Rapper Lupe Fiasco: ‘I Lost a Lot of Friends’ After Calling Obama ‘Terrorist’

Appearing on the latest episode of Yahoo News’ Katie Couric World 3.0, rapper Lupe Fiasco spoke out about the fallout from his controversial 2011 comments calling President Barack Obama a “terrorist.”

“I was immediately blackballed,” Fiasco told Couric. “I lost a lot of friends… Board members of my foundation [Lupe Fiasco Foundation] stepped down. I lost a lot of sponsorships. I had people threaten me.”

He still maintains his criticism of Obama, telling Couric: “My black president is Nelson Mandela. Africa has always had black presidents so, my scale, being a black president isn’t anything new. It’s new to America, yes, but I’m a global citizen, I look around the world. So my bar is someone who really fought for peace. Not someone who’s continuing wars around the world.”

Asked whether he regrets the comments, Fiasco flatly said: “No.”

Fiasco, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, is perhaps best known for his debut album Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor which solidified his reputation for mixing accessible hip-hop production with provocative lyrics about Islam, terrorism, racism, and poverty. His outspoken nature led to controversy when he told CBS that Obama is the “biggest terrorist” for perpetuating U.S. foreign policies that radicalize and create more terrorists abroad.

While he has been a vocal critic of the current president, Fiasco told Couric he also points the finger at Obama’s predecessor: “We don’t mind pointing a finger at [George W. Bush],” he said, “but when we get [Obama] who, unfortunately, has to carry on some of those same policies, but he’s a great guy, it becomes a weird place for people to kind of critique.”

Watch below, via Yahoo News:

[Image via screengrab]

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