Now, about that Lupe Fiasco/Pete Rock beef

A'ite ya'll, I know i've been too caught up with the whole Pusha T/Wayne situation to cover this like I should, but let's talk about the feud between Lupe Fiasco and hip hop legend, Pete Rock.

It all started when Lupe dropped a song called 'Freedom Ain't Free' sampling Rock's own 'T.R.O.Y.' 

(Lupe Fiasco- 'Freedom Ain't Free')

(Pete Rock and CL Smoove- 'T.R.O.Y.')

Pete Rock started getting at Lupe over Twitter, calling the song wack and complaining about the lack of originality in hip hop today:

 

Rock went on to add:

"This business can be so lame, sometimes I make beats blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back and still these cats can't be original to"

"So untalented and unoriginal. Makes me feel like I'm truly the best that ever did it. Yo hev and t-Roy I love and miss da shit outta y'all"

[Editor's note: In the last line Rock is referring to the late Heavy-D and Rock's fallen homeboy T-Roy, whom the song 'T.R.O.Y.' was named after.]

A couple days later, on May 23 Rock took back to Twitter saying that he and Lupe had talked it over and squashed the beef:

"I just got off da phone lupe, we worked out our differences and we bout to get it in. Gonna be epic and we gonna give Troy and hev the Proper respect they deserve and make history with lupe."

Lupe himself tweeted:

However, Lupe himself was still feeling some type'a way about it. He called in to Sway's "Sway in the Morning" show on Shade 45 to address the beef:

Select quotes: 

We reached out to Pete in November... the whole time... we bein' told by Pete Rock that we got his blessing to go rock with it... then he comes on Twitter... the same day [the joint's released] and bodies me like that, bodies my crew like that.

Then when we finally get on the phone, we didn't have a good conversation, we wadn't on the phone like, 'Oh, I love you Pete'... I was hot. My crew was hot, the people who put it together was hot, the record company was hot. He just wasn't on the phone with me, he was on the phone with six people. Like, 'Pete what's wrong with you... We try'na pay homage to you. You think i'ma just come in and just sh-- on you like that?'

And regarding their alleged squashing of beef:

He wasn't supposed to say that. He was supposed to say the same sh-- he said on the phone. 'Yo, my bad, that was wack, it was f---ed up for me to say that... I was 100% in the wrong, I apologize', that's what he was supposed to say... The reason he didn't say that, when we was on the phone he said, 'Lu, you know if I recant right now i'ma look crazy.' I'm like, 'You goddamn right you gonna look crazy. You got me out here lookin' crazy.'

He's been aware of that record forever. Ain't nobody steal his record or seize his record or take his record... You let all these other dudes rap on that record but you sh-- on me.

Then when we do get it situated... and you come out and don't do what you supposed to do, you renege on what you say, you don't clear it up, you don't try and piece back some of my credibility together, I don't know how to rock with that.

It was supposed to been settled but instead of him doing what he was supposed to do he comes and puts out this weak, half assed statement... He didn't mention the stuff he was supposed to recant, and bring it to a head and at least try and put back some of the credibility in me. Got us lookin' like liars and cheaters and sh-- like that.  

Pete Rock then released a second statement clarifying his issues with their usage of the track, stressing his beef is with the labels, not Lupe:

It’s true that Lupe Fiasco’s representative from Atlantic Records contacted me last fall and he did so while I was in mourning over the sudden death of my cousin Heavy D. I gave the representative a conditional “yes” to use T.R.O.Y. for Lupe’s album but only based on the condition that I be involved on the project. It’s what I always say when approached by people who want to use that particular song. I was never contacted again. At no point was there any follow up from Atlantic Records. Now, the story gets twisted and it’s being said that I said “yes.” The part about my conditions has been left out to make me seem like I’m a hypocrite. When I heard about the song again, it was done, completed, and playing on the radio…and that was Monday night.

I admit that my outburst on Monday night on Twitter was based on my reminiscing about Heav and Troy. I think about them every day. I apologize for being emotional about this. I had no intentions of hurting Lupe’s career. That’s not me. I’m known for building up not breaking down careers. Moving forward, I’m 100% in control and focused on what’s good.

This beef looks to be based on a mis-understanding, and hopefully now that both parties have had a chance to air their grievances they can come to some kind of an understanding.

Props to GlobalGrind.com, SOHH.com, MTV.com and HipHopDX.com.