Fiasco Friday

Fiasco Friday
Organizer	Matt Morrelli Matt La Corte
Location	New York City, New York, U.S.
Venue	1290 Avenue of the Americas
Date(s)	October 15, 2010 (2010-10-15)
Website	fiascofriday.com

It was amazing, humbling, and inspiring, to the point where I went back in the studio and did more records… it made everything real, that your music is actually something that people want. And it's something that is successful, not in selling records, but the way it moves people and inspires them to do better for themselves.

Lupe Fiasco to Vulture

Fiasco Friday was a peaceful fan protest held on October 15, 2010, outside of Atlantic Records' headquarters in demand for the release of Lupe Fiasco's third album, Lasers. A rally was also held in the rapper's hometown of Chicago, organized by Dan Winchester. It is possibly the first protest in history for a hip hop artist.

Background

Fiasco's battle with Atlantic has been highly profiled, where since 2007 he was ready to retire after a planned third album, LupEND. The label wanted him to sign a 360 deal, which would take 25% earnings from his music, shows, and outside deals. He declined the offer, which he believed in retaliation led to Atlantic threatening to withhold money for music videos, not promote his music, and make him churn out radio-friendly pop singles in order for Lasers to finally drop. The album was completed in 2009, though its delayal caused fans to become concerned.

Screenshot of the 'The Release of the Lasers Album' Petitionlink=

On July 21, 2010, a petition was launched online by a fan named Richard Derrick Barker. It was hosted on the website, petitiononline.com, and gained over 2,000 signatures within 24 hours. Fiasco acknowledged his fans' efforts, and released the freestyle "B.M.F. (Building Minds Faster)" on July 25 to pacify them. He admitted to Mixtape Daily the petition brought him to tears a few times, as there were people actually fighting for and caring about his music. He added, "Go to Wearenotlosers.com and see what Lasers really is. That's what they're petitioning for. Listen to 'I'm Beamin,' the song. It reaffirms what we're doing." He also opined that the label doesn't care about the album, and only wanted number-one singles. As of September 2010, the petition accumulated 28,979 signatures, including from some record executives.

Followed by this was Atlantic tweeting "Lasers is coming," but no scheduled release date. Word of a protest outside of the record label's office in New York City was organized by two New Jersey natives, Matt Morrelli and Matt La Corte, since Atlantic had not yet provided an official statement. Fiasco caught wind of it over Twitter, "#FiascoFriday huh?!?…well if y'all there…I guess I gotta be there too! Ha! Leggo!"

The Fiasco Friday website was created to provide background information: "[W]e have decided to rally against the injustice shown by Atlantic. As Lupe provides challenging music that addresses fundamental social issues within our societies, we feel deprived of something special. Having patiently waited for more than two years, we feel the lack of action from Atlantic to be in bad taste. We are, therefore, taking it upon ourselves to demonstrate the passion we have for someone we regard as a staple in the hip-hop community." They detailed of gathering at Grand Army Plaza, by the statue of William Tecumseh Sherman, at 11:30 A.M. They would march towards 6th Avenue at noon, then to the Atlantic Records' office, to begin the protest. Along with supporters wearing Fiasco merch, they would bring signs, chant, and spread message of the cause. LaCorte further explained in an email, "This protest represents the angered Lupe Fiasco fans who want the new Lasers material, the rebellious youth resistant of big corporations now controlling music, hip-hop fans who are fed up with senseless music and lack of meaning, politically active and socially relevant people, music fans looking for diversity, and average people looking for an artist to relate with. We are sick of the plague of ill-inspired lyrics with repetitive song structure and meaning that corrupts our corporation run radio stations. This is not a fringe, small group of people: it's an intelligent, calculated rebellion of Atlantic's decisions. This message, and the music of Lupe Fiasco, will not be stopped. We ask you join us on October 15th."

When MTV News interviewed Matthew La Corte, he reasoned of the cause, "[Fiasco's] a rapper but he's also a social advocate, he's a political activist. He does things that really break the mold of that traditional rapper, and I think that's what draws a lot of people to his music is that here's a guy who is really talking about some of the most major issues that a lot of people feel, and that's why a lot of people can relate to him." When asked if he purchased any copies of Fiasco's albums, La Corte responded that he only listened to them online. The publication remarked, "Besides figuring out what to do with this Lupe Fiasco situation, Atlantic Records and the music industry as a whole, needs to re-think their business plan if someone willing to organize a protest on an artist's behalf, didn't even bother dropping coin on their music." Some fans defended La Corte, pointing out that they don't know the person's financial situation and there was no need to put someone down, one even calling it a "bullshit" article.

Atlantic finally confirmed Lasers' release date on October 8, and on October 10, Fiasco declared "Victory!" Fiasco informed MTV that he and Atlantic Records reconciled, meeting a compromise where Lasers will drop and a single will be released in a few weeks on October 26. He maintained that he will never be a 360 artist: "If that's something that you need, then your situation is different. I'm not the type of artist that needs a 360 deal, but it's probably some newer artists that need that kind of motivation or extra support to enhance their operations in the future. I don't necessarily need that. If it comes along in the future, who knows? But, right now, I don't need it. Thank you, but no thank you."

Nevertheless, the protest in NYC still carried on to celebrate and show support for Fiasco, where approximately 200 fans attended, some traveling from as far as Los Angeles. Warner Music Group CEO Lyor Cohen and Fiasco eventually came out, the former holding a boombox that played some music from Lasers. Fiasco made a speech to his supporters, saying, "So, y'all actually did it, huh? The first thing I want to say is: Congratulations. The second thing I want to say is: Thank you very much for putting on a very peaceful protest. The third thing I want to say is: Lasers is dropping March 8th!"

Public responses

Founder of The LupEND Blog, Sean "SeanTheRobot" Smith, praised Fiasco for not selling his soul, which would happen when signing a 360 deal, calling it "modern day slavery" and "water[ing] down his music to have a project released." Smith continued, "That's why his fans love him so much; he stays true to himself, his fans, his music and his beliefs. A lot of other artists would have just taken the easy route and would have signed that deal. […] Atlantic would be stupid if they wouldn't pick up all the hype and attention the Fiasco Friday rally has already created. It's almost like Lupe's fans got him more media exposure within the last three weeks than his label did in the last two years."

In a statement to MTV News, journalist Jozen Cummings said, "At some point, Lupe Fiasco is going to have to take his career into his own hands, or at least as much of it as he possibly can. So the label is controlling the album's destiny. Nothing new. Until the album is released, Lupe needs to be in the studio hopping on as many remixes as he can; doing as many guest appearances as he can; dropping as many freestyles as he can. Flood the market, and watch the demand increase with the supply. Eventually, the label will respond by doing what they rightfully should have done a long time ago, release the album." An organizer of the march, Dan Winchester, told HipHopDX, "We want to generate awareness to this injustice and hopefully force Atlantic to explain why and defend their position of holding this back for so long… [Lupe's] music is empowering, inspiring, and draws attention to social issues in need of change."

La Corte stated, "It's really an incredible moment, after doing all this work, to really see Lupe Fiasco in front of you. I went up and shook [Lupe's] hand, asked him to make a speech for us, and it was really a culminating moment for a fantastic experience for all of us here." Morrelli said, "Lupe came out. A lot of artists would have turned their cheek to this and say they couldn't support this. This could have gone against him. But it went the other way. He supports his fans. He knows his fanbase, and that's what we love. He's staying true to us. That really speaks to what he is. That inspires us, that's what caused this, and that's what we're about: staying true."

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Cohen observed, "It was a great group of passionate fans taking to the streets to celebrate Lupe and the new album. No surprise—they totally reflected his kind of constructive thoughtfulness. When we saw the fans and heard them clamoring for the music, I just had to grab a boom box and go out to the streets to give them a taste."

Aftermath

Fiasco said about this moment to Loud and Quiet, "It became a celebration/protest and they still wanted to do it because they felt that a social injustice had been done." He reflected how he had a love-hate relationship with the record, detailing, "What I had to go through was not fun, the ugliness I saw in people. But I love the manifesto, that the message got out, that fans protested for four hours in front of the label's New York headquarters and demanded attention."