Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
Lupe Fiasco astonishes on a predictably cool album.
Monday, 21, Jan 2008 11:40
Atlantic/1st & 15th, out January 21st.
In a Nutshell...
Soulful. Thoughtful. Innovative. Immensely cool.
What's it all about?
His second album in little more than a year from his debut, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is a dazzling hip-hop album full of fresh, funky beats and thoughtful, poetic and witty lyrics. Mainly focusing on what it is to be 'cool', there are also nods towards the subjects of crime, travel, anime, oppression and politics. The Cool has also been dubbed as a concept album telling the story of three fictional characters in a tale of love, betrayal and corruption. While the 19 tracks that constitute this 70-minute record can seem to drag on a little there is barely a drop in quality.
Who are they?
Dubbed as a "breath of fresh air" by hip-hop legend Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, (or Wasalu Muhammad Jaco to his momma), is a 26-year-old skateboard-loving Muslim rapper from Chicago. Not quite 50 Cent eh? Most people will have first heard him guest on Kanye West's Touch The Sky but, thanks to 2006 debut Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor and its hit single Kick Push, is now a star in his own right. Guests on this record range from one musical extreme to the other, including a retrospective Snoop Dogg, folk singer Matthew Santos, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age on guitar and production by Soundtrakk, UNKLE and Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.
As an example...
"The world brought me to my knees/What have you brung you?/Did you improve on the design?/Did you do something new?/Well your name ain't on the guestlist/Who brung you?" - Superstar.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Pretty damn likely. Fiasco was nominated for three awards at last year's event including best rap album and best rap song for Kick Push. Meanwhile, Day Dreaming, a single from his old album was put forward for this year's Grammys. He must be doing something right.
What others say:
"The word that best seems to describe Lupe Fiasco's rap is 'transcendent' as he writes rap songs that could speak to anybody from any walk of life. Fiasco is the modern day Bob Dylan of hip-hop without being cursed with Dylan's now incomprehensible delivery." - Rap Reviews
"Fiasco rebels against cool. He flips it, deconstructs it and questions it thoroughly on this intensely cerebral second album." - Los Angeles Times
So is it any good?
The second The Cool kicks off you know you're a million miles from 99 per cent of rap albums you've heard. Starting with a spoken word track by his sister, name-checking the likes of police oppression and Hurricane Katrina as areas of weakness within America not just in the actual events but also with the general perception of violence and poverty, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is a stunning piece of work. Taking the concept of what it is to be (and not to be) cool, Fiasco not only questions himself, but hip-hop and the world around him. What his conclusions are aren't always positive but they are immensely truthful and best of all wrapped into 19 awesome tracks bending and twisting through all the sub-genres and styles of urban music.
Although perhaps nothing here quite matches up to Kick Push, the likes of Hi-Definition, Paris/Tokyo and the funky Gold Watch are all capable of reaching the upper echelons of the chart. Lead single Superstar combines soulfulness and a pop sensibility but is yet deep and self-deprecating, while Go Go Gadget Flow is an uptempo, fast-flowing future hit which gives a nod towards cartoon hero Inspector Gadget.
Meanwhile, Dumb It Down shows Fiasco refusing to lower his lyrics and musical integrity to rap about money, women, the size of his chains, house or anything else. Name someone else who has done that and still achieved praise both from the charts and the critics. Oh wait no, you can't.
However, it seems that all good things can't last as Lupe has already stated that his upcoming third album LupEND will be his final. Is it better to burn out then to fade away? It would seem he's opting for the latter and in some ways you can't blame him as he's said more in two album then most rappers achieve in their entire career.
In a time where rappers are most concerned with cash, bling, rims and their cribs and embarrassments such as Soulja Boy can sell thousands, you could be forgiven for being disillusioned with hip-hop. Forget all that and listen to Lupe Fiasco's The Cool - an immensely creative, conscious, fun and most of all, truly cool record. Already the rap album of the year by a mile. Hopefully his next won't be his last.
8/10
Ashley King