(AllHipHop News) After nearly a decade in the rap game, Lupe Fiasco says he no longer wants to play the role of a starter. He would rather just work as the back-up. He first made this admission on Twitter when he stated he was finished addressing the public. Lupe reiterated that notion in an interview with Billboard.

[ALSO READ: After Online Backlash Lupe Fiasco Declares He’s Done Addressing The Public, Quits Twitter]

The Chicago native told the publication he is not upset that his relevancy in today’s music scene has diminished. In fact, he claims to welcome it. Lupe said:

I don’t want to be relevant today. I don’t want to be the go-to guy for the club song or to speak on all the dumb s**t that’s going around. I’m happy being that somewhat sophisticated, overly deep weird guy making powerful music — but just two or three degrees away from the center of attention. There is a new generation speaking to a new generation, so you have a Kendrick Lamar and a J. Cole and the other people who are the new Lupes. I don’t have the same lingo. I don’t sip lean or smoke weed. I can’t compete with a Wiz Khalifa for the attention of a 12-year old.

The “Deliver” rapper was also questioned about his involvement in the highly publicized Twitter exchanges with Iggy Azalea, Azealia Banks, and Kid Cudi. Lupe caught backlash from some users that felt he was wrong for defending Iggy. According to Fiasco, the whole ordeal was not about offering a defense for the Australian performer, it was just him using social media to drive a discussion.

You realize, “Oh, this is a game. Let’s play this controversy-sells game. Let me just engage this fan and have people watch this conversation,” which is what happened. My tweet was literally, “Iggy Azalea has her place in hip-hop,” which is so open-ended. Half the people are coming at her throat, the other half are supporting, and I’m more in the middle — it’s like, I don’t even care.

Lupe Fiasco’s Tetsuo & Youth (his final album on Atlantic Records) is scheduled for release on Tuesday, January 20.