Showing posts with label The Cool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Cool. Show all posts

#Repost: The Cool: Rap’s Dorian Gray Painting

11:22 AM No comments
Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool is many things to many people and any 2019 reflection on this album from 2007 would be correct. Twelve years, not a slave to time or fickle industry trends, The Cool is the type of album that doesn’t give up its ghosts easily. While it still maintains a level of inclusivity to give whatever a casual fan would want from it, the depth and heart of the music can only be activated with multiple spins.


#Lu-Inspired: "From a Throne of Their Bones I Rule" by Lee

8:22 AM 1 comment

Inspiration can come from and manifest in different ways and for Lee, those rays of creativity translate through music, writing and art. When asked about the origins of this piece, Lee elaborated on when and why it was created:
The piece was inspired by "The Game's" presence in the Tetsuo and Youth album thematically, so I took his image (dice for eyes, bullets for teeth, ect) & fused it with the anime character Tetsuo, basically showing him possessed by The Game, sitting on the throne of the bones, with Micheal Young in the background.

Lee was able to fuse the narrative of The Cool with Tetsuo and Youth to construct a re-imagined image of Akira's Tetsuo. What was produced is a gritty look at the story of Michael Young and how The Game can come for anyone.

 Follow Lee on Twitter, where he shares his thoughts on music and drops links to his Youtube movie reviews. Be warned, #LeeHatesEverything, but he always gives an adequate reason why.

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

6:15 PM 6 comments

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!

Lupe Fiasco Confirms He's Working on The Cool 2, Teasing Fans With Possible Album Art on Twitter and Instagram!

12:13 AM 3 comments

Lupe Fiasco continues to answer the prayers of fans around the world by reaffirming on Twitter and Instagram that he's working on The Cool 2, a followup to his 2007 conceptual sophomore release, The Cool.

Along with the update, it's believed that Lupe also revealed a part of the album art. Since last year, Lupe had entertained the possibility of creating a sequel to The Cool, stating that he had ideas of a story involving Michael Young History and his daughter.

He continued to fuel that fire, when tweeting about the song "T.R.O.N", from his most recently released album, Tetsuo & Youth. In March of this year, Lupe responded to a fan on Instagram, stating that he was writing Skulls and The Cool 2, and just last month, he mentioned that he is working on his latest project.

The sighting of this artwork is great news, since it shows that the album is slowly but surely, coming together. Lupe's ideas seem to be materializing from the drawing board, and with his latest mixtape, Pharaoh Height, speaking volumes, one can only expect another great album.

On the 7th anniversary of his sophmore album, Lupe Fiasco announces another chapter to "The Cool" saga!

12:19 PM 6 comments


7 years ago today, Lupe dropped his critically acclaimed concept album "The Cool". Recently, Lupe has hinted that more chapters to the story of Michael Young History are on the horizon. Well today, Lupe tweeted that "They.Resurrect.Over.New" ft Ab-Soul & Troi off his upcoming album Tetsuo & Youth is indeed the next chapter.

With the last chapter to be released being "Angels Remix" off Enemy Of The State, the continuation of this story is long overdue. You may recall that Ab-Soul has described "T.R.O.N" as scientific, and its interesting to note that it will be the second to last track on the album with "Spring" being the closer. With spring usually being representative of rebirth, can these 2 tracks be a lead in to Lupe's next album, Skulls? Stay tuned!

Lupe Fiasco hints at a sequel for "The Cool"!

2:10 AM 13 comments

A photo posted by Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco) on


Lupe just went on Instagram and posted 2 photos that seem to be a hint at a possible sequel for his sophmore album, "The Cool". Above is a picture of one of the characters, The Streets, with a caption that says "Did You Miss Me?" and the number 2 under it. After the jump, you'll see a skeletal hand, representing the main character Michael Young History, holding up the peace sign and a number 2 next to it as well. He captioned that photo with "From one there came many...".

This isn't the first time Lupe has toyed with the idea of making a sequel for his 2nd album. In 2012, he openly expressed an interest in dropping a sequel as the follow up to Food & Liquor 2 and calling it "The Cooler". Earlier this summer, he spoke to MTV and again said that he was thinking about making a sequel called "The Hot" but ultimately decided against it. Hopefully third time is a charm so stay tuned!

While we wait to see what comes of this, check out this detailed analysis of the Michael Young History saga written by yours truly!

Video: Lupe Fiasco considers making a sequel to "The Cool" called "The Hot"!

5:52 PM 1 comment

You may remember that Lupe considered making a sequel to his sophmore album called "The Cooler". Well Nadeska Alexis from MTV asked him about a follow up to "The Cool", and he says that he was considering making something called "The Hot" at one point. He says the story would pick up where "The Cool" off Food & Liquor left off with Michael Young History getting robbed then going to visit his daughter. 2 years ago, I attempted to put the pieces of the saga together (which you can read HERE) so this is something that I've personally been waiting for and would love to see come to fruition eventually!

He also speaks about his joint project with S1 called Black Vietnam, which he compared to Gang Starr. Based off Lupe and S1's chemistry on songs for Tetsuo & Youth, they decided to keep the energy going with Black Vietnam which was originally an idea Lupe had for Kanye West. It may be released independently or on a major label, but Lupe says he will take advantage of his position as music director for the USMNT and release something off Black Vietnam for the World Cup!

Lupe Fiasco contemplates making a sequel to "The Cool"!

9:30 PM 17 comments
With Part 1 of Food & Liquor 2 on its way, Lupe just took to Twitter and announced some very interesting tentative plans for his next album:
LF's F&L2 GARA: 1-2...then what??? I really wanna do COOLER...what y'all think? Hmmmm decisions x 2...The Cooler would be fresh though...guess we'll see...till then... #AroundMyWay
He also posted THIS pic and toyed with the idea of finally dropping his long anticipated triple disc project instead. So what do you think, The Cooler or LupE.N.D? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Michael Young History: The Story Of A Victim To The Streets And The Game Part 2 [A Genius Lu' Volume 43]

7:44 AM 16 comments
When we last left off, Michael Young History was walking out of his house feeling very fortunate. Unlike those around him, he was decked out in fancy clothes paid for by his newfound profession, drug dealing. The Game had taught him all the rules of the underworld and he was masterfully applying them to his everyday life. Although corrupted, he still has faith in God and promised that he would stop hustling once he found a legitimate job. As he continues his journey, he receives a call from The Streets, but does he answer? Lets find out...

PREVIOUSLY: The Michael Young History Saga Part 1

Michael Young History: The Story Of A Victim To The Streets and The Game Part 1 [A Genius Lu' Volume 42]

8:44 AM 14 comments
It's been a long time since the "A Genius Lu" series made an appearance on the site, but now its back in a big way!

Keep in mind that this is only my interpretation of the Michael Young History saga. Not all of the songs explained here have been officially confirmed by Lupe Fiasco himself to be part of the ongoing story, and I may have missed a couple. Solely based on my personal analysis, some of the songs only have certain verses/lines that pertain to the story and will be marked *song title* to make the distinction. The embedded links have been time-stamped to help you follow along as easily as possible. I will be using as many details and references as I can, essentially breaking it down line for line. When your done, click HERE to continue onto Part 2!

Scattered in a puzzle-like manner throughout Lupe's discography, the story of MYH is one that summarizes the journey of those that fall victim to the deceit that lies within chasing fame and fortune. Lupe uses this 17-song long musical theater to personify the lure of money and notoriety into 2 inseparable, angel faced, smooth talking, fingers-crossed-behind-their-back Bonnie & Clyde-like villains; The Streets and The Game. The fight within oneself to remain pure versus the constant inner voice yelling "BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY" is stretched even into the afterlife, where Michael Young History transforms into The Cool. The love affair, as it always does, turns into a fatal love triangle. And in the end, The Streets and The Game remain loyal to the only thing they've ever been truly devoted to... each other.

A "Cool" Jacket [Throwback]

4:00 PM 7 comments

Whilst tweeting some Lupe Fiasco lyrics today, Mikill Pane responded to me, reciting the rest of the lyrics. I then asked him what he knew about Lupe and he sent me a link to this dope photo of him wearing a Lupe x Romanelli jacket from The Cool collection.

You all remember those, right? Bringing back some good old memories and the question: Wouldn't a Lasers jacket be cool?

Unforgettable: Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

8:48 AM No comments

tgrionline.com published this recap of Lupe's classic '07 release a few days ago. A very good read, check it out below!

Whatever it was that N.E.R.D was in search of: Lupe Fiasco found with his 2007 release The Cool. What is Cool? Cool is a living contradiction.

Lupe doesn't avoid the nature of Cool - he clutches to it like an insomniac to the other side of the pillow. This album lives The Cool through and through.

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