Review

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

Lupe Fiasco broke on to the scene after the release of his debut album 'Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.' He drew fans in and gained respect from his peers with his extremely complex lyrics and his ability to tell stories through his music. However, the main reason for his rise to stardom was the messages he was able to convey through his music. Every single line in every single song was filled will substance. Lupe was able to rap about giant robots in the song 'Daydreamin' and about skateboarding in the song 'Kick, Push' but was able to make them extremely complex, as well as give them multiple meanings and messages. He won Grammy awards and the album was forever going to be recognised as a classic. However, there was one song off that album, 'The Cool', that inspired his next classic, 'Lupe Fiasco's The Cool.'

 

This album is a concept album based upon three characters. There is 'The Cool/Michael Young History', 'The Streets' and 'The Game.' It tells the story of a young child with absent parents, who is eventually drawn into the 'The Streets', becomes a gangster, then has to deal with the consequences that come with it. In many of the songs on this album, each character has some of their stories told.

However, not all of the nineteen songs on this album are related to the story, or at least not directly.

 

There are songs that aren't too complex and are good to relax to, such as 'Paris, Tokyo' where Lupe talks about the pressure of touring and 'Gold Watch' which studies how people are obsessed with the latest designer names.

 

But then Lupe never deters from providing songs with great substance. There are fantastic tracks such as 'Little Weapon' which focuses on how violent games and films influence the youth, whilst 'Intruder Alert' zones in on problems such as immigration and rape, maybe two controversial subjects that a lot of artists wouldn't go near. But Lupe is simply not most artists.

 

Personally, my two favourite tracks are 'Dumb It Down' and 'Gotta Eat.' Despite many plaudits and supporters, Lupe has received much criticism for being too complex and for not being your 'typical' rapper. Some called for him to 'dumb down' his music and follow every other sheep in the music industry, spreading nothing but negativity. In the track 'Dumb It Down', Lupe attacks his critics with lyrics simply no one could match. The complexity of each and every line is unbelievable. The wordplay, the metaphors and the double and triple entendres are simply breath taking. And he purposely did this to make a statement, as he ends the songs, 'I flatly refuse, I ain't dumb down nothing.' Whereas the track 'Gotta Eat' is indirectly linked to the concept of the album. It focuses on the lack of nutrition in the black community, using drug metaphors in every single line, but it is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger. That is why I love this song and Lupe Fiasco. Nobody else could even think of producing such a song, never mind actually executing it. It is complete genius.
 

 

I have mixed feelings on one particular artist that Lupe decided to work with on this album. In the past, Lupe has usually worked with relatively unknown artists from his own record company, First & Fifteenth. He does continue that on this album as the fantastic Matthew Santos, Bishop G, Gemini and Shayla G are still heavily featured on many tracks, such as 'Superstar', 'Streets on Fire' and 'The Die.' I feel like the best songs on the albums, are the ones featuring one of those artists. I do not like the decision to work with Snoop Dogg on the track 'Hi-Definition', nor do I understand it. Lupe and Snoop Dogg are almost polar opposites. Snoop Dogg represents all of the things that Lupe is against. I'm going to assume the Lupe's record company, Atlantic Records, pushed for this. The record company most likely wanted another big name on the album, probably to give it an extra boost commercially, as these days that is all record companies are interested in. This could be why this is the one song on the album I do not like, because the sound of it definitely has a commercial feel to it. I just don't have the same feel for it as I do with the other songs on the album.  

 

Generally, the production of the album is great. Just like on Food & Liquor, Soundtrackk is the main producer for this album, having produced tracks like 'Hip Hop Saved My Life' and 'Go Go Gadget Flow.' Whilst producers Chris&Drop and UNKLE also had a major influence on the album, producing tracks such as 'The Coolest' and 'Hello/Goodbye' respectively. Whilst the album was in the works, Lupe was going through a dark period in his life, due the passing of his father and the incarceration of his business partner 'Chilly.' Because of this, some of that darkness comes out in his music and even in the album artwork. However, it never overpowers the album, but strangely only makes it better.

 

Other than the collaboration with Snoop Dogg, I cannot criticize anything about this album. It is  about as near to perfection as any hip hop album is going to get. The whole concept of the album is mind blowing once you fully understand it. The lyrics in every single song are filled with substance and complexity, but not too much so you can't enjoy the song. It really is the perfect balance. Food & Liquor was a classic, this is a masterpiece.

 

Rating: 10/10