With only two albums under his belt Lupe Fiasco sophomore release The Cool is a extension of the first with previous themes presented on a broader scale. Lupe tackles many issues on The Cool and none better than the snare drums driven “Little Weapon” in which Fiasco talks about children involved in civil war and being involved at a very young age. With “The Cool”, Lupe Fiasco cements himself as on of hip-hop top storytellers. In the stand out track “Hip Hop Saved My Life”, Lupe tells of the ups and downs of a struggling rapper from Houston and finally getting his big break. When listening to the song one can forget that Fiasco hails from Chicago and that makes the song so much better. Fiasco can adapt and put himself into any scene and deliver devastating verses with precision and ferocity. One problem that keeps this album from being his best work to date is the filter songs in the middle and the forgettable ending of the album. Although plagued by modest guest appearances and weak filter songs, The Cool is a phenomenal follow to his critically acclaimed debut and should be ranked as one of the top releases musically -not just hip hop- this year.
