Lupe Fiasco has long respected Nas as one of his biggest musical influences, and the two legends apparently connected at an annual fundraising gala and the studio this week.
Sky Gellatly – music industry entrepreneur, marketer, and Lupe’s tour DJ – posted a photo of the pair in the studio with a recording panel behind them, describing the meeting as “a beautiful afternoon sharing a powerful conversation with my brother Wasalu and King Nasir.”
Lupe and Nas also posted a different photo on their own social media pages.”He taught me a lot. Gave me half my name and still…,” Lupe wrote. Nas’ post shared mutual respect.
He taught me a lot. Gave me half my name and still…@Nas pic.twitter.com/F3KyDuGHxW
— “DROGAS WAVE” NOW PLAYING (@LupeFiasco) May 1, 2019
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Both lyricists posted a photo of themselves together at the City Harvest Gala in New York City, which reportedly raised $4.1 million to provide over 14 million meals for people in need.
Neither artist has elaborated much about the meeting, and whether they were actually recording or if they were just hanging out together, but fans are salivating at the possibilities. In an interview with VIBE, Lupe Fiasco said that Nas’ sophomore album It Was Written (1996) was crucial for his own development as an artist while he was in high school. “This is what an album should sound like,” he said. Both artists dropped albums in 2018: Nas released the Kanye West-produced Nasir, and Lupe dropped his double disc Drogas Wave. Lupe recorded with Jay-Z on his classic debut Food & Liquor, so connecting with Nas for his final album Skulls would be a fitting way to go out. Lupe did not immediately respond to questions from VIBE about the meeting.