A couple cool characters from different generations have newly announced Minnesota appearances: Chicago rap wiz Lupe Fiasco, who's overdue for a Twin Cities gig, has been booked a campus date at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter on April 17. Tickets for the general public go on sale March 10 for $18 at www.gustavustickets.com (they're already on sale for students and faculty). His long-awaited disc "Lasers" is supposed to arrive sometime around the tour, but no release date has been set.
And a legendary guy that Lupe and all rappers owe a debt to, spoken-word artist and iconoclast Gil Scott-Heron, has just been booked into the Dakota for March 28. The 60-year-old pioneer, who was freed from a drug sentence in 2007, just issued his first album in 13 years on XL Records, "I'm New Here." Check the Dakota's site for upcoming ticket info.
