President Obama responded to the news that four Americans have been killed in drone strikes since 2009. In a speech Thursday (May 24), the commander in chief defended the counterterrorism efforts but called for better tactics limiting civilian casualties.

 Attorney General Eric Holder presented the list  of deaths in a letter to Congress this week.

In the defense, Obama explained that the report has unearthed a deficiency in the system. "America is at a crossroad," he said. "We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us, mindful of James Madison's warning that 'No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

The deceased came from different backgrounds, including one person born in Saudi Arabia, but a citizen of the U.S. ABC News reports:

 The names of the Americans killed by drones had previously been classified information.

Samir Kahn was the publisher of Inspire magazine, which Anwar al-Awlaki edited. Abdul Rahman al Awlaki was Awlaki's son.

Jude Kenan Mohammed was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List and was believed to be plotting a car bombing on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. On July 22, 2009, he was indicted in North Carolina for conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in foreign country.

The decision to target Anwar al-Awlaki was "subjected to an exceptionally rigorous interagency review" and approved by Holder and other Justice Department lawyers, Holder wrote.

Holder's letter, released before a speech by President Obama, represents the administration's most specific statement of policy on drone strikes against Americans.

 Stating, "We must define our efforts not as a boundless 'global war on terror' -- but rather as a series of president, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists the threaten America." 

Hoping to "facilitate transparency and debate on this issue, and to dismiss some of the more outlandish claims," the POTUS  believes the reveal will better protect innocent victims, but his attempted optimism wasn't so well received.

From Yahoo News:

Obama was heckled at length by Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink and a leading (and highly recognizable) critic of the so-called war on terrorism.

"Can you tell the Muslim people their lives are as precious as our lives?" she shouted as she was finally ushered from the hall. "Will you apologize to the thousands of Muslims that you have killed? Will you compensate the innocent family victims? That will make us safer!"

After trying and failing several times to get her to sit quietly, Obama went off script and enlisted her protest to reinforce his message about the need to close the Guantanamo facility.

"The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to," the president said, to applause. "Obviously, I do not agree with much of what she said. And obviously she wasn't listening to me and much of what I said. But these are tough issues. And the suggestion that we can gloss over them is wrong."

Drone strikes have of course not only cost the lives of U.S. Citizens, but countless children and other innocent victims in the Middle East.

Last year Lupe Fiasco criticized the president for ordering the attacks.

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Photo: Larry Downing/Reuters

Lupe Fiasco drops a new tune called "Animal Pharm," which may or may not find a home on his forthcoming Tetsuo & Youth album. 

The winding, otherworldly instrumental may be familiar if you have eclectic musical taste because it's a sample of Atoms For Peace's "Ingenue." As for the lyrics; why is Lupe Fiasco dropping all these metaphors and similes using animals throughout the song, you may ask? Because the inspiration for the tune is George Orwell's famed book Animal Farm.

No word on when we can expect Tetsuo & Youth (which replaces the shelved Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Part 2) beyond sometime before the end of the year.  "A lot of the music we did for it, we're just kind of putting in the safe," said Lupe back in March. "We're starting with a new album that's called Tetsuo & Youth. It's a different angle and twist."

Listen to "Animal Pharm" below.

[Spotted at GoWhereHipHop]

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Photo: U.S. Alteration

Lupe Fiasco has expressed a clear distaste with Hip-Hop for some time now, and has found a muse outside of spitting with his DJ collective SNDCLSH. Comprised of Sky Gellatly and himself, the duo drops sporadic tracks every so often, "Thieves" being the most recent.

The song surfaced late last year, but re-releases today fully mixed and packaged for purchase.

There's a clear improvement sonically on this version. EDM and 80s pop influences reign supreme in the soundscape, as meticulously placed sounds ensure a true listening experience. Meanwhile distorted vocals chanting " we thieves don't die" sweep through the jam, and will undoubtedly captivate listeners.

Fiasco and Gellatly ensured that the song's artwork was equally dynamic by tapping NoPattern to handle it's art direction, hand styles by FUTURA, and an icon triptych by EIKNARF. That's a big deal if you didn't know.

"Thieves" is available for streaming below and can be purchased now via iTunes. Feast your ears to SNDCLSH's cut below.

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Photo: SNDCLSH

1. LIL WAYNE FT NICKI MINAJ & CORY GUNZ – LAY IT DOWN
2. TECH N9NE FT T-PAIN – B.I.T.C.H.
3. KID CUDI FT TOO SHORT – GIRLS
4. LOADED LUX FT AHK 2G – RITE
5. TYGA FT JADAKISS & TUPAC – HIT EM UP
6. B MARTIN FT JUICY J & KENDRICK LAMAR – I WANT IT ALL
7. BEYONCE – BOW DOWN
8. CHRIS BROWN – FINE CHINA
9. DRUMMA BOY FRESH FT FUTURE & YOUNG DOLPH – DAT RECIPE
10. RIHANNA FT JEEZY, RICK ROSS, T.I., & JUICY J – POUR IT UP RMX
11. KENDRICK LAMAR FT JAY-Z – BITCH DON’T KILL MY VIBE
12. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE – THAT GIRL
13. TYGA FT CHRIS BROWN – FUCK FOR THE ROAD
14. SEAN KINGSTON FT CHRIS BROWN & WIZ KHALIFA – BEAT IT
15. TITO LOPEZ – DREAMS & NIGHTMARES FREESTYLE
16. LIL WAYNE FT 2 CHAINZ – DAYS & DAYS
17. YOUNG JEEZY FT KENDRICK LAMAR, CHRIS BROWN & YG – R.I.P. RMX
18. TANK FT CHRIS BROWN – SHOTS FIRED
19. RHYME SCHEME – THE WORLD TODAY (PROD BY BY DJ ZTRFKR)
20. LUPE FIASCO – JONYLAH FOREVER
21. MEEK MILL – G5 FREESTYLE
22. BRIANNA PERRY – WARNING FREESTYLE

What can't be said about Lupe Fiasco is that he doesn't speak his mind, so it's no secret he's one of the most outspoken rappers in the game. The Chicago wordsmith exhibited that passion with a lengthy Twitter rant last night, speaking on violent lyrics in today's popular songs. 

The 31-year-old artist took to Twitter to not only speak to the violence present in music, but he put all forms of violent media on notice as well.

“Violent music (and all violent media) effectively says its "ok" to be violent. It provides positive reinforcement for negative actions,” began the series of tweets Sunday (March 24) afternoon. “If you rap and make violent music then own up to it. Stop hiding behind "art imitating life" as a way to evade the guilt.”

Fiasco then lifted a lyric from Eminem's “Guilty Conscience” track, using it to illustrate his point. “How the hell you gonna tell this man not 2 be violent?, Cuz he dont need to go the same route that I did,” read the tweet, which he incorrectly quoted as a Bad Meets Evil track before correcting himself.

Fiasco continued with, “[C]orrect title of the song aside, U know what I meant! The issue stands that violent music puts violence into this world one way or another.”

After an hour of tweets and comments from his million-plus followers, Fiasco ended with, “I know you don't hear me. I guess its the LAST desperate act of a desperate man in desperate times. On one...peace.”

Check out some of the tweets in the gallery.

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Photo: YouTube

In honor of Jonylah Watkins, the 6-month-old infant who was shot 5 times and killed in Chicago, Lupe Fiasco drops a new record called "Jonylah Forever."

Fiasco famously weeped on MTV Rap Fix speaking about the violence that currently plagues the youth in his hometown of Chicago.

"She lives as long as we do. She will live forever. God bless your soul and the family you left behind. We Love You," Lupe tweeted before dropping this song on his Twitter account.

"This mother is really hurt. We need everyone in Chicago praying for this family right now," said Rev. Cory Books, who is speaking on behalf of the family, and lives blocks away from where the shooting occurred. "For a baby to get shot is despicable. Whenever anyone shoots a baby, that's a cowardly act."

Get a listen to Lupe's record produced by Soundtrakk down below.

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Photo: Spin

While the South By Southwest music festival hasn't quite kicked off yet, Lupe Fiasco was in Austin, TX Saturday to plug his new technology venture, Higi.

The Food And Liquor 2 rapper joins Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, Joey Bada$$ and  Justin Timberlake as artists who have been named creative directors of major brands. Fiasco will also serve as an investor to the product.

According to Billboard,  the app calculates a Klout-like score (ranging from 1 to 999) that combines body vitals like blood pressure and weight and gives extra weight to wellness metrics like social interaction and community involvement.

“When I first checked in I was 160 [pounds] and my score was something like 760. I checked in today, and I was 155, but even though I lost 5 pounds I wasn't active in my social activity enough and my blood pressure was a little high," Lupe explained to Billboard. "It shows you how weight and wellness aren't the same thing. You can be super fit and super depressed because you're not interacting with your social network. You could work out and work out, but that doesn't really translate to how happy you are in life. You could be at home super happy, super comfortable, just logging in to your computer all day, but your body is paying for it.”

Lupe's new album, Tetsuo & Youth, is coming soon.

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Photo: Billboard

With all the controversy he always seems to be stirring at any given time, it's easy to forget Lupe Fiasco is a damn good MC. With The Great American Rap Album, Part 2 coming out in Neveruary, the Chicago rapper decided to share a new tune called "Light Blue."

"DONT MIND ME….JUST STAYING IN SHAPE…JUST PRACTICE…LIKE A PIANO PLAYER OR A GYMNAST. Not on T&Y…So pls dont Say It Is on your blog. Thanx," Lupe reportedly tweeted.

Lupe spits his bars over a cacaphony of drums and buzzing tones hooked up by DJ SimonSayz. "My youth sound just like lightning coming down," he spits on the song's chorus.

At this year's Grammy Awards, the "Kick Push" rapper told FUSE that he was putting Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Part 2 on the shelf and announced a new album. "A lot of the music we did for it, we're just kind of putting in the safe," he said. "We're starting with a new album that's called Tetsuo & Youth. It's a different angle and twist."

Until we get more details about Tetsuo & Youth, listen to and download "Light Blue" below.

[Spotted at The Lupend]

Download: Lupe Fiasco – "Light Blue"

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Photo: U.S Alteration

When Lupe Fiasco isn't ruffling feathers in the media with talks of conspiracy theories and other hullabaloo, he spends his downtime displaying his affinity for fashion and apparel. At least that's the impression we get from the rapper's recent appearance in the spring/summer 2013 preview lookbook from menswear brand U.S. Alteration.

Fiasco, a known advocate of the California-based company, previously appeared in two of their lookbooks last year. This time around, the Chicago lyricist sports some workwear inspired designs, showcasing the immaculate detailing and materials on the cut-and-sew pieces.

Among the clothing showed was a tiger striped camouflage hoodie, a light spring sweatpant, and a patchwork down vest. Fiasco kept his ensembles very eclectic as per usual.

See a handful of photos from the shoot on the following pages, and feel free to check out the U.S. Alteration site if you like what you see. Also be sure to check out Fiasco's most recent rant at Maryland's The Fillmore last night. Hey, you knew he couldn't stay quiet for long. Here's some friendly advice: Just focus on the music, man. Please.

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Photo: U.S. Alterations

Lupe Fiasco graced the Washington Metro area with his presence once more, performing last night (Feb. 27) at a Maryland venue in the shadows of the Nation's Capital.  While onstage, the outspoken MC didn't channel his recent Inauguration weekend antics, but did get a few other things off his chest. 

First shared by the Fiasco dedicated Lupend blog, video grabbed by fans showed the Windy City star rocking out at the Fillmore. Pulling a page from fellow Chicago native Kanye West's handbook, the dreadlocked rapper passionately voiced a variety of concerns while the patient crowd egged him on.

"It be killin' me when motherf-ckers talk all that ‘man, streets is so f-cked up, all these young dudes is shootin' at each other, all these young girls runnin' around reckless' and all this crazy sh-t. And it be them same motherf-ckers that go on their radio stations and play the motherf-ckin' songs that [inaudible]. Motherf-ckers sit on their corners saying ‘aw man sh-t is f-cked up' then they turn up the same sh-t that motherf-ckers in the street and ain't got no problem ridin' to it. The sh-t just irks me like, damn I can't even speak on the sh-t no more. And it's so ridiculous ‘cause we do it to our f-ckin' selves."

Fiasco's moment was met with a ton of applause, and the anti-radio sentiment was especially interesting considering local station WPGC hosted the event and draped their banner on the backdrop of the stage. It'd be curious to know what the hosts thought of Lupe's latest rant.

Check out video of the anti-radio rant below. On the next page, Lupe makes an interesting declaration in the name of peace and prosperity, although replete with profanity.

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Photo: YouTube