Listen to the entire album here. Click here to play The Cool online video game.
Yes, the review is late and nobody probably cares about this review. But here it is anyway.
The problem I had with writing this review is the same problem I have with the album: it’s TOO dense. This may appear ironic because of my constant complaints with the saturated market of drug hustling and misogynistic hip-hop, but “The Cool” is clearly extreme of conscience hip-hop. Lupe’s lack of focus and direction in his concept album has too many overlapping and layered messages resulting in the listener to be The Lost sometimes.
His concept is not obvious after 20 listens, but it’s better after googling it. A concept album shouldn’t be THIS dense because you want people to eventually capture your message. Also, Lupe has some of the songs on the album are related to the The Cool’s concept, while other songs aren’t related at all. Confusing, right?
Now, is the album a good album? Yes, only if you are in the mood for it. I love the production and Lupe’s technicality as a rapper albeit he is condescending during some songs and other times he is extremely clever.
I think Kanye West said when it best when he toned down his lyrics for Rolling Stone fans while on tour. “I’d be saying my super raps, and this 50-year-old white lady would be looking like, ‘I can’t wait till the Rolling Stones come on.” (Source: MTV.com) The end result was “Graduation” and his “toned” down lyrics created more universal music for all fans and eventually expanded his market. But Lupe believes that would “Dumb It Down.” There is a difference between dumbing it down and making more efficient and universal music.
I think Lupe has achieved the most words in an album….ever.
To understand one of the concepts of his sophomore effort, “The Cool,” we have to go and do some alot of research.
“Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool expands on the story Lupe told on the track, “The Cool”, from his debut album. Fiasco introduces the characters the Streets (female) and the Game. The album tells the story of the little boy from “He Say She Say” who grew up without a father, and the people that step in to raise him are the Streets and the Game.” (Source: Wikipedia)
Lupe outlined “The Cool” to be similar to W.E.B DuBois’s “Souls of Black Folks,” which Lupe addresses common problems of Black community AND analyzing his growth since entering the music industry. While W.E.B pulled off a masterpiece, Lupe completed an enjoyable listen, but it is hard to follow and I believe many of his listeners will not get it.
Baba Says Cool For Thought - Similar to his debut album, Lupe Fiasco sets a serious, dark tone addressing common social and political events with short spoken word poem.
Free Chilly - An ode to his business partner and mentor - Charles “Chilly” Patton - who was sentenced to 44 years in prison for a drug bust. I love the production, very layered and dramatic. It sounds like something Alicia Keys would get involved with…but there is no Lupe…yet
Go Go Gadget Flow - Quickly changing gears, we get to the Lupe that we’ve grown accustomed to with his versatile “go go gadget flow.” The production is hot, very “futuristic” feel and Lupe drops a catchy and fun hook. His flow is very unique rapping very fast (must be a Midwest Chicago thing), but with a robotic structure. I likes…
The Coolest (listen) - This is where the concept officially begins. Are you ready? I know I wasn’t…I had to listen to the album about 40 times (okay, 3 times) to catch the concept.
Lupe the Narrator starts the concept album with an abstract addressing the double consciousnesses of the Black American Man between his true self-identity and everyone’s expectations. Michael Young History – Lupe’s main character – creates his alter-ego, “The Cool,” to address this “twoness,” but History was unaware of its unknown side effects and characters – The Streets and The Game. By the end of the song, you realized that History has sold his soul to the Cool…
Amazing song, amazing production, maybe too dense for most people…
Superstar (watch) - Back to Lupe the Rapper as he journeys into new territory as a celebrity superstar. While Matthew Santos was a great feature, he reminds me of Chris Martin in Coldplay. Maybe Chris was booked, who knows? But the song, video, and production is great.
Paris, Tokyo (listen) - I have the tendency to look into things deeper than what they really are and also giving people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their intelligence. But I wouldn’t put it past Lupe to make a couple of songs giving “the people” or “the media” what he wants. “Paris, Tokyo” is a multi-dimensional track that addresses his critics labeling him a derivative of ATCQ. This is pretty much Award Tour 2008. Great song.
Hi-Definition (ft. Pooh Bear and Snoop Dogg) - Not Cool. Pooh Bear’s singing is annoying. Snoop’s verse sounded like he phoned it in. The production is weak.
Gold Watch – I love the swagger of this song. While the production could easily overshadow Lupe, he steps up to the plate discussing the effect of Lupe’s new found fame - which appears to be a reoccurring theme throughout the album. Also, “Gold Watch” is History’s created swagger for The Cool (“Let’s peruse the essential of cool/A brief study of the things so instrumental to you/That make me feel flyer than lobbys at Bellevues”), which leads us to…
Hip-Hop Saved My Life (ft. Nikki Jean) - This is the type of song that converts Lupe’s listeners into fans. The production is layered and builds up in sync to the Lupe’s story, where Lupe develops History’s character. We find out that he is from Houston, TX and is an aspiring rapper than created a huge buzz starting from MySpace. From “The Coolest” we know that he has a child, but in “Hip-Hop Saved My Life” - Lupe the Narrator informed the listener that “Crying from the next room a baby in need/Of some pampers and some food and a place to sleep/That plus a black Cadillac on D’s/Is what keep him on track to be a great MC.”
This is probably one of the best songs I’ve heard in 2007. Lupe’s vivid word imagery is like a director shooting an Oscar performance scene.
Sidebar: I found Lupe’s hook amusing because of its mockery of Southern Hip-Hop: “Stack that Cheese/sumthing sumthing sumthing/Stack That Cheese/mother, sister, cousin/Stack That Cheese/He couldn’t think of nothing/Stack That Cheese.”
Clever.
Intruder Alert (ft. Sarah Green) - Changing gears - The production is very laid back…maybe a little boring, but if you like Lupe, you will love this song. Laid back with thought provoking lyrics.
Streets on Fire - The content is extremely heavy - the first verse focuses on the origin and blame of HIV that is related to the politics and classism behind the treatment of HIV patients. The second verse ends with addressing HIV is the number one killer of black women between the ages of 18 to 40 (”The little boy said what happened to all the girls/the preacher man said she’s going to kill off your soul/the dope boy said it’s the whole wide world”) through the mind of a stripper (my femme fatale my darling fraudulent angel/once caught her changing the batteries in her halo), who obviously neglects the message in the 1st verse. This song is also connected to the Trinity – The Cool, The Streets, and The Game – but that concept went over my head…
Little Weapon (ft. Bishop G and Nikki Jean) - This song reminds me of Blood Diamond when Solomon Vandy’s son was converted to a soldier. Lupe raps about the power and fear of a child who isn’t afraid to kill. I love the marching band drums within the song because American soldiers used to play drums to prepare for war, but it also addresses its modern day use as most marching bands are associated with schools. Song is good, but a one-time listen.
Gotta Eat – Production is great. Have you every met into an old friend and ask them what they are doing with their life to only find out that “they are grinding or hustling…getting money, youknowwhatimean?” Yea – they get money, but they never state how. This song addresses those people – they gotta eat, but they get greedy with getting money and eating, but the wrong way. So, The Streets takes over The Cool – I am assuming that this is either through rapping or the drug game, but this is only Part I of this story as Lupe will address the end result in his final album – L.U.P.END
Dumb It Down (watch) – I really like this song. But it shows how condescending Lupe is towards the common listener – especially his fans. I doubt 50% of his fans REALLY know what he is talking about, but rather than maturing as an artist and making more universal music, Lupe decides to slap everyone in the face by telling us that we are not smart enough to listen to his music. But then again – he could be talking about his label critiquing his music.
Hello/Goodbye – I am not a fan of Lupe’s rap rock. This sounds like a poor man’s Art of Storytelling by Outkast. I assume this song addresses the beginning of the end for The Cool.
The Die (ft. Gemstones) – Yes, I love this beat and Lupe’s flow on this track. Lupe presents the death of The Cool – he gets caught up in the Streets before he is going to perform a shady act. The skit in the middle of the song wrecks the flow, but still awesome. Gemstones sounds like a young Twista – rapping fast MUST be a Midwest thing.
Put You on Game – After the death of the Cool, The Game takes over…I assume he is the devil History sold his soul to as The Game states “I am the one that they march with/Through the back alleys/And the black markets,/The Oval Offices,/Crackhouses and apartments” and (talking about History’s child mentioned earlier) “Then maybe you can/grow up to be a stripper,/A welfare-receiving prostitute/And gold digger,/You can watch on TV,/How they should properly depict you,/he rivers should flow with liqour,”
Fighters (ft. Matthew Santos) – Man, I really like Matthew Santos after this album. I believe Lupe speaks from the perspective of History’s daughter and her vow to NOT let The Cool ruin her life. This is a good song…great inspiration – Lupe dedicated this song to http://lupethefiasco.blogspot.com and to all his female listeners and let us know that his next album – L.U.P.END is his last and final album.
If you made it this far, what do you think of the album? Do you think it was TOO dense? Did I look too far into the album and give Lupe too much credit? Post your review of The Cool.
Posted by thehonorable. Edited on 1/5/2008.
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