By Stephen Cooney

It’s safe to say the acoustics in Hofstra USA are not perfect, but the intimacy of the shows make up for the reverberating noise. When Lupe Fiasco took the stage last Thursday night it should not have been a surprise that the sound would echo. His blaring beats are constructed in a manner that could not stop the building from rattling. The apparent echoing could have ruined the show, but Lupe managed to avoid the problem.

From the moment Lupe stepped out, the audience could feel his energy. He slowly walked to the front of the stage, with music blaring over the speakers, peered into the audience through his aviator sunglasses and flashed a smile to the crowd. Lupe stepped back from the front of the stage and exploded into his first song. He opened his set with his verse from Kanye West’s hit “Touch the Sky.” His music blared from the two sets of large speakers at the front of the stage as he constantly bounced back and forth during his first two songs.

After a quick chitchat with the crowd, Lupe continued into the bulk of his performance, which primarily consisted of songs from his debut album, “Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor.” As he moved through his songs at a rapid pace, the young rapper never lost an ounce of energy or bounce while onstage. Even when taking short breaks to talk to the crowd, the audience could be seen collectively leaning towards the stage, anxiously waiting for him to continue his performance.

In the middle of his set Lupe broke from his standard high-energy performance and went into an a capella, spoken word-esque piece. This was no surprise to fans who know that Lupe credits Nas and his 1996 album “It Was Written” as his hip-hop inspiration. However, it may have come as a shock to fans who know Lupe as the extravagant artist of songs such as “Kick Push” and his high energy collaborations with Kanye West.

While showing off his lyrical nature Lupe also managed to entertain the crowd. As his songs rang off his lips and into the speakers, the flashing light show and his constant dancing helped in captivating the audience’s attention. Lupe did not slow for a minute and even as he sipped coffee from a Styrofoam cup his entourage continued to control the stage.

As Lupe sang, he called for the crowd to sing along and even joked with them for ruining the lyrics to a song before pausing. He then gave fans a chance to start over. Lupe not only controlled the pace of the show with his energy, he also controlled the crowd. Every time he interacted with them, the crowd responded, reflecting his energy.

Coming into the show, most people knew that Lupe was an accomplished rapper and better yet, an effective lyricist. But what the crowd of students might not have realized is that he is a very energetic performer. Throughout the show, Lupe displayed his lyrical styling and abilities as a performer. Overall, he managed to express on stage the essence of Chicago hip-hop: lyrics and energy.

(Stephen Cooney)