Politically vocal rapper Lupe Fiasco has always been outspoken in his critiques of Barack Obama, which is why it's somewhat odd that he was invited to perform at the president's inauguration celebration last night (January 20). Fiasco used the opportunity to express his frustrations with Obama's policies, and was soon booted off the stage.
Performing at the StartUp RockOn event at Washington's Hamilton Live, Lupe decided to speak out against Obama, launching into a speech against the president and letting loose a 30-minute version of an anti-war protest song.
Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin tweeted an account of the event, saying, "Lupe Fiasco just got thrown off stage here at the Hamilton Live after he went on an anti-Obama diatribe mid set. So Lupe played one anti-war song for 30 min and said he didn't vote for Obama and eventually was told to move on to the next song. Lupe refused to move to the next song so a team of security guards came on stage and told him to go."
The show's organizers suggested that he was kicked off the stage because of his refusal to play more than one song, not his political beliefs, releasing the following statement:
Lupe Fiasco was not 'kicked off stage' for an anti-Obama rant. We are staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech. This was not about his opinions. Instead, after a bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied, organizers decided to move on to the next act.
Footage from the event, including Lupe's removal from the stage, is available below.
Performing at the StartUp RockOn event at Washington's Hamilton Live, Lupe decided to speak out against Obama, launching into a speech against the president and letting loose a 30-minute version of an anti-war protest song.
Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin tweeted an account of the event, saying, "Lupe Fiasco just got thrown off stage here at the Hamilton Live after he went on an anti-Obama diatribe mid set. So Lupe played one anti-war song for 30 min and said he didn't vote for Obama and eventually was told to move on to the next song. Lupe refused to move to the next song so a team of security guards came on stage and told him to go."
The show's organizers suggested that he was kicked off the stage because of his refusal to play more than one song, not his political beliefs, releasing the following statement:
Lupe Fiasco was not 'kicked off stage' for an anti-Obama rant. We are staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech. This was not about his opinions. Instead, after a bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied, organizers decided to move on to the next act.
Footage from the event, including Lupe's removal from the stage, is available below.
