Venice Beach, California, isn't the first place you usually go to find out what's next in hip-hop. But when the summer airwaves are crackling with "Kick, Push"—a laid-back rap ode to skateboarding—what better place is there to investigate than Dogtown?

It's here that we're going to meet the man behind that song, a young Chicago rapper named Lupe Fiasco (born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco). "Kick, Push" is the first single from Lupe's rookie release, Food & Liquor—so named as a nod to the ubiquitous corner stores that are the staple of Chicago's inner-city neighborhoods.

Like all skeptical skateboarders, I was curious to see attempt to capitalize on a niche market. The answer came as soon as we wrap the interview; Lupe stands up, grabs my board, and pulls off a nice little kick flip. Rodney Mullen he's not, but pretty impressive for a guy who gets paid to rhyme.

The fact that he can actually ride a skateboard isn't something he's going to spend too much time on though; he's got bigger fish to fry. Lupe's been doing some thinking; he's got things to say and a bucket-load of creative ways to say them. And people are listening.

While Lupe may be a new name to most, he's a known quantity to the rap cognoscenti. Following in the footsteps of 50 Cent and fellow Chi-town rhymesmith Kanye West, among others, Lupe has already sent reams of rhymes directly to the streets via mixtapes, MySpace, and various other viral and underground channels. He's also got a Grammy under his belt and his own record label, 1st & 15th/Atlantic.

"If I had to name one person," said Jay-Z when recently asked who would take the reigns of hip-hop for the next generation, "I would have to say Lupe. He is making the most creative, different new music. It's fresh." That's big praise for someone who hasn't even released a proper album. But if you get your hands on his new album, you may be a believer too.

Risen Magazine: How many kids were in your family?

Lupe Fiasco: Nine—five girls and four boys. I'm the youngest boy and the fourth youngest overall.

RM: How did growing up in such a big family treat you?

LF: A lot of it was satellite. A lot of it is half-brothers and halfsisters. We all didn't live in the same household, so we hadspace. And the ages ranged from 32 all the way down to 4. So it was different households, different marriages, so we all had our space and we all had our time. It wasn't like nine of us like the Brady Bunch—running around, lagging, committing suicide in the shower. It wasn't like that. We all got our attention and everything.

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