In Case You Missed It - The Cool

Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
Atlantic Records (1st and 15th)

Though widely cited as a "concept album" following it's 2007 release, if you were to attempt to unpack just what the "concept" at work on The Cool, you would likely be utterly confused. Fiasco moves from subject to subject as rapidly as he raps, touching on topics like child soldiers, immigration, and the ups and downs of stardom and the rap game. In a way, the fact that it's difficult to decipher the concept makes The Cool one of the better "concept albums" out there - every time you listen to his lyrics, new possibilities for interpretation open up as you unravel the metaphors and double meanings layered thickly over every track.

Lupe Fiasco made a bit of a splash with his debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor, but The Cool is a real showcase of his talents as a rapper. Fiasco is incredibly diverse; he can spit fast on tracks like "Go Go Gadget Flow," the most easily listenable, bass-thumping track on the album; or he can take a slow, almost jazzy flow on the groovy "Paris, Tokyo." However he's delivering them, Fiasco's lyrics are simply amazing, and it's clear that this album is painstakingly crafted, from the writing down to the production - something that's surprising rare in hip-hop. This makes each song well worth listening to on it's own merits, as Fiasco slides easily between different styles and topics. Even Fiasco himself admits that only a few tracks really fit the "concept," and then only loosely. This opens up each track to be interpreted on it's own, for some really interesting results. "Gold Watch" asks listeners to "peruse the essentials of cool," while "Intruder Alert" unravels several heartbreaking stories about the consequences of fear.

Fiasco also churns out some fantastic head-nodding, driving hip-hop tracks. "Superstar" was the album's biggest single - and for good reason. Matthew Santos delivers a great, soaring chorus, and Fiasco provides some terrific verses that reflect on the nature of being a superstar. "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" provides a look at the other end of a music career, telling the story of a rapper's inspirations and struggle to make it. And that really gets at Lupe Fiasco's ultimate asset: his storytelling ability. Much like Springsteen or Dylan were for rock, Fiasco is hip-hop's preeminent storyteller, packing a single track with a sense of character, personality, and narrative that is simply amazing. Just listen to the driving, rapid-fire "Streets on Fire," which paints a near-future dystopia better in 5 minutes than a lot of sci-fi novels do in 500 pages. Or try "Little Weapon," which evokes the mindset of a child soldier in one verse, before moving to school shootings in the next. The lyrical dexterity and depth at work is really remarkable, but The Cool is also (unlike some "concept albums") quite easy to access and listen to. You can spend hours examining a few tracks, appreciating the multiple metaphors and storytelling at work, or you can just pop it in your stereo (ha!) and blast it for a little while. If you missed The Cool, you missed one of the best hip-hop albums of the last decade (also be sure to check out his third album, Lasers, which is set to be released "soon").

Grade: A

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