Lupe isn't really "butt-buddies" with Jay-Z... he just respects him.
Lupe's major influence is Nas without question, especially the album "It Was Written."
The front of Lupe's Food & Liquor album cover is stylized to look like that of Persian calligraphy. Along with this, Lupe begins Food & Liquor by reciting an Islamic prayer: A'uzu billahi min ash shaitani r rajimi Bismi 'llahi 'r-rahmani 'r-rahim, which translates to "I seek refuge from Satan the accursed... (And I Begin) In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful."
