Lupe Fiasco – Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool

    For better or worse, there aren’t too many emcees that
    are remotely close in skill level to that of Lupe Fiasco. For better because of his incomparable lyricism that
    could draw comparisons to what Jay-Z
    may have been if it weren’t for the drug game. The double entendres, the knack
    to flip his style at the drop of the dime and unique capability to tell stories
    all could make Lupe the “Nerd Hova”.
    But for worse because when someone is that far ahead of the game, it is
    relatively difficult for the average person to catch up.

    Food & Liquor
    was the brilliant debut that showcased the better and the worse of Lupe Fiasco. Critically acclaimed yet
    couldn’t put a significant dent in soundscan (and wouldn’t have sold what it
    had if it wasn’t for the Kanye West
    and Jay-Z cosigns), it was apparent
    that Lupe was a tough pill to
    swallow.  Add that to the fact that he is
    nothing like one would have thought him to be (i.e. the “Fiascogate” incident)
    and you have what is called an enigma.

    As complex as the makeup of Lupe Fiasco is, one must be curious if he unloaded all of his best
    on his debut album. A year later, a “GQ Man of the Year” nod, a Grammy nomination and a title of “the
    next big thing” all morph into The Cool
    – the 2nd of Lupe’s trilogy. Is the hunger still there? Can he
    duplicate or exceed his debut? Or was F&L
    simply a fluke that can’t be done again? 

    Expanding on the concept of the song The Cool off of F&L, Lupe Fiasco‘s sophomore effort is
    nearly flawless as a follow up to his astounding debut.  Opening with his sister, Iesha Jaco, giving a spoken word piece on what some have thought to
    be cool and an ode to his imprisoned confidant, Chilly, Lupe blows the
    doors open with the double-time cadence of Go
    Go Gadget Flow
    . The gloves are off and it’s evident that Lupe is on a mission. Whether you “get
    it” or not is none of his concern. Either join the club or join the haters.
    Those who side with lyricism and creativity in favor of today’s “club bangers”
    will opt for the former.

    While many artists are known to tone down their intellect
    to sound more Mike Tyson than Michael Eric Dyson for mass consumption,
    Lupe embraces his gift of gab and
    releases a lyrical mindfuck titled Dumb
    It Down
    – which serves as the perfect “fuck you” song to those who think
    he’s too smart for his own good.  Take
    this display for example:

    “Pimps C/see the
    wings on the underground king

    Who’s also Klingon,
    to infinity and beyond

    Something really stinks, but I Sphinx/Spinks like Leon

    or lying/lion in the desert

    I’m flying on Pegasus, you’re flying on the pheasant

    Writer of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers

    Spit, “hot fyah” like Dylan on Chappelle’s skit

    Yeah, smell it on my unicorn

    Snort the white horse, but toot my own horn – sleep”

    It’s definitely not something that can be digested in one
    sitting. Lu shows off some wicked
    wordplay while eerily making a reference to the late Pimp C. Efforts like this are just cause to beat your rewind button
    into submission.

    As far as narratives go, there aren’t many who can claim
    the same space of storytelling superiority as FiascoThe Cool plays out like a novel filled with short stories that
    relate to each other in some way, shape or form.

    Continuing the
    praise of the late Underground King,
    Hip Hop Saved My Life is one
    ridiculous piece of work that combines Lu‘s
    affinity for Houston emcees with an amazingly sharp tale of one’s attempt at
    breaking into the industry.  Intruder Alert features three accounts
    dealing with the harsh realities of life while the Patrick Stump (of Fall Out
    Boy
    ) production titled Little Weapon
    glows with its reference to kids in other countries who take up arms. Longtime
    friend and hypeman, Bishop G, excels
    next to Lupe as he comes correct
    with a verse linking video games to violence.  The show stealer lyrically is Put You On Game where Lu trumps his American Terrorist effort with something that simply has to be
    heard to believe. 

    But it’s not all mindfucks and narratives – Lu knows how to have fun too. Paris, Tokyo is ironically a very Jungle Brothers like track that finds Lu spending moments with a lady. But
    don’t think that a relaxed track such as this means Lu is taking a break from the lyrics. Making a coded reference to Jay-Z and Damon Dash‘s split with “They
    want me to leave my Dame like a fella from Marcy,”
    it has to be
    realized that Fiasco‘s gifts are
    almost supernatural – as well as second nature. 

    Elsewhere, Gold
    Watch
    is simply the make-up of Fiasco
    and what makes him tick. Everything from Street
    Fighter II
    to Mont Blanc pens
    get referenced here and does nothing but make it even more complicated to
    figure him out.  And I have a feeling
    that Lupe likes it that way.

    The production provided by Soundtrakk, Chris & Drop
    and Ashlux makes The Cool unique yet digestible. Whether it be the snapping drums that drive Matthew Santos‘ vocals on the Chris & Drop produced Streets On Fire, the Linkin Park-esque vibe of the Ashlux produced and Snoop Dogg assisted Hi-Definition, or the grooving keys of Soundtrakk‘s Superstar, The Cool definitely
    fits Lupe‘s persona to a tee. 

    The only conceivable reason that The Cool isn’t an instant classic is because of the tail end of the
    album. After being slammed with brilliant song after innovative concept, the
    latter part of the album isn’t as good as it started – although still far
    superior than 90% of what other emcees have put out.

    We all know Lu
    loves rock and he goes hard with Unkle
    on the dark Hello/Goodbye (Uncool). Although it is by no means a bad song, it’s
    rock vibe provides an unnecessary speed bump that causes this high octane ride
    to slow down a bit. The Die suffers
    from an average beat and an equally average guest spot from Lu prodigy, Gemstones. And while Go Baby
    is a solid track, Fighters may have
    been better suited to close the album. But these issues are infinitesimal at
    best and nitpicking at worst.

    With Food &
    Liquor
    as his Illmatic, The Cool follows up as his It Was Written – incredibly good yet slightly flawed enough to not make it an instant classic. But for an artist who
    can only compare to himself, it’s quite difficult to outdo your introduction to
    the world. The Cool proves that Food & Liquor was no accident and
    it’s quite possible that the best has yet to come. If L-U-P-End – the final album of the trilogy – is as good as this and
    he does in fact bow out, be prepared for the name “Fiasco” to be etched in the G.O.A.T. tablets in Hip Hop history. He’s just that damn good.

    14 thoughts on “Lupe Fiasco – Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool

    1. Great album, better than food and liquor. Lupe should of seriously ended the album with something smart, not “Go Baby”.

    2. “But it’s not all mindfucks and narratives – Lu knows how to have fun too. Paris, Tokyo is ironically a very Jungle Brothers like track that finds Lu spending moments with a lady.”

      Wow it even went over the reviewers head. bravo lupe. bravo.

    3. Both this and Food & Liquor are classics. Lasers was alright, but not on the same level. I have high hopes for F&L2.

    4. Love this album, I think this is truly his best. I have to say that fl2 was good too. I don’t think it gets enough credit. Tbh all of his albums are good lol

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