Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool: Album Review
Reviews > – Dec 17, 2007 – by Hakim Constantine 
In an era where hip-hop artists tend to abstain from going against the grain and shy away from originality, albums within the past few years have become more predictable and less inspiring and border line trash. Insert Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool”, the sophomore offering from the Chicago backpacking wordsmith who kicked and pushed listeners first time around with a unique and energetic sound.
An album of two sides, “The Cool” at times can be mistaken for any other genre except hip-hop and can be deemed unconventional, yet those very qualities make it worth the listen. As the hook on “Dumb it Down” pokes fun at Lupe’ self-conscious messages and insightful lyrics, his words do anything but what the title suggest. He raps, \which makes me sane less\with no neck left to hang a chain with\which leaves me necklace less\ like a necklace Steph\ and I aint’ use my headrest yet\they say they need proof like a vest less chest\. With stinging punch lines and cleaver metaphors throughout, Lupe’ stakes his claim as one of the top emerging lyricist in hip-hop.
Not to be outdone by the lead single “Superstar”,” The Cool” is well circulated by perfectly crafted jewels such as Hi-definition featuring Snoop Dogg and Pooh Bear, “The Coolest”, and “Paris, Tokyo”. All tracks though undoubtedly take a back seat to “Gold Watch and”, a four minute rendition of hip-hop at its purest and Lupe in what seems to be his most comfortable setting. Lupe indulges in a beat that sounds as if it was stuck in the early 90’s just happened to reemerge a decade later. Lupe blends his best lyrics with a rare flow to complement the swag and weight of the beat that brings his style as an artist full circle. \ My most coveted thing is a high self-esteem\ and a low tolerance for them telling me how to lean\see the most important parts are the ones that are unseen\ the wings don’t make you fly\and the crown don’t make you king\.
Listeners can gravitate to “Gold Watch” when the album gets lost in transition and seems to go from being a vintage hip-hop album, to an unsuspecting rock blend. For the casual hip-hop fan or the teenager doing the “Solja Boy”, “The Cool might be a little to warm and possibly overwhelming. With more tracks like “Put You On Game” and “Fighters”, this album would be nothing short of a modern day masterpiece, but due to Lupe’ loyalty to his skateboard and alternative roots, the cool has more than a few warm spots that are unsettling.
Aside from a few poor beats, the lack of quality hooks as seen on “Go go gadget flow” and “Little Weapon”, plague “The Cools” ability to break away as one of the top albums of 2007, but rather settles it in as a treat to round out the for the fourth quarter.
Entirely “The Cool” seeks balance and sometimes lacks direction, but none the less it is a change and an example of when an artist does what he wants to do rather than following what the consensus says. Lupe sticks to his guns almost to fault as listeners might weary towards the end, but overall, “The Cool” weathers the storm and blows in a few gems for fans to appreciate.
Comments
10 Comments so far
Good review. Sign up that Hakim for more reviews.
–Bob Blaze
This is a well thought out written review….i hope to read more about other hip hop artists as well as artists who are not so mainstream. All in all 5 stars there…
good article. this website is helpful and i come to this site for the truth about albums that come out.great article and editor. compliments to chef
Definitely enjoyed this article… I always liked Lupe and his unique style. Some of his songs don’t interest me but Lupe stays real and thats important. Well written article…
good but give lupe more credit. weak beats? i have yet to uncover one on this album.
This is an objective review and i like it, but i really disagree with the weak beats comment and you forgot to metion the lyrical genius of Gotta Eat. Lupe rapped the entire song using food metaphors to describe a drug dealers view. Can reviews stop concentrating so much on songs that we have obviously heard even though i love Dumb it Down. Quote stuff like “twice tha bread…its like he had two buns…and he had uh whole lotta c’s…even his kids had meals fo reals…some rich small fries wrapped in paper since they was lil.. catch up niggaaaa” And thats just the end of the verse, the entire verse is just sick.
you mean “ketchup niggaaaa.” ha. dude is sick.
YO HONESTLY I’M AN AVID MUSIC LISTENER WHEN IT COMES TO RAP AND HIP-HOP, AND IF I WAS TO REVIEW LUPE’S ALBUM MYSELF, LETS JUST SAY THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE CAPTURED MY EVERY THOUGHT WHEN I HEARD THE LUPE ALBUM MYSELF FROM THE PLAY LIST THAT WAS PUT BELOW THE ARTICLE. ALL IN ALL, THE ARTICLE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT.
-BILL$ YEP!!!
This article is very insightful, informative and logical. The writer has a great way of giving out the artists highlights and insentive of the album. Making one eger to purchase and know more about the artist. I will stay intuned to this website, so that i can make better purchases on albums instead of always getting albums that all sound the same. Lupe fiasco will always be a priority album to buy. 5 % always leave something for you to think about…
I think Little Weapon deserves a lot more credit than it got..I wouldn’t call the hook weak. It was just a compliment to the verses, which I actually prefer. If the hook is the best part of the song, then I’m pissed anyway. and while we are listing lyrics “…I insert code, to sweeten up the little persons murder work load. I tell
em he work for CIA with A, an operative I operate this game all day, I hold the controller connected to the soldier, with weapons on his shoulder he’s only second older than me…..” To me this is a classic. It shows how seriously war is in other parts of the world while showing how little weight we put on it. ie its a game. One of the sickest lyricist. up there with Talib. And one of the few true artists in hip hop.