Lupe Fiasco has claimed that his new post-punk project Japanese Cartoon was inspired by Joy Division.
A renowned rapper, Lupe Fiasco is known for throwing fans a curveball or two. Working on some unusual projects, the hip hop don recently unveiled material from his new post-punk group Japanese Cartoon.
Inspired by post-punk groups, the band’s debut album sees Lupe Fiasco sing in a forced English accent. ‘In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death’ has a typically dramatic title, with the album already a talking point among fans.
Speaking to Complex, Lupe Fiasco explained that he was inspired by the music of Joy Division when making the album. “The true inspiration for Japanese Cartoon is the band Joy Division,” he said.
“You ever watch footage of Joy Division singing? Ian Curtis is like a straight nerd. And he (doesn’t look) like the rock and roll type. But when he got on stage, he became a completely different animal, like he was having a seizure on stage.”
Ian Curtis suffered some Epilepsy, and it is often said that the frontman attempted to mimic the experience of having a fit in his dancing. Sadly, the singer was also prone to suffering fits onstage as well.
An iconic frontman, it seems that it was the dedication of Ian Curtis which first attracted Lupe Fiasco. “When he was performing he just threw himself into the performance, but when he came off stage he was a mild-mannered person. Japanese Cartoon is like a tribute to Joy Division and Ian Curtis.”
When new of Japanese Cartoon broke, Lupe Fiasco initially denied any involvement. “I didn’t want it to be viewed as a Lupe Fiasco side project,” he explained.
“I wanted it to be like, ‘Here’s this band out of nowhere’. (That way) I can get an honest opinion. I didn’t want to get, ‘Man I like Lupe, but that’s wack because he’s not rapping’, or a ‘Lupe, everything he do is dope!’, I wanted a true reaction to it.”
Japanese Cartoon’s debut album is available as a free download from Sabotage Records. Click HERE to grab your copy!
