Representing the Windy City, rapper Lupe Fiasco is a friend and contemporary of hip-hop game-changer Kanye West. And like West, Fiasco offers an interesting alternative to the bling-obsessed thug rap that dominates much of mainstream hip-hop in the 2000s. A devout Muslim, Fiasco refrains from nearly all the typical indulgences of the rap lifestyle, and rhymes about diverse topics such as skateboarding, addiction to TV and other social ills, and the tenuous state of hip-hop in general. Though he is a somewhat left-field presence in the rap game, his fierce skills and commitment to the hip-hop community have garnered him the respect of a diverse and impressive list of peers.