It was just a matter of time until legendary Chicago artist, Lupe Fiasco decided to collaborate with Orlando producer Kaelin Ellis to make a 5 song EP. The EP came to be by chance. On May 5th, Lupe was tagged on Twitter in the replies of a Tweet from Kaelin Ellis, a rising producer who had been posting clips of himself creating beats in Quaratine. Catching Lupe’s attention, he recorded himself free-styling over Kaelin’s “Swim” beat that was also featured on his latest project MOMENTS. After that surprise freestyle, they’re collaborative EP, HOUSE was born.
HOUSE is truly a breath of fresh air where new worlds are created. Ambitious and abstract as the project is, this was a collaboration that we didn’t know we needed. Kaelin Ellis crafts together lush atmospheres and rich soundscapes where Lupe can freely speak his mind. On “Sledom”, Lupe relates the applications of modeling to fast food and trafficking. He attempts to show how we rarely think about how we model our bodies to sell product or even ourselves. Fiasco free flows throughout this whole project. There’s moments where it feels like he’s speaking from his diary but his sharp lyricism makes it so potent.
Lupe Fiasco & Kaelin Ellis are a perfect collaboration that I hope to see more of in the future. The HOUSE EP is a mere glimpse of what these two great artists can do.
