12/17/07 - Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool(HipHopDX Review)

YounG AleX · 12-17-2007, 11:33 AM

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 Fiasco. The Cool plays out like a novel filled with short stories that relate to each other in some way, shape or form.

Continuing the praise to 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.

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 very 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.

PBMaSteRMiNdiN · 12-17-2007, 12:57 PM

Real Talk ^^^^^^^^^^^^

YoungJ · 12-17-2007, 01:52 PM

Album Is Brilliant

snorlax637 · 12-17-2007, 02:06 PM

thanks for posting this

IronCro · 12-17-2007, 02:58 PM

Everyone go cop that 2moro and support real music

clivo69 · 12-17-2007, 03:25 PM

this may be the worst album of the year. Possibly the last five years. Fuckin garbage

Spoken Word · 12-17-2007, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clivo69

this may be the worst album of the year. Possibly the last five years. Fuckin garbage

You Must Listen To Lil Wayne

R1pTheJacka · 12-17-2007, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoken Word

You Must Listen To Lil Wayne

agreed....

LuBrick Asain · 12-17-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clivo69

this may be the worst album of the year. Possibly the last five years. Fuckin garbage

see now we can pick out who the "average person" who listens to the cool is.
god damn son get with the true state of rap. Lupes better then any artists on your list.

Sergalicious · 12-17-2007, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ill plus matic

see now we can pick out who the "average person" who listens to the cool is.
god damn son get with the true state of rap. Lupes better then any artists on your list.

no doubt. Lupe is beyond the mindstate of many people who listen to hip hop rite now...it's a damn shame. Lupe is to nice

benito wolfe · 12-17-2007, 06:54 PM

lupe is fresh

jm0ney79 · 12-17-2007, 08:10 PM

lupe is the shit

mEatwaD · 12-17-2007, 08:22 PM

Lupe's the breathe of fresh air of what is now Hip-Hop..

Phantastik · 12-17-2007, 08:55 PM

Great review. His Album is rediculous..

PhillyFatBoy215 · 12-17-2007, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clivo69

this may be the worst album of the year. Possibly the last five years. Fuckin garbage

u must be literally retarted

everyone go out and buy this tomorrow
dont download it
support the best rapper- scrach that- support the best poet/MC/storyteller in the game
i cant wait till i get it

Tdog · 12-17-2007, 09:53 PM

mane I loved the Die its one of my favorite tracks

heartless monster · 12-17-2007, 11:41 PM

album is crack go cop it tomm dec 18

twista2000 · 12-21-2007, 08:13 PM

this album is str8 up fire, this kid is amazing lupe wood ave b regarded as 1 of da best if he was around of da days of reasonable doubt, enter the wu tang, ready 2 die etc.. coz hes word play n lyrics r sick but hes around wiv all these clown tht r in hip-hop these days

SluGSlinGa · 12-21-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spoken Word

You Must Listen To Lil Wayne

i guess you were trying to be funny. lol

i listen to both lupe and lil wayne. i dont know why people are hating on lil wayne all of a sudden.

is it just cus hes from the south? so he gets put in the hurricane chris, solja boy group?

hes a way better lyricist than 90% of the rappers out now and hes way better than TI, but TI gets no hate. whys that?

anyway, i just find it funny how its cool to hate on lil wayne now. lol i guess when u make a name for yourself by grinding hard, u get hated on.

The Kid Blaze · 12-21-2007, 09:55 PM

this album is so crack

Repndawest · 12-21-2007, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tdog

mane I loved the Die its one of my favorite tracks

yea, The Die was crazy and informs The Cool on F&L, but ya no, 2 each his own

R1pTheJacka · 12-25-2007, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SluGSlinGa

i guess you were trying to be funny. lol

i listen to both lupe and lil wayne. i dont know why people are hating on lil wayne all of a sudden.

is it just cus hes from the south? so he gets put in the hurricane chris, solja boy group?

hes a way better lyricist than 90% of the rappers out now and hes way better than TI, but TI gets no hate. whys that?

anyway, i just find it funny how its cool to hate on lil wayne now. lol i guess when u make a name for yourself by grinding hard, u get hated on.

its not that hes a bad rapper, its just that everyones kinda been on his dick lol

R1pTheJacka · 12-25-2007, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repndawest

yea, The Die was crazy and informs The Cool on F&L, but ya no, 2 each his own

where did u get your avy that shits hot

Jules71989 · 12-26-2007, 04:19 PM

Yeah but that Pimp C line was recorded before Pimp C died, so don't get it twisted...

Degenerate · 12-27-2007, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SluGSlinGa

i guess you were trying to be funny. lol

i listen to both lupe and lil wayne. i dont know why people are hating on lil wayne all of a sudden.

is it just cus hes from the south? so he gets put in the hurricane chris, solja boy group?

hes a way better lyricist than 90% of the rappers out now and hes way better than TI, but TI gets no hate. whys that?

anyway, i just find it funny how its cool to hate on lil wayne now. lol i guess when u make a name for yourself by grinding hard, u get hated on.

1. Wayne aint even in top 50 of best lyricist
2. the only reason i hate him is cause people overrate the shit out of him
3. he has the worst flow/voice in hip hop history

dope album coped it already

12-17-2007, 11:33 AM	#1
YounG AleX AleX iS Like... Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Where haven't we been yet? Posts: 3,193 Repped: 890 Repped 5,210 Times in 714 Posts Neg Reps: 66 Neg Repped at 13 Times in 8 Posts	12/17/07 - Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool(HipHopDX Review) 12/17/07 - Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool(HipHopDX Review) 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 Fiasco. The Cool plays out like a novel filled with short stories that relate to each other in some way, shape or form. Continuing the praise to 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. 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 very 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. __________________ I learned that everybody is not your friend. You have to watch who you associate with and surround yourself with positive things and people who want to do something positive.- Gucci!

12-17-2007, 12:57 PM	#2
PBMaSteRMiNdiN myspace.com/ObeythePen Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: In ThA NotePaD Posts: 4,902 Repped: 79 Repped 311 Times in 147 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 27 Times in 22 Posts	Real Talk ^^^^^^^^^^^^ __________________ "I'm having Murderous dreams cus I smoke like a Metric Ton, I Raise my L's in the Air like the Devil's Son." R.I.P. Big L & Vito

12-17-2007, 08:55 PM	#14
Phantastik Beat Specialist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,099 Repped: 529 Repped 96 Times in 20 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Great review. His Album is rediculous.. __________________ Need HEAT Beats? get at me: Myspace.com/tastik Soundclick.com/PhantastikProductions

12-21-2007, 09:55 PM	#20
The Kid Blaze Nike KB / Air-Blaze Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Tree City Posts: 7,255 Repped: 68 Repped 151 Times in 54 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	this album is so crack __________________

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12-17-2007, 01:52 PM	#3
YoungJ Young J Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Providence RI Posts: 3,003 Repped: 203 Repped 385 Times in 113 Posts Neg Reps: 5 Neg Repped at 4 Times in 4 Posts	Album Is Brilliant

12-17-2007, 02:06 PM	#4
snorlax637 Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,080 Repped: 151 Repped 2 Times in 1 Post Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	thanks for posting this

12-17-2007, 02:58 PM	#5
IronCro Veteran Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2,817 Repped: 1,531 Repped 283 Times in 93 Posts Neg Reps: 21 Neg Repped at 33 Times in 24 Posts	Everyone go cop that 2moro and support real music

12-17-2007, 03:25 PM	#6
clivo69 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: U.S. Posts: 20 Repped: 0 Repped 0 Times in 0 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	this may be the worst album of the year. Possibly the last five years. Fuckin garbage

12-17-2007, 06:54 PM	#11
benito wolfe Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 40 Repped: 0 Repped 1 Time in 1 Post Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	lupe is fresh

12-17-2007, 08:10 PM	#12
jm0ney79 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Marion, MA Posts: 270 Repped: 139 Repped 2 Times in 2 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	lupe is the shit

12-17-2007, 08:22 PM	#13
mEatwaD Banned Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,568 Repped: 1,348 Repped 508 Times in 130 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 7 Times in 5 Posts	Lupe's the breathe of fresh air of what is now Hip-Hop..

12-17-2007, 09:53 PM	#16
Tdog Southern King Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 4,171 Repped: 1,121 Repped 168 Times in 70 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	mane I loved the Die its one of my favorite tracks

12-17-2007, 11:41 PM	#17
heartless monster T.R (TEAM RICH) Join Date: May 2007 Location: brooklyn east new york T.R (TEAMRICH) Posts: 2,030 Repped: 568 Repped 446 Times in 129 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 3 Times in 3 Posts	album is crack go cop it tomm dec 18

12-21-2007, 08:13 PM	#18
twista2000 Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 409 Repped: 198 Repped 2 Times in 2 Posts Neg Reps: 1 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	this album is str8 up fire, this kid is amazing lupe wood ave b regarded as 1 of da best if he was around of da days of reasonable doubt, enter the wu tang, ready 2 die etc.. coz hes word play n lyrics r sick but hes around wiv all these clown tht r in hip-hop these days

12-26-2007, 04:19 PM	#24
Jules71989 Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 50 Repped: 0 Repped 1 Time in 1 Post Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Yeah but that Pimp C line was recorded before Pimp C died, so don't get it twisted...