Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
Encyclopedia
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, commonly referred to as simply The Cool, is the second studio album
by Chicago
hip hop
artist Lupe Fiasco
, released on December 18, 2007 in the United States
. The Cool is a loose concept album, based on a song and its titular character from his debut album Food & Liquor. The album features production from Patrick Stump
, Soundtrakk, Unkle
, and Chris & Drop, among others. Guest appearances include Gemini, Snoop Dogg
, and Matthew Santos
. The album debuted at #15, moved a spot up to #14 on the Billboard 200 in its second week. It debuted as the #1 rap record and remained there for 9 weeks. It has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album was nominated for four awards at the 2009 Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album.
his good friend Stack Bundles died, also his business partner and mentor—Charles "Chilly" Patton—was sentenced to 44 years in prison. When asked about the album's dark side, Lupe Fiasco replied:
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool expands on the story Lupe told on the track, "The Cool", from his debut album. Fiasco introduces the characters the Streets and the Game. The album tells the story of the little boy from "He
Say, She Say" who grew up without a father, and the people that step in to raise him are the Streets and the Game, with The Streets playing his female love interest and The Game his father. Speaking on the concept Lupe said:
Lupe also stated that there are plans to spin The Cool into a horror-themed radio program, and a comic book. The album was also personalized into a promotion in the form of a skateboard design contest, hosted by imeem
, which was won by Sluglife, the show name for designer/artist Lawrence Ervin.
Lupe Fiasco explained how he planned to record The Cool:
chart, selling 143,407 copies in its first week, the album also rose to number fouteen the following week. In the UK, the album debuted at number seven due to the success of the first single, "Superstar", which reached the top 5 on the singles chart.. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
selling over 500,000 in the United States.
said "Sonically, he's got the same kind of gratifying ADHD going on. Some tracks, like 'Paris, Tokyo,' contrast his Twista
-style rapid-fire delivery with a lazy rhythm that's close to smooth jazz
which can be compared to A Tribe Called Quest
. 'Hello/Goodbye,' at the other extreme, has U.K. electro outfit Unkle
providing a tense rock feel." The New York Times
, hailing the album as "one of the year’s best hip-hop albums," added that "The songs only grow more urgent as Lupe Fiasco expands his sociopolitical perspective. 'Intruder Alert' starts as a wary love song and broadens its topic to immigration. 'Little Weapon,' produced by Patrick Stump
of Fall Out Boy
, looks at children with guns, from child soldiers in Africa
to high school shooters. Allmusic said "He is one of the most clever artists around, and as far as telling stories with rhymes goes, he's way up there, best exemplified by 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life' (a gripping story about a struggling rapper, based on the story of Slim Thug
) and 'Gotta Eat' (where Lupe's inspiration for metaphors is a cheeseburger, yet it is no more corny than Main Source
's classic 'Just a Friendly Game of Baseball')." Also, About.com's music ranked it as the top hip hop album of 2007. " Steve Flash Juon at RapReviews.com gave it top score of 10 out of 10.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, released on December 18, 2007 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Cool is a loose concept album, based on a song and its titular character from his debut album Food & Liquor. The album features production from Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
, Soundtrakk, Unkle
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
, and Chris & Drop, among others. Guest appearances include Gemini, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, and Matthew Santos
Matthew Santos
Matthew Santos is an American rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter. He is best known for his collaboration with Chicago native Lupe Fiasco on the single "Superstar." He was signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st & 15th Entertainment record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.-Early...
. The album debuted at #15, moved a spot up to #14 on the Billboard 200 in its second week. It debuted as the #1 rap record and remained there for 9 weeks. It has been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album was nominated for four awards at the 2009 Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album.
Concept
During the recording of the album, Lupe Fiasco's father died of type II diabetesDiabetes mellitus type 2
Diabetes mellitus type 2formerly non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetesis a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Diabetes is often initially managed by increasing exercise and...
his good friend Stack Bundles died, also his business partner and mentor—Charles "Chilly" Patton—was sentenced to 44 years in prison. When asked about the album's dark side, Lupe Fiasco replied:
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool expands on the story Lupe told on the track, "The Cool", from his debut album. Fiasco introduces the characters the Streets and the Game. The album tells the story of the little boy from "He
Say, She Say" who grew up without a father, and the people that step in to raise him are the Streets and the Game, with The Streets playing his female love interest and The Game his father. Speaking on the concept Lupe said:
Lupe also stated that there are plans to spin The Cool into a horror-themed radio program, and a comic book. The album was also personalized into a promotion in the form of a skateboard design contest, hosted by imeem
Imeem
The online service imeem was a social media web site where users interacted with each other by streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos...
, which was won by Sluglife, the show name for designer/artist Lawrence Ervin.
Recording sessions
In an interview with MTV NewsMTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
Lupe Fiasco explained how he planned to record The Cool:
Commercial performence
The album debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 143,407 copies in its first week, the album also rose to number fouteen the following week. In the UK, the album debuted at number seven due to the success of the first single, "Superstar", which reached the top 5 on the singles chart.. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
selling over 500,000 in the United States.
Critical response
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool was received with near-universal acclaim from music critics, much like his first album (Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor) with a 77 (out of 100) rating from review aggregator MetaCritic.com. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said "Sonically, he's got the same kind of gratifying ADHD going on. Some tracks, like 'Paris, Tokyo,' contrast his Twista
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
-style rapid-fire delivery with a lazy rhythm that's close to smooth jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
which can be compared to A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
. 'Hello/Goodbye,' at the other extreme, has U.K. electro outfit Unkle
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
providing a tense rock feel." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, hailing the album as "one of the year’s best hip-hop albums," added that "The songs only grow more urgent as Lupe Fiasco expands his sociopolitical perspective. 'Intruder Alert' starts as a wary love song and broadens its topic to immigration. 'Little Weapon,' produced by Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
of Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
, looks at children with guns, from child soldiers in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to high school shooters. Allmusic said "He is one of the most clever artists around, and as far as telling stories with rhymes goes, he's way up there, best exemplified by 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life' (a gripping story about a struggling rapper, based on the story of Slim Thug
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas , better known as Slim Thug, Boss Hogg or Thug Boss, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the popular single from rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'"....
) and 'Gotta Eat' (where Lupe's inspiration for metaphors is a cheeseburger, yet it is no more corny than Main Source
Main Source
Main Source was an innovative, acclaimed Toronto and New York-based hip hop group comprising Toronto natives Sir Scratch, K-Cut, and Queens native Large Professor...
's classic 'Just a Friendly Game of Baseball')." Also, About.com's music ranked it as the top hip hop album of 2007. " Steve Flash Juon at RapReviews.com gave it top score of 10 out of 10.
Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Length | Sample(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Baba Says Cool for Thought" (Feat. Iesha Jaco) | Jaco, Ayesha | Ayesha Jaco | 0:46 | |
| 2 | "Free Chilly" (Feat. Sarah Green & Gemini) | Lupe Fiasco | Soundtrakk | 1:02 | |
| 3 | "Go Go Gadget Flow" | Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:10 |
|
| 4 | "The Coolest" | Paultre, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Lupe Fiasco | Chris & Drop | 5:12 |
|
| 5 | "Superstar Superstar (Lupe Fiasco song) "Superstar" is a song performed by rapper Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos. It is the first single off his 2007 album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. iTunes released "Superstar" on September 25, 2007 along with a radio version of "Dumb It Down."... " (Feat. Matthew Santos Matthew Santos Matthew Santos is an American rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter. He is best known for his collaboration with Chicago native Lupe Fiasco on the single "Superstar." He was signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st & 15th Entertainment record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.-Early... ) |
Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk/Prince Ben | Soundtrakk | 4:48 | |
| 6 | "Paris, Tokyo Paris, Tokyo "Paris, Tokyo" is a Grammy-nominated second single from Lupe Fiasco's second studio album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. It was first presented at the 2007 Lollapalooza in Chicago.The single was officially serviced to radio stations as of April 3rd, 2008 according to Lupe Fiasco's MySpace blog. The... " |
Deodato, Eumir/Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:30 |
|
| 7 | "Hi-Definition" (Feat. Snoop Dogg Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school... & Pooh Bear) |
Broadus, Cordozar Calvin/Shuckburgh, Alexander/Jason "Pooh Bear" Boyd/Lupe Fiasco | Al Shux Al Shux Alexander William Shuckburgh is a music producer and songwriter known for producing the song "Empire State of Mind". He is also credited as Alexander Shuckburgh, Al Shuckburgh, Al Shux, or Shux.... |
3:51 | |
| 8 | "Gold Watch" | Paultre, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Lupe Fiasco | Chris & Drop | 4:12 |
|
| 9 | "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" (Feat. Nikki Jean Nikki Jean Nikki Jean is a singer-songwriter, musician, and occasional actress from the United States. She was a part of the band Nouveau Riche, an indie/hip-hop band based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. She is also featured on Lupe Fiasco's second album, The Cool, as a lyricist and vocalist... ) |
Lupe Fiasco/Jean, Nikki/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:02 | |
| 10 | "Intruder Alert" (Feat. Sarah Green) | Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:00 | |
| 11 | "Streets on Fire" (Feat. Matthew Santos) | Paultre, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Lupe Fiasco | Chris & Drop | 4:40 |
The Winstons The Winstons were a 1960s funk and soul music group, based in Washington, D.C.. They are known for their 1969 recording of an EP featuring a song entitled "Color Him Father" on the A-side, and a song entitled "Amen, Brother" on the B-side. Half-way into "Amen, Brother", there is a drum solo The... |
| 12 | "Little Weapon" (Feat. Bishop G & Nikki Jean) | Stump, Patrick/Lupe Fiasco/Bishop G | Patrick Stump Patrick Stump Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist... |
4:06 |
Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food... |
| 13 | "Gotta Eat" | Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 3:24 | |
| 14 | "Dumb It Down" (Feat. Gemini & Graham Burris) | Lupe Fiasco/Prince Ben/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:03 | |
| 15 | "Hello/Goodbye (Uncool)" (Feat. Unkle) | File, C./Goss, J./Homme, J./Lavelle, J./Lupe Fiasco | Lupe Fiasco, Chris Goss Chris Goss (U.S.) Christopher Ryan Goss, born August 17, 1958, is an American record producer and musician.-Selected discography:Throughout his career Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.* 1988 - Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality... , Unkle UNKLE Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined... |
4:26 |
|
| 16 | "The Die" (Feat. Gemini) | Gemini/Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 3:23 | |
| 17 | "Put You on Game" | Simonsayz/Lupe Fiasco | Simonsayz | 3:02 | |
| 18 | "Fighters" (Feat. Matthew Santos) | Messie/Lupe Fiasco | Le Messie | 3:33 | |
| 19 | "Go Baby" (Feat. GemStones) | Gemini/Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 3:36 | |
| 20 | "Blackout" (Feat. Trey Songz, Japan bonus track, Circuit City bonus track, limited time only, time expired) | Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:03 |
Personnel
Information taken from Allmusic.- Chris Allen – programming, digital editing, mixing
- Veronica Alvericci – marketing
- Craig Bauer – mixing
- James Book – bass, programming, digital editing
- Derrick "Drop" Braxton – producer
- Chris "Cosmic" Paultre – producer
- Jeff Breakey – digital editing, assistant
- Nathan Cabrera– art direction, design
- Pablo Clements – programming, background vocals, digital editing
- Lionel DeluyLionel DeluyLionel Deluy is a French fashion photographer, celebrity photographer and music photographer .-Work:Deluy's work has appeared in every major national and international magazine such as Photo, ELLE, Pavement, FLAUNT, Rouge, The Source, VIBE, WIRED, Black and White, Vogue, and GQ Japan...
– photography - Lupe Fiasco – producer, executive producer, vocal producer
- Richard File – organ, piano, programming, digital editing, synthesizer strings
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Jesse Gladstone – assistant
- Chris Goss – guitar, producer
- Josh Homme – guitar
- Darrale Jones – executive producer
- James Lavelle – background vocals
- Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance
- Andrew Painter – photography
- Krish Lingala – theremin, background vocals, guitar
- Dave Pensado – enhanced recording
- Brian Ranney – package production
- John Regan – layout design
- Jason Salvador – management
- Livia Tortella – marketing
- "You Can Ask" Giz – mixing
Chart positions
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
44 | ||
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
129 | ||
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
24 | ||
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
93 | ||
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
14 | Gold | 500,000+ |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
4 | ||
| U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums | 1 | ||
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
7 |
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
December 18, 2007 |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
January 21, 2008 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
January 3, 2008 |
External links
- Lupe Fiasco's The Cool at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...