Album Review: Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool
1st & 15th/Atlantic Records
4.5/5
Written By Samir Siddiqui
In the midst of a strong music year in 2007 for hip-hop, influential figures in the game had a difficult time detracting the critics of the genre, but there seemed to be one prevailing response to the increasing scrutiny of rap music. Hip-hop took the stand that it’s artists are merely modern-day poets, relaying the harsh realities of their surroundings in whatever matter they see fit. But the fact of the matter is that many of the artists giving hip-hop a bad name are simply not “poets”- what they represent is the over-commercialization of hip-hop that breeds artists who are looking for a quick buck, paying no mind to the possibly large consequences. But there are artists who fit the bill of a “poet,” and Lupe Fiasco is definitely one of them. Not so much for the “positive” content he delivers in his raps, but ultimately for the creativity displayed in his work, most significantly his uncanny ability to pen vivid, in-depth stories that tackle a plethora of concepts and themes.
