Album Review: Lupe Fiasco - The Cool

I've never really been much of a hip-hop head, per se. I always enjoyed Eminem, Jay-Z, and a few other artists, but for the most part I was turned off by the glorifying of wealth (something those of us without it can get bitter about) and lack of true content. So it was only because I had a gift card to a CD shop that I purchased Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor, a hip-hop album that my friend had recommended.

It was one of the best decisions I've made. Lupe Fiasco is well worth the money.

After the moderate success of Food and Liquor, the rapper from Westside Chicago didn't waste much time in releasing his sophomore effort, The Cool. The gold-certified album is largely a story based on the titular character from one of Lupe's earlier songs, "The Cool," compounded with a message that seems to be directed to the rest of the world who is enveloped in the aforementioned typical hip-hop front: this lifestyle may be seen as cool, but it has consequences.

As far as the actual songs are concerned, Lupe Fiasco is one of the most effective rappers I've heard since the earlier Jigga days. His voice is polished, his flow and speed is unapproachable, and most importantly he has the intelligence and content to carry an album to greatness.

From the beginning of the album his message is clear (the first track is an vilification of the rap mindset by his sister), but he does take some time out every so often to break away from the story and message and have some fun. "Go Go Gadget Flow" is a primary example. Perhaps answering critics who believed his last album did not show enough speed, Lupe rips the track wide open with blistering rhymes and Twista-like flow and un-Twista-like cohesion. He also spits in convention's face by having Snoop Dogg on the track "Hi-Definition" instead of collaborating with another of hip-hop's more conscious rappers such as Nas or Common.

But it's the story that really makes the CD flow. The Cool is about a young man who gets caught up in the chase for the rap lifestyle that he sees on TV and hears about on the radio, and to what lengths he will go to achieve it. There are many highs and lows for the character through the album, and songs such as "The Coolest," "Streets on Fire" and "The Die" tie into each other while also being incredible stand-alone tracks as well.

It's not all sunshine and roses, however. One of Lupe's biggest problems is his inability to decide whether he wants to stand outside of the rap conventions he is attacking or use these conventions to get more listeners. An example of this is in the song "Gold Watch," where the lyrics of the verse condemns being part of the "punch-clock promise" and vies that he has "a low tolerance for them tellin' me how to lean." However, the chorus of the song is trite and generic: "Got my gold and my gold chain, with my fancy cars and my diamond rings..." etc, etc. It's the musical equivalent of sour grapes, and it doesn't go unnoticed.

Most of his songs, however, are not as typical. "Little Weapon" is about turning children into killing machines, "Dumb it Down" is his unbridled attack on critics asking him to adapt to the mainstream culture, and of course the entire story of The Cool is not something you'd find on most rap albums. All in all Lupe Fiasco is a breath of fresh air when compared to the rest of the world, and the entire album reflects this.

Scoring:

Replayability: (18/20) There are too many great songs to put the album on the shelf for too long. Also, with Lupe, the more you listen the more you realize how deep he is. Whether it's to see exactly what he's saying in "Go Go Gadget Flow" or to find the connections between the story of The Cool, it's hard to put this album away.

Music: (16/20) If I had to point to a single shortcoming that prevents Lupe from catching on, it would be his abnormal content. Right behind that, though, would be his beats. The beats aren't bad by any means, but he doesn't have the big names in the booth that most other rappers have as standbys. Nearly every track is made by Soundtrakk, Lupe's in-house producer. The beats on this album are much better than the ones from Food and Liquor, but it's still not as good as you'd find on a Lil Wayne or Jay-Z album.

Lyrics: (20/20) I know, a 20 out of 20 seems strange, but this score is reflective of two things: the chasm of quality between his and most other rappers' lyrics, and the fact that he doesn't waste his lyrical talent on tired concepts. Lupe is smart and has more wordplay than you'd expect, plus he focuses on agendas that you'd more likely find in the New York Times than Hip-Hop Weekly.

Completeness: (16/20) There are so many good songs on this album and the flow is very good at the beginning. However, as is the problem with most albums that have more than 12 to 14 songs, the album loses momentum towards the end. Songs like "Hello/Goodbye" and "Put You On Game" slow the process down and are largely skipable, which hurts the album as a whole.

Emotional Pull: (16/20) The thing I love about concepts in albums is that if it's done well, it's like any good book, movie, or TV show: it draws you in and leaves you really connected to the players of the story. It is unusual for a listener of rap to get any emotion out of the experience, but with The Cool there are enough identifiable successes and failures that the listener can relate to.

Total Score: 86

Grade: B

Lupe Fiasco represents a lot of different things for hip-hop. He is a new voice, a new direction, and for me he represents the reason for why I am enjoying the genre again.

Extras

Check/Check Plus/X: New little change here. The bad songs are going to get X's instead of check minuses because I am aware we are not in kindergarten and should not soften the blows for songs that deserve bad marks.

(The first two tracks are not rated because they are not conventional songs)
Go Go Gadget Flow √+
The Coolest √+
Superstar √+
Paris, Tokyo √
Hi-Definition √
Gold Watch √+
Hip-Hop Saved My Life √+
Intruder Alert √
Streets on Fire √+
Little Weapon √+
Gotta Eat √
Dumb it Down √
Hello/Goodbye X
The Die √+
Put You On Game X
Fighters √+
Go Baby √


So that was fun. I was going to stick around with the hip hop for a little bit longer, but an album dropped into my lap that I have to review because it compelled me to do so. Expect this historic review (could it be the first A I give out?) within the week.