CD Review: Lupe Fiasco - The Cool

(andPOP) - On Lupe Fiasco's sophomore effort, The Cool, the rapper proves himself as a force to be reckoned with in the hip-hop world.

The Cool showcases Fiasco as an intellectual, and not just as a master lyricist, but also as a skilled and innovative rapper. The album shows that since his debut record, Fiasco has been around the world, and has tasted both success and the excess that it brings. But Fiasco obviously has his head on his shoulders and keeps his heart in the Midwest where he came from.

The Cool is a concept album featuring the character “the cool” along with the female personification of “the streets” and male personification of “the game.” On the album, Fiasco collaborates with a host of artists including Snoop Dogg and Matthew Santos, adding entirely new elements to the Cool’s already layered and diverse sound.

Fiasco aligns himself with all the right people in hip-hop, borrowing from the pages of Jay-Z, Nas and Kanye West writing intelligent and captivating lyrics and matching them with hard beats, innovative samples and great producing. The effect is a timeless and meaningful album that is still catchy and fun. This is everything hip-hop should be.

He reverts back to a time when rappers like KRS-One rapped about things that matter, while his peers are stuck creating boring tracks about “supermanning hos,” only to be mindlessly consumed by white kids in the suburbs.

Fiasco raps about real life. He writes what he sees. He shows the real struggles of poverty, gentrification, war, disease, crime and drugs. Then he lets you into his struggle with his newfound money and fame. Finally Fiasco gets brutally honest. He lays his personal life on the table and makes his vulnerability into strength. His honesty and skilled rhymes prove Fiasco to be a smart and talented young performer.

The Cool has a dark feel, having being produced during a time Fiasco had to watch his best friend and business partner go to jail and his father die. But Fiasco packages his pessimism into a smooth flow and backs it with a beat that says everything will be okay.