Lupe Fiasco, born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, grew up on Chicago's West Side in the '80s in a particularly rough neighborhood filled with drug dealers, prostitution and gang activity. Despite the chaos outside, his home was a kind of oasis where reading was encouraged, and the shelves were lined with books and National Geographic magazines. Lupe credits his father, who he says was a kind of Renaissance man, with teaching him about music, art, karate and the world around him. Believe it or not, Lupe was a big Benny Goodman fan!