Lupe Fiasco Plans to 'Reboot' Child Rebel Soldier As a Solo Project

Child Rebel Soldier was a group consisting of Lupe, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams.

July 21, 2024

Lupe Fiasco wearing sunglasses, a backwards cap, a chain necklace, and a t-shirt with "text FX" printed on it, at a music event — (Photo by Theo Wargo / Getty Images)

Lupe Fiasco has announced plans to resurrect the Child Rebel Soldier collective but not the way fans may think.

In a new conversation with Stereogum, Lupe reflected on the group that included himself, Pharrell Williams, and Kanye West and explained how the formation of the group is why he rapped over Radiohead samples throughout the years. According to Lupe, the group started with the idea that Lupe had to rap about the downfall of being famous over "ethereal ass Radiohead beats," which caught the attention of Kanye and Pharrell.

They eventually came together but never fully materialized as they only recorded a few songs together: "Us (Placers)," "Don't Stop!," and "Everybody Noze (Remix)." Now, Lupe has plans to bring the group back, but this time as a solo project. He explained that Child Rebel Soldier would go back to being just him rapping over Radiohead beats and that Tyler, The Creator, already has a record from this new idea of the group.

"I'm gonna reboot CRS in the next six months, maybe next year," Fiasco stated. "Tyler, [The Creator] has one of the CRS records. But it's gonna go back to the original energy, which was me rapping over Radiohead beats."

He added, "I'll just go back to that original [vibe], just go back and find those dope loops and samples from Radiohead or their solo records, loop the shit up, and make little beats out of it, and crush with some dope ass lyrics. I'll either do some loosie freestyle shit or a proper tape, get sued for it, and keep it moving."

There was a lot of interest in the group in the late 2000s. In addition to the songs they released, Lupe told Billboard in 2007 that the group was getting closer to recording a full-length album but it had been shelved. In 2013, Lupe sent out a tweet that the plans for the group had been canceled.