Lupe Fiasco's The Cool: Difference between revisions
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*''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' (A-) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20166156,00.html 2007] |
*''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' (A-) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20166156,00.html 2007] |
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*DJBooth.net {{rating-5|4.5}} [http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/review/lupe-fiasco-the-cool-1217071/ link] |
*DJBooth.net {{rating-5|4.5}} [http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/review/lupe-fiasco-the-cool-1217071/ link] |
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*HipHopDx.com {{rating-5|4.5}} [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.890/title.lupe-fiasco-lupe-fiascos-the-cool/ link] |
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|Last album = ''[[Food & Liquor]]''<br>(2006) |
|Last album = ''[[Food & Liquor]]''<br>(2006) |
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|This album = '''''The Cool'''''<br>(2007) |
|This album = '''''The Cool'''''<br>(2007) |
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Revision as of 16:27, 17 December 2007
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The Cool is the second studio album by Lupe Fiasco. It is due out on December 18 2007 in United States and January 14 2008 in United Kingdom. The Cool is Lupe's first concept album, based on a song and its titular character from his debut album Food & Liquor of the same name. The album features production from Soundtrakk, Unkle, and Patrick Stump, among others. Guest appearances include, but are not limited to, GemStones, Snoop Dogg, and Matthew Santos.
The album cover utilizes Islamic calligraphy style letters and other Arabic type characters to spell out Lupe Fiasco.
Background
Concept
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.[1] 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.[2] Speaking on the concept Lupe said:
I expand on the story, I introduce two other characters, the Game and the Streets. The Streets is a female. She's like the action personification of the streets, the street life, the call of the streets. The Game is the same way. The Game is the personification of the game. The pimp's game, the hustler's game, the con man's game, whatever. Then they've got supernatural characteristics. Like the Cool, his right hand is rotted away. The only thing that rotted away was his right hand. It represents the rotting away of his righteousness, of his good. And the Streets and the Cool kind of have a love affair going on. So she's represented by this locket. And the locket has a key and it's on fire. And as a gift to the Cool on his rise to fame, she gave him the key. And the key represents the key to the Streets. So she wears a locket around her neck at all times. And the way the story goes, she has given that key to tons of people throughout time. Al Capone, Alexander the Great, whatever. She's giving them the key to the Streets. Fame and fortune-- but also the prices. The Game, he's represented by a stripped-down skull, a skull with dice in his eyes and smoke coming out of his mouth. The billowing smoke is actually crack smoke. It's not a full concept album; it's more spread over like five [tracks], really abstractly.[3]
Lupe also stated that there are plans to spin The Cool into a horror-themed radio program, and a comic book.[3]
Recording sessions
In an interview with MTV News Lupe Fiasco explained how he planned to record The Cool:
The pieces won't come together, seriously, until like three weeks before it comes out. We'll probably record everything in, like, a week. So we're just gonna get it all together, map it out, have it done to a T, and then go and record. Then fresh from the studio, fresh to mastering ...so it eliminates a lot of time and error that was surrounding my debut.[4]
Track listing
| # | Title | Songwriter(s) | Featured guest(s) | Producer(s) | Sample(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Baba Says Cool for Thought" | Jaco, Iesha | Iesha Jaco | 0:47 | ||
| 2 | "Free Chilly" | Sarah Green & GemStones | 1:02 | |||
| 3 | "Go Go Gadget Flow" | Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 4:10 | ||
| 4 | "The Coolest" | Paultrie, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Fiasco, Lupe | Chris & Drop | 5:13 | ||
| 5 | "Superstar" | Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | Matthew Santos | Soundtrakk | 4:48 | |
| 6 | "Paris, Tokyo" | Deodato, Eumir/Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk, co-produced by Eumir Deodato | "San Juan Sunset" by Deodato | 4:31 | |
| 7 | "Hi-Definition" | Broadus, Cordozor Calvin/Shuckburgh, Alexander/Pooh Bear/Fiasco, Lupe | Snoop Dogg & Pooh Bear | Alshux | 3:52 | |
| 8 | "Gold Watch" | Paultrie, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Fiasco, Lupe | Chris & Drop | 4:13 | ||
| 9 | "Hip-Hop Saved My Life" | Fiasco, Lupe/Jean, Nikki/Soundtrakk | Nikki Jean | Soundtrakk | 4:03 | |
| 10 | "Intruder Alert" | Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | Sarah Green and Matthew Santos | Soundtrakk | 4:00 | |
| 11 | "Streets on Fire" | Paultrie, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Fiasco, Lupe | Matthew Santos | Chris & Drop | 4:40 | |
| 12 | "Little Weapon" | Stump, Patrick/Fiasco, Lupe/Bishop G | Bishop G & Nikki Jean | Patrick Stump | 4:06 | |
| 13 | "Gotta Eat" | Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 3:24 | ||
| 14 | "Dumb It Down" | Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | GemStones & Graham Burris | Soundtrakk | 4:03 | |
| 15 | "Hello/Goodbye (Uncool)" | File, R./Goss, C./Homme, J./Lavelle, J./Fiasco, Lupe | Unkle | Unkle, co-produced by Chris Goss | 4:27 | |
| 16 | "The Die" | GemStones/Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | GemStones | Soundtrakk | 3:23 | |
| 17 | "Put You on Game" | Simonsayz/Fiasco, Lupe | Simonsayz | 3:03 | ||
| 18 | "Fighters" | Messie/Fiasco, Lupe | Matthew Santos | Le Messie | 3:33 | |
| 19 | "Go Baby" | GemStones/Fiasco, Lupe/Soundtrakk | GemStones | Soundtrakk | 3:37 | |
| 20 | "Blackout" (Circuit City bonus track) | Lupe/Soundtrakk | Soundtrakk | 3:32 |
Personnel
Information taken from All Music Guide.[5]
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References
- ^ Hillary Crosley (November 27 2007) The Unclassifiable Lupe Fiasco Billboard. Accessed December 1 2007.
- ^ Jokesta (November 28 2007). Lupe's LupEND, Talks Cool Concept Def Sounds. Accessed December 1 2007.
- ^ a b Matthew Solarsk (November 30 2007) Lupe Fiasco Talks The Cool, Cheeseburgers, Retirement Pitchfork Media. Accessed December 1 2007
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (2007-01-04). "Lupe Fiasco Hopes To Thwart Bootleggers So Album Sales Match Acclaim". VH1. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ ((( The Cool > Credits ))). All Music Guide. Accessed December 15 2007.