Da Art of Storytellin'.

"Top 5 MCs, you ain't gotta remind me..."

On Christmas Day I wrapped up my favorite albums of 2007 list. Since I started on December 1st and ended on the 25th, many albums released in December got shafted, even the good ones, and this disc right here is one of the good ones.

Lupe Fiasco's the Cool is easily one of my top 5 rap/hip-hop albums of the year. [Along with Jay-Z's American Gangster, Talib's Ear Drum, Kanye's Graduation, and Devin the Dizzude's Waitin' to Inhale in case you were curious.]

And had I purchased it prior to December 23rd, it would have easily made it's way into my top 20, or top 10 this year, which is funny when you consider my history with Lupe Fiasco's catalog. I dug the shit out of [and still dig] his debut single Kick, Push, but as was the case with many a rapper for me circa 2002-2007 [a.k.a "The College Years"] I had no time for rap albums, but [all too easily] fucked with a rap single. And Food & Liquor, despite having album art that only I seemed to enjoy, did nothing for me once you turned the cover art face down and placed the disc into a stereo. After a few run throughs it quickly faded into the darkness, shining only when Kick, Push set into gear.

But this album?

No such luck avoiding it. No sir. I can now stand here and say that I fucks with Lupe Fiasco. And you should too. You too should finally give in to the melodies and the twisted wordplay that weaves in and out of every track, no matter the speed or type of beat, something Lupe has no problem trying to catch. Dig the opening poignant yet brief and opening poem that fades into the melodic [and also brief] overture that is Free Chilly. [Which makes me appreciate that whole neo-soul, wordless opening Common and Kanye gave us on Finding Forever that much more.]Listen as he goes to the West Side with Snoop Dogg and Pooh Bear and then ventures onto the Soulaquarian express to Paris, Tokyo, unconsciously stopping to tip his fitted cap to A Tribe Called Quest. Get over the Chris Martin aping of soul crooner Matthew Santos, and applaud Lupe for not letting his "commercial" tracks get lost in chart chasing dreams, fitting along nicely with his thoughts and reflections on everything from the current state of hip-hop [Dumb It Down], video game violence [Little Weapon], and his Go Go Gadget Flow, which in the end, is the thing that brings you back. His speed, vision, breaks, pauses, and momentum, when coupled with words he places on the page, is a thing of wonder. Does it all work? No. Are there many other hip-hop albums 19 tracks long, free of skits, and interludes, that dares you to press skip, when you know damn well you shouldn't?

Nope. Not really.

And that is why you should get hip to Lupe Fiasco's the Cool.
KEY TRACKS: Paris, Tokyo/Hip-Hop Saved My Life/Dumb it Down

The Coolest:



Paris, Tokyo:



Hip-Hop Saved My Life: