine when he signed a deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. During a signing party, Hov gave the sort of ringing endorsements that most MCs fantasize about.

Two days later, Jay-E and Jay-Z would team up for the first time on “Shiny Suit Theory.” Just as he’d done beforehand, Electronica’s verse alluded to a tenuous balancing act between keeping his integrity and wading into the industry’s tangled web. “Me and Puff, we was chilling in Miami. He said: N**a fuck the underground you need to win a Grammy for your mama and your family. They need to see you shined up. You built a mighty high ladder. Let me see you climb up. N***a what you scared of? Terrorize these artificial rap n****s and spread love.”

Marked out as an anomaly in the game, what we didn’t know was that his Roc Nation debut would become an elusive project of Detox proportions. Less than a year on from inking his deal, the NOLA expat made his first of many proclamations to the world about a release date. “Album soon come,” he tweeted. “Ask Bun B, he heard the album in its entirety… I am grateful for your patience. I will not let any of you down. I promise.” Yet as the year trickled away, we were left with only a thrilling team-up with Mobb Deep on “Call Of Duty” and a rough demo that typified his interstellar wordplay.

2012

From there, Jay kept his head low until March of 2012. Delivered like a sermon on the mount, Elec declared, “dear Believers and Patient Supporters. Thank you for your patience and support. The Album will be turned in Tomorrow evening. The wait ends.” With no further news, one of Hov’s closest confidants in Young Guru satiated fears and reiterated that this gestating project would be “everything that you want. it will be that, and more.” In July of that year, Electronica provided us with, to this day, one of the clearest indications of where his head was at in the form of a star-studded tracklist, dubbed Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn), Electronica claimed that it actually formed the second part of a proposed trilogy.

“Every magic trick consists of three parts. The Pledge: where the magician shows you something ordinary; a bird, a deck of cards or a man. The Turn: Where the magician takes the ordinary something and does something #Extraordinary. The Third part is The Prestige.” In a case of history repeating itself, these bold statements of intent equated to very little. In the wake of Magna Carta Holy Grail dropping in 2013— not to mention an album from another little-known Roc protégé by the name of J. Cole—July saw Jay take to social media to play the role of unreliable narrator once again, tweeting, “Ok. now it’s my turn. Let’s Go.”

2013

A somewhat inconspicuous time-period that peaked with his Mac Miller collab on “Suplexes Inside of Complexes and Duplexes,” 2013 was defined by the infamous “Control” debacle on which Kendrick Lamar upstaged both Big Sean and Jay Elec in dramatic fashion by taking hip-hop to task. As it turns out, the addition of K Dot’s incendiary verse caused a disruption as Electronica had planned to include a version with him and Sean on his album.

2014

Three years on from its initial ‘completion’, 2014 became one of the more revelatory periods of Jay’s entire career. Harbouring a sense of otherworldliness, it was jarring to see Jay Electronica turn up on the Kanyetothe forum. In response to a fan that’d asked about the cryptic meaning of “July 12th” and whether it’d be his album release date, Jay Electronica clarified the situation. “No sir,” he said in April, “but i promise you it’s coming this year and I’m about to heat the game up and charge the particles so high…”

Rewarding the faithful with news that he and Kanye had “spent about a week together in london during the WTT days,” everything seemed rosy within the house of Electronica. That was until he appeared at Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival that July and let it be known that he’d been tackling demons. “I backslid for a while,” he informed REVOLT. “Got into druggin’ and drinkin’ and smokin’, but now I’m back, reformed… I just wanted to come out today, clean, sober, and with my family, taking control of my life, taking control of the game.”

Launched Nas’ Mass Appeal label, a trailer emerged that featured footage of Jay in far-flung locations and used the life of inventor Nikola Tesla to further depict him as a spectral being, stating: “This story is about a man whose powerful ideas live on, as much of his work is still classified and used in the most esoteric projects imaginable today. This mysterious, tall, dark mystic, who wrote and recited poetry and could speak six languages, yet he couldn’t help his idiosyncrasies…”

Despite this, and an interview with Hip-Hop Wired in which he claimed that he’d planned to “have impact with my presence alone,” a body of work remained elusive. Although he’s now stated plainly that his album will emerge in 40 days, this isn’t even the first time that he’s used that timeframe to tease a release. After he’d implored fans to #gettidal in July 2016, a sardonic fan responded by saying, “I have 40 days left on my Tidal trial.” In his retort Jay simply told him “well you’re safe.”

Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images

2017

Adamant that he doesn’t need to play by the rulebook, Roc Nation’s top brass have taken a non-interventionist approach to Jay Electronica’s delays. However, at an NBA All-Star Weekend event in Elec’s native NOLA, a video shows Hov slyly cajole his signee, pleading “Let’s go put the album out, let’s go.” Naturally, this sent the internet abuzz and in response, Electronica spoke to Complex and clarified where he was at. “It’s humbling that after all these years, anybody still has interest in what I’m doing. You can’t name another person that people have waited this long. As far as an album, I would like to put out an album myself. Nobody in the world wants a Jay Electronica album out more than I do,” he declared.

But if we know anything about this bewildering MC, it’s that both deadlines and headlines are subject to change. Two days after this interview, Jay told Billboard that the very idea of being shackled to the industry’s traditional rollout process was insignificant to artistry. “An album is a false concept anyway. An album is something that was created by corporations as a product to make money. People have been making music, doing plays and telling stories around fires for trillions of years. I like albums but I’m not too really handcuffed to the concept of that.”

Languishing in the musical equivalent of development hell, the past two years have seen him hint towards new music alongside Swizz Beats and The Alchemist, as well as alluding to a “possibly, likely” collab project with Hov.  And if early reports are to be believed, what’s slated to arrive in March will heavily feature the Jigga Man. That said, if his previous comments about the interchangeable nature of creative focus are anything to go by, we may not be out of the woods yet.

“Things evolve,” Jay asserted in 2017. “Over the trajectory of your life, say you start working on a design or working on something in January. By the time next January comes around, you be in another place. You may have to strike this. ‘Oh, I don’t like those patches on that thing…’ You can’t put a stopwatch on that.”

Now more than ever, a rapper's "technical ability" has become the subject of hip-hop discourse. Especially after Eminem dropped Music To Be Murdered By, an album that featured the fastest verse ever laid down by mortal man. Around the same time he asked for Joe Budden's Slaughterhouse spot, Lupe Fiasco engaged with a fan about who he considers to be the best current-day rappers. And given that Lupe is himself a masterful technician when it comes to the words, it's fair to name him an authority on the topic.

"No such thing as best," he begins, keeping a level playing field. But at the high top tier levels it's Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman, Black Thought, and King Los." For the most part, his followers chimed in with approval; many singled out Rock and Sandman as two of the game's more underrated and thought-provoking writers. 

 Mainstream bility be damned, these are the four Lupe considers pioneers with the pen. Would you say his assessment is accurate, or did somebody get the notable snub? Given his own interest in joining Slaughterhouse, you'd think he'd send some love to Royce, Joell, and Crooked; perhaps Lupe's top tier is a lofty pedestal reserved for four and four alone.

Slaughterhouse reunited, kind of, on Eminem's Music To Be Murdered By. Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Kxng Crooked all made appearances or have production credits on Em's acclaimed surprise release, but Joe Budden was noticeably missing from the project. Gossip regarding tensions between Budden and Eminem have slithered through the rumor mill for years, and Em even took a verbal jab at the podcast host with his "Traitor Joe" line on his track "Lock It Up."

Noel Vasquez / Stringer / Getty Images

We recently reported that Budden stated he wouldn't reunite with his Slaughterhouse "brothers" until they released themselves from Shady Records and "own our own sh*t," but it looks like someone is coming for his spot in the hip hop group. "Yo @joebudden Lemme get yo slaughterhouse spot," Lupe tweeted days ago.

The joke was treated as a serious statement from those that may not be aware of the history between Lupe, Budden, and Eminem. Back in 2018, Lupe shared a video of a comedian mocking Eminem's style, and later he explained why, mentioned that he would lyrically "destroy" Budden and Em.

"I posted up that video of the comedian mimicking Eminem rap style because I thought it was funny and actually most rappers actually rap like that when they are writing to catch a flow and get a melody," Lupe wrote. "I like Em & most other rappers & I want no smoke but if I did I would destroy them all. Especially Joe Budden & Em too."

Months prior to that statement in July 2018, Lupe challenged Budden to a "Street fighter" battle. "Stop the ducking Joe! Streets is calling you!" Lupe commented to one of Joe's photos. "STREET FIGHTER THAT IS! You can bo back to gazing into the heart of clarity once you catch these multiple L's." Could Lupe slide into Budden's Slaughterhouse space?