Words come and go. Words that define a moment in time, then magically disappear. Some reappear, some don't. These words usually have dual meaning. The conventional, original meaning; then the new hipster meaning which probably spawned from the original in some way, but, got twisted along by it's generation that used it. "Radical", "Groovy", "Square", etc. One word has stuck from early jazz generations, hippies and present day everyones..."COOL". It has that descriptive sense that could mean many different things depending on the context it's used in, and in Lupe Fiasco's case, it's a great adjective.

Lupe has always been "cool". He's got that "Kanye" vibe mixed up with skater punk, average frustrated urbanite and street smarts shaken and served cold "martini style" in your local overpriced lounge. His music is not average. The beats are something everyone can bounce to and his lyrics are for people that actually listen. In these times, hip hop has suffered long from spilling anything into a mic and calling it a track. Those days are done. At least as far as Lupe's concerned.

This album is a supposed "Gangster Concept" album that follows a story line similiar to his lifestyle. He lost his Father shortly after his new found success and a couple of friends to street related incidents as well. It's all here in this...the cool. His love for the music, his hatred towards ignorance and arrogance, his fun outgoing persona and his inner self struggles. If his freshman album 'Food & Liquor' was a "kick push", his sophmore effort 'The Cool' could make him a "superstar".

The record has it's flaws. It strays from the concept a bit track for track. The first single, "Superstar" fits nowhere in the storyline, and yet is one of the best tracks on the album.The stand outs are many, including, but not limited too "little weapon" (produced by Fall Out Boys Patrick Stump), "Hi-Definition" (featuring Snoop Dogg & Pooh Bear) and "The Coolest". This album is an overall release that marks another milestone in Lupe's Timeline. Hopefully he follows suit with his next release, lupEND, which could transform him from street preacher to urban legend.