Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool”

Courtesy of giantmag.com

By Akure Imes
VOX Staff

Released in December 2007, Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore album, “The Cool,” is well worth saving up your week’s allowance to purchase. Many gears work together as one to give this amazing Hip-Hop album some flavor, making it a classic.
I first heard of Lupe about a year and a half ago when “Kick Push,” a single from his first album “Food and Liquor,” hit the airways. I found out that he was a Chicago native. What interested me most about him was that he was a lover of skateboarding and wore glasses, which isn’t the typical image of a Hip-Hop artist.
Walking into a music store today, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for someone to notice that the number of tracks on an album has decreased to about 10 or 11, yet the typical $20 investment remains. “The Cool” bucks the norm and has about 19 tracks, with songs averaging about four to five minutes in length, so a good dose of lyrics is ingested.
On each of these tracks, Fiasco stuffs his incredible flow, ranging in topics from leaving his love to go on tour, to the state of the Hip-Hop industry. I have quite a few favorites on this album, including the hit single, “Superstar.” In the song, Lupe talks about the price of fame, but I mainly like the flow. His range in topics is a huge plus because sometimes artists rap about the same things, and the only thing really varying between tracks, is the beat.
Beat is the other important component (in addition to the lyrics) that either make or break an album, and in “The Cool” they actually add to the album’s appeal. The normal Hip-Hop tempo is kept, but a little guitar is thrown in here and there. This, along with the vocals of Matthew Santos, gives several of the tracks a rock feel.
Though this album could be considered a classic, the concept of having three characters — the Game, the Cool and the Streets — is a little cloudy and could be better executed. But, don’t let that stop you from buying the album!

Akure is a sophomore at Grady High.