Lupe returns with an agenda
Published Jan. 25, 2008
In the past year or two, hip-hop has begun to fall victim to fads, gimmicks and ridiculous personae. The Cool Kids based their hit song "Black Mags" on BMX, following in the footsteps of the Chicago skate-rap trend, and Kanye West continues to allow his boisterous outbursts to upstage his music and ultimately turn him into a caricature of himself.
Lupe Fiasco had the ingredients to be written off as a novelty — the glasses, the skateboard — after his critically acclaimed but overcrowded debut, Food & Liquor.
The Cool shows a more grown-up Lupe. He's traded the brassiness of his debut with eerie, slick beats.
The album opens with some words from Lupe's sister about various national issues and stories — Hurricane Katrina and the Virginia Tech shootings — so the album starts on a grave note. Lupe is no longer here to mess around, but while he brings a darker album, that doesn't mean it isn't fun.
"Go Go Gadget Flow," rattles along with rapid, minimalist rhyming, and gritty old-school beats. It is a track that translates well as a soundtrack for commuting and ass-shaking.
The album peaks with "High Definition." Backed by an old-school synth layer and appearances from Snoop Dogg and Pooh Bear, Lupe's rhymes take a turn toward the optimistic. He vows to "hit Africa and try to fix the virus," bringing vibrancy to the socially conscious party jam.
At times Lupe's imagery veers from cinematic to cartoonish, such as the metaphors on "Gotta Eat," in which he equates the conflicts of life on the streets to the fast-food industry.
On the flipside, he reaches his peak as an emcee on "Dumb It Down," where he shuffles off vivid and surreal images while an overwhelmingly white and nerdy voiceover on the refrain speaks volumes about the need for the black community to rise above oppression, especially with respect to intellectual development.
It is here that Lupe makes his crusade, showing he has returned to the rap game with an agenda and a conscience. He proves he is ready to establish a career as more than a novelty or a spokesperson for a hyper-trendy scene.
