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. You probably just haven’t heard of Matthew Santos.

Now living in Chicago — when he’s not on tour with Lupe — the Jeff Buckley-like folk-rocker will return home for the holidays a little earlier than usual to perform Saturday at the Fine Line. Even with his name on the Billboard and iTunes hip-hop charts (the track is officially listed as "featuring Matthew Santos"), the best hometown homecoming gig he could get was the first of two opening slots for.

But Santos, 24, is used to bouncing between different worlds — whether it’s from hip-hop to his own folky-rock music, or from Coachella and other festivals with Fiasco to small clubs for his own gigs.

"Culturally, I’ve been all over the map lately," he said by phone from Chicago. "It’s been great. I think outside the box a lot easier than I used to."

Santos credits Minneapolis for initially broadening his musical horizons. A Southwest High grad, he said, "I probably never would’ve listened to hip-hop if my friends hadn’t sort of lubricated me withand the Rhymesayers stuff."

After moving to Chicago in 2001 to study music at Columbia College, he met Fiasco through a mutual friend (engineer Greg Magers). The rapper recruited Santos to sing on "American Terrorist," one of the standouts on his 2006 debut "Food & Liquor." He’s back for two tracks on "The Cool," the new Fiasco record that hit stores Tuesday.

"Superstar" is where he really shines, playingto Lupe’s Kanye as he delivers the melodic, repetitive chorus, "If you are what you say you are, a superstar/ Then have no fear, the camera’s here."

"It’s really challenging and creatively satisfying working with Lupe, because I’m working completely under his vision," said Santos, who also sings and plays in Fiasco’s band on tour. When it comes time to get back into his own mode of music, he said, "The transition isn’t all that difficult.

"It’d be different if Lupe wasn’t the kind of conscious rapper that he is. His words are powerful, and he appeals to an open-minded crowd."

Santos recently released his first full-length album, "Matters of the Bittersweet," and is working on a follow-up with veteran Chicago producerthere’s plenty of reason to believe that Santos could land his own hit single.

Until then, he said, "It can be fun leading this sort of double life."

Respect: Heiruspecs

It seems like only yesterday when I was introduced to a band of baby-faced St. Paul kids playing surprisingly smart and innovative "live" hip-hop on the Teen Fair stage at the Minnesota State Fair. I remember it well, because the young bassist had a big streak of pizza grease from the neighboring Green Mill stand going down the front of his white T-shirt.

"I didn’t really invest much in my stage presence back then,"said with a laugh. His band is celebrating its 10th anniversary with two gigs Saturday at the Turf Club — including the club’s first-ever official all-ages show (5 p.m., followed by a 21-plus show at 10 p.m., $10).

Formed not too far from the Turf at Central High School, Heiruspecs was such a St. Paul band then that they put directions to Minneapolis on fliers. Ten years on, the group has two memorable studio albums to its name, one bad big-indie-label experience (Razor & Tie), another bad experience touring with a big-name rapper (