The Cool - Lupe Fiasco
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
RUNS HOT AND COOL Lupe's latest
When an upstart artist indulges early on in an ambitious pet project, it often comes chock-full of pretension and sigh-inducing hype. Thankfully, Lupe Fiasco's forthcoming concept album, The Cool (Atlantic/1st & 15th, Dec. 18), stampedes the rapper's "hip-hop vanguard" tag and manages to impress and cash in on the promise of his freshman effort. (A warning to other artists: Don't think this means you can manage the same.)
- Prince William and Kate Middleton's 'Subtle’' Royal Maneuvering Behind the Scenes Grows as 'Weak' King Charles Loses His 'Grip on the Throne'
- Demi Moore's Trauma Over Stripping and Transforming for Nightmarish Body Horror 'The Substance': 'It’s About Addressing Feelings of Rejection'
- What Diddy's Freak Off Guests Really Saw — and How All The Signs Were There Before His Sex Trafficking Arrest
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
Expanding on the Fiasco-driven phenomenon known as "The Cool" (a track on Lupe's first album), the record is about a young man seduced and then killed by street violence, distancing it—refreshingly—from the current spate of party albums. At the same time, he sidesteps the threat of becoming bogged down by theme and metaphor, hitting with a quick succession of undeniably hot cuts. Producers Soundtrakk lend a hand on much of the album, creating surefire, fast-tempo hits like "Superstar," "Street On Fire," and "Go Go Gadget Flow," the latter of which continues hip-hop's fascination with the theme song for Inspector Gadget (previously sampled in Gnarls Barkley's "Go-Go Gadget Gospel"). But if they falter, it's usually in the handling of the album's street-life subject matter.