Listening to jazz and the Watts Prophets just as much as Nas and N.W.A., Lupe draws inspiration from all across the board. The rapper's sociopolitical storytelling gestures back to Ice Cube and Spice 1, ‘90s rappers who challenged the status quo, while his penchant for flipping dusty samples evokes 8Ball & MJG's silky smooth tracks. And he always shows love for his Chicago roots, including Common and early mentor Kanye West.