Lupe Fiasco trail-blazed his path to critical acclaim when his Atlantic Records debut, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor exec-produced by Jay Z, was released. Possessing head-spinning wordplay and a topical range more akin to the underground than the mainstream, the 25-year-old lyricist proved that talent can still make waves in the rap game.
His first major look on the scene came on fellow Chi-town native KanYe West's hit single, "Touch The Sky", where Fiasco delivered a show-stopping verse. The buzz gained from that song transitioned the gumshoe rapper into his first official solo single, the skateboard-meets-rap gem "Kick Push". Inspired by his own quirky hobby, Fiasco delivered a metaphorical tale of uplift through the eyes of a thrashing, four-small-wheel riding skater boy.
Lupe returned with an incredible sophomore album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool – of which the title is inspired by a standout track from the debut, a hustler-turned-zombie epic also called "The Cool". This time around, Fiasco introduces three new characters – Michael Young History (The Cool before his death), The Game (a male personification of a hustler's damaging influences), and The Streets (a female embodiment of an urban area's corrupt allure).
In Hip-Hop's popularity contest, Lupe Fiasco is the observer, a thinking man brave enough to dictate the acute thoughts that his peers ignore. Now, that is cool.
By: Michelle Adabra
