LUPE FIASCO
"The Cool"
Released: Dec. 18, 2007
Genre: Hip-hop

Official Site, MySpace, Wikipedia

Though worth a listen, “The Cool" falls short of its predecessor. Lupe needs less ambition, more hooks.

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL start in 2006 with the critically acclaimed “Food & Liquor,” Chicago-born hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco released his second album, “The Cool,” on Dec. 18, 2007.

The album was surrounded by lots of hype because of the success of “Food & Liquor,” which included Grammy nominations for best rap album, song, and solo performance.

Unfortunately, “The Cool” doesn’t live up to these expectations. Instead, Lupe is currently in the midst of a sophomore slump.

“The Cool” is supposedly a concept album, continuing the story from the song “The Cool” that appears as track 10 on “Food & Liquor.”

While I found the original song — produced and co-written by Kanye West — to be good, the follow-ups on the new album don’t live up to their predecessor.

Lupe seems overly ambitious with the story. He introduces multiple characters whose meanings are hard to decipher. He has many good ideas, but it just seems as if he is trying too hard, and the result seems forced.

However, the entire album isn’t terrible. There were some songs with deep lyrics and comparisons, including my favorite song on the CD, “Little Weapon.”

In “Little Weapon,” Lupe compares American children playing violent video games to children in Africa fighting in revolutionary armies.

Sadly, the hooks on “The Cool” are nowhere near as good as those on “Food & Liquor.” Many of the songs on his debut — most notably “Daydreamin’” — had quality hooks. These varied from rock to soul and beyond.

“The Cool,” on the other hand, seems to have forgotten where it came from, and Lupe has lost one of his strongest points.

This is too bad, because Lupe — a Muslim and a skateboarder whose real name is Wasalu Muhammad Jaco — has the potential to offer something different from the average rapper.

With his varied background, Lupe isn't afraid to tackle heavy subjects. In “The Cool” he valiantly discusses topics ranging from child soldiers in Africa to the state of hip-hop in “Dumb it Down.”

He criticizes hip-hop for abandoning intellectual ideas and turning into something better known for degrading women and glorifying the “thug” life.

Generally artists who address these sorts of topics have good lyricism. Many classic rappers are inclined to talk about more political and social issues. Lupe’s lyricism is one of his strong points. He rarely fails to tell his story creatively and compellingly. When he combines those skills with great hooks, as he did on his first album, he shows he belongs in the upper ranks of hip-hop.

Lupe Fiasco fans who are disappointed with “The Cool” can hope that this album is just a sophomore slump, similar to the ones that many rappers have.

If Lupe is able to once again pull off something like “Food & Liquor,” hip-hop fans will have reason to celebrate.