Lupe Fiasco Kicked Off Stage During Inauguration Performance For Making Anti-Obama Comments

When you’re booking talent for something called StartUp RockOn’s Inauguration Celebration, ostensibly to honor Barack Obama’s second term as a U.S. president, maybe it’s best not to book Lupe Fiasco, the guy who didn’t vote for the president and once called him the “the biggest terrorist in the United States of America.” That’s tempting fate as much as hiring Anti-Flag for the Rich Old Farts Convention.

Even at an event celebrating President Obama’s second term, Lupe didn’t hesitate to criticize the president, announcing that he did not vote for him. Thirty minutes into the anti-war song ["Words I Never Said"], Lupe was approached by guards and taken off stage…According to Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin, Fiasco was told to move on to the next song and refused. (Via)

But no, no, no, you got it all wrong, according to organizers:

“Lupe Fiasco performed at this private event, and as you may have read, he left the stage earlier than we had planned,” StartUp RockOn said in a statement. “But 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.” (Via)

Judge for yourself, though, to be fair, Glenn Beck IS a fan of The Matrix. What…he said “racist”? That too.

(Via Washington Post) (Via Hollywood Reporter)