Throwback Thursday: Lupe Fiasco (Feat. Gemstones & Sarah Green) - He Say, She Say

This is a classic cut that I love, and have personally seen so many people be able to relate to. Coming from Lupe's debut album, Food & Liquor, the track He Say, She Say, vividly tells a story that breaks the heart to hear, but happens in life, far too often. With vocal assists from Gemstones and Sarah Green, listeners emotions are pierced by the despair in their voices. The young boy in the song is meant to represent Michael Young History, the main character of The Cool, as a child.

He Say, She Say is one of those tunes that really shows why Lupe is such an amazing artist. By simply changing a few words, he was able to give listeners two unique perspectives. The soulful sound of the song, paired with the well-crafted visual, really puts viewers in the front seat to experience the pain that exists in some single parent households. My heart goes out to anyone who has gone through this, but like Lu would probably say, much love to you!

A Closer Look at the Art: Did Lupe Share a Hint for The Cool 2's Story?

With Lupe recently deciding to share some art with fans, anticipation for his upcoming album, The Cool 2, has been steadily growing. While it has been stated that the release of the album will not be any time soon, the art alone, has got me wondering what significance it may have to the narrative.

Having that in mind, I couldn't help, but make a connection between the sneak peak from a few days ago and the original album cover of The Cool. The Cool's cover beautifully displayed aspects of it's story, so, I'm hoping the same will apply for The Cool 2.

The similarities between the two are very obvious, but, there are also clear differences that could be meaningful to the new story. To see the distinctions clearly, above, there is a cropped image of The Cool, next to the picture Lu posted on social media.

From listening to Lupe's second album, one would know that the cover's skeleton hand, lock, and skull represent characters, The Cool,The Streets, and The Game. In Lu's latest posted artwork, The Streets can be seen in the same position as in the previous album, but it appears that the hand of The Cool is reaching towards a new symbol that has not yet been featured.

Researching the symbol showed that three linked rings are usually known as Borromean Rings, which can represent a variety of things, from math to the Trinity. Removing any one of the three rings makes the two other rings separate.

In a page written by The University of Liverpool, it was mentioned that the three linked rings of snakes are call Borromean Snakes, and have been viewed in a cathedral in North West Wales, Great Britain. Towards the end of the page, they show another design of the three rings, where a snake is biting it's own tail. It is mentioned that the top two circles look much like an infinity symbol.

Without sharing my wild, conspiracy theory-esque thoughts, I'd like to know if you think the artwork means anything. Did anything I mentioned make sense and seem like something Lupe would incorporate on an album? Share your thoughts in the comment section!