Reader Review: Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (December 18, 2007)

(I realize that I just wrote about Lupe Fiasco's The Cool a couple of weeks ago, but when Andrew over at Musical Essence sent this over, I had to post it. You should also check out his own blog when you get the chance: the guy once scored an interview with video director Rik Cordero, which I'm sure will get both of your respective panties wet.)

Lupe Fiasco has this annoying habit of titling his albums with his own name in front (there's a term for that, but I can't remember at the moment), and it's pissing me off. Why? Is there a point to that? No, of course there isn't. Anyway, this album, before it's release, was originally described to me as "a story...you know, about the kid from the '"The Cool", and Lupe basically expands on it." Sounds promising, right? What follows is a bashing of the public perception regarding AIDS, video games, and other randomness. Lupe went and reached far out for subject matter, which all somehow ties to materialism. Did it work?

1. BABA SAYS COOL FOR THOUGHT (FEAT IESHA JACO)
A spoken word introduction. Short, but still a waste of time. And I'm not sure that anyone considers gentrification to be "cool". Next!

2. FREE CHILLY (FEAT SARAH GREEN & GEMSTONES)
Another little uh...song, if you'd can call it that. A little tribute and call-to-arms for Lupe's imprisoned friend and partner "Chilly", who received 44 years for drug distribution, I believe. Honestly, this is not really worth listening to more than once.

3. GO GO GADGET FLOW
This wins the award for corniest title ever. The song is fast-paced, as you can imagine, but isn't that rewarding.

4. THE COOLEST
(I suppose calling your song "The Cooler" would recall vivid memories of William H. Macy's junk in The Cooler, which is why Lupe skipped from "The Cool" to the "-est".) Lupe's hook-writing abilities have not gotten any better. My solution: Do an album without the hooks. Just straight verses all the way through, with the music switched up a bit every four minutes or so. Problem solved.

5. SUPERSTAR (FEAT MATTHEW SANTOS)
The first single, with some dude named Matthew Santos, who, due to the relative success of this song, did fairly decent numbers himself, despite the fact that he doesn't sing all that well, and I've used about one hundred commas in this sentence. The song isn't bad though. (Wait, Matthew Santos has songs of his own, not just Lupe Fiasco feature appearances? I always believed he was a studio singer that was miraculously conceived in the recording booth right before he made his first appearance on Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.)

6. PARIS, TOKYO
Well, ironically, this sounds like a Tribe cut, despite Lupe never hearing Midnight Marauders. Interesting. (Someone should put that in his Christmas stocking, as he's truly missing out on some good shit.) That being said, it's a smooth, quality song.

7. HI-DEFINITION (FEAT SNOOP DOGG & POOH BEAR)
I've heard many people lose their minds at the thought of Snoop being featured on conscious rapper Lupe Fiasco's album. However, the beat works, Snoop doesn't have much of an impact, and this song makes for great summer cruising. (If you say so.)

8. GOLD WATCH
Confession time: I've never listened to more than 30 seconds of this song. The beat is that fucking atrocious. (And yet I liked it. Funny, that.)

9. HIP-HOP SAVED MY LIFE (FEAT NIKKI JEAN)
Average hook by Nikki Jean (yeah, I have no clue who that is, either), but the verses are alright. Simple, yet effective production.

10. INTRUDER ALERT (FEAT SARAH GREEN)
Oh, this song? I was going to listen to this, but then I just went on living my life.

11. STREETS ON FIRE
Much better, despite the depressing subject matter of AIDS. I really like this one though.

12. LITTLE WEAPON (FEAT BISHOP G & NIKKI JEAN)
Ridiculous drumroll, courtesy of Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. What the fuck? (Indeed.) It doesn't really matter, though, as this song is awesome. (Yeah, I wasn't expecting Andrew to go in that particular direction, either.)

13. GOTTA EAT
I'm not hungry, but thanks, though. Much appreciated.

14. DUMB IT DOWN (FEAT GEMSTONES & GRAHAM BURRIS)
Incredible bassline, which makes for a gritty track. Find the lyrics online, read them along with the song, and then pick your jaw off the ground. Lather, rinse, repeat.

15. HELLO / GOODBYE (FEAT UNKLE)
Takes a little bit to get started, but Lupe shows why some consider him to be one of the best newcomers, relatively speaking. The track ends oddly though.

16. THE DIE (FEAT GEMSTONES)
Andddddddd skip.

17. PUT YOU ON GAME
Couldn't get into it. To be fair, I didn't try that hard, but I shouldn't have to.

18. FIGHTERS (FEAT MATTHEW SANTOS)
Matthew Santos, otherwise know as the Magical Magician, reappears here. He sounds much better, and this simple and effective closing to the album works extremely well. One of my favorite tracks.

19. GO BABY (FEAT GEMSTONES)
Not really necessary at all. The album could have done without it and still work just fine.

FINAL THOUGHTS: At nineteen tracks, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is an exhausting listen. The production, while still in-house from Lupe's camp, has gotten better, and more adaptive to Lupe's style. There are some slow points and some production duds, but for the most part, the beats are functional. Lupe's wordplay continues to be solid, although his subject matter can be a little bit bizarre for some people.

BUY OR BURN?: I would recommend a purchase. There are some absolute shit-bricks, and this album would be better as maybe a thirteen-to-fifteen track endeavor. It's worth your money however, and I'm wondering what he's got in store for his so-called "final" effort, the three-disc LupEND. (Why Lupe's opting to skip the double-disc in favor of the more pretentious three-disc offer, we may never know.) We'll see. In the meantime, pick this one up - it's pretty solid.

BEST TRACKS: "Paris, Tokyo"; "Streets on Fire"; "Little Weapon"; "Dumb It Down"; "Fighters"

-Andrew

(Liking this experimental week so far? Or do you hate it so much that your soul is starting to chafe? Either way, let me know. Here's the original review for this album, published only a couple of weeks ago, but still.)