Idolator

"But since he's a guy who's a vocal fan of Linkin Park..."

I hate to make outlandish generalizations, but do rappers like any really good rock bands?

This is by far my least anticipated major hip hop release of the dozen or so out this month. OK, maybe not less than Rick Ross or Chingy, but I'm still not checking for this shit, as much because of the single as because of Fiascogate.

I like the single's chorus...

@rhythmchyc: The thing is, I really liked Matthew Santos's chorus on "American Terrorist," that was my favorite track of Lupe's first album, but I think "Superstar" is just awful.

Aw, there's enough good shit on this album. Definitely some bad, too, but I can't fault a rapper for trying to be a bit creative in a limited medium.

That said, I STILL think that Public Enemy's Bomb Squad production is some of the most creatively and sonically uncontested production in hip hop history. Even to this day.

This has made me lose a little bit of hope for the album. :( I guess I'll stay true to my july 06 bootleg of food & liquor. You know... the one without jay-z and the ten minute tribute outtro track.

@lalahsghost:

It's all flowers and candy to give props to Jay and all that ish. But for God's sakes, can any of these damn rappers get off their scuffed-up knees, wipe their noses clean, and light a fire up Jay's ass so that he can release a good album?

Fuck!

Tha Carter III should be a Jay Z diss record.

@Chris N.: Andre 3000 loves the Pixies and the Hives. The Roots love radiohead (and sampled You And Whose Army? in a song)...

Those are the two that sprang to mind first. There are certainly others?

@rhythmchyc:

Did you think American Gangster was mediocre shit, too?

I think the whole world is really waiting to hear...how is the cheeseburger song?

@KingHater:

It's nothing groundbreaking.

The last verse in Superstar is gold. Haven't heard the rest of the album, but it seems like people are kind of eager to run this kid out of town, which I don't really get.

What's with the hatred toward American Gangster it's sitting on an 82 over at Metacritic & Rolling Stone named it the 3rd best album of 2007 ahead of Graduation at #5. For my money it's Jay's best work since Blueprint. Can you please explain your dislike toward this album?

While I think "hello/goodbye"is an odd track, I have a hard time really disliking it. I mean, it is a Lupe Fiasco and UNKLE collaboration, half assed as it is. People sure are hard on UNKLE, even when they have no idea they are. Industrial rap-rock? I cry foul to that assertion.

LOL...ARE YOU SERIOUS?! This is funny to me b/c this is just the type of ignorance that keeps music that degrades women and promotes violence at the top of the money charts. Maybe you should just refrain from reviewing the album yourself, and just copy and paste from the rest of the reviews on the internet that bless Lupe with critical acclaim for focusing on what Hip Hop music and the Emcee truly is, LYRICISM...poetry on a beat that is meant to primarily uplift and educate.

Idolater and/or reviewer seems to have a grudge against this artist almost as much as a lack of understanding of Hip Hop and literary devices. Are you smarter than a 5th Grader? Have you heard of METAPHORS, ALLUSIONS, SIMILES?

Well, first you'd have to actually READ and understand the lyrics considering the last statement in the "review." The lyrics for The Coolest are actually,

"And if the rain stops,
And everything's dry
she would cry
Just so I can drink the tears from her eyes..."

FYI, he is talking about the romantic relationship between the Game and the Streets (www.lupefiasco.com). You prove you don't even care to educate yourself on the concept of the album. (You must have missed Lupe elaborating on the subject on your regular TRL/106 and Park brainwash session yesterday, among everywhere else this past few months.) This is like O'Reilly analyzing Nas' lyrics, or should I say lyric. WHAT GOOD IS ONE LINE FROM A POEM?

Let's wrap this up with a few other points...

1) Native Tongues aka primarily TCQ, is an old story. This only proves you read BET headlines, and old ones at that considering Lupe already addressed this subject. Everybody has their influences...why must they all be the same? (FYI, more like underground southern and west coast gangsta rap).

2) Crossing genres is now a bad thing? Expanding upon ones influences, the Greats, and paying our respects by celebrating good music is a bad thing? Everybody's giving Kanye Bad reviews for collaborating with Non-Hip hop artists and producers? Naaaahhh...but you almost got me.

3) I guess I'll reserve comments concerning your selectiions for best track seeing as how there might be a lack of understanding when it comes to the word "best."

Dope album, go pick it up and support REAL, POSITIVE HIP HOP that makes you think for a change. Idolator, start screening your "Hip-Hop reviewers"...

I am 100% with you on this one enemyofignorance, some people just don't get it. People are to caught up in "let me see ya shake ya ass" and "I got diamonds in my grill" to appreciate a rapper who is actually talking about something real. I'm by no means downing rappers who talk about women, jewelry, and cars I'm just saying it is very refreshing to be able to pop in a cd like Lupe Fiasco and actually have to really listen and use your brain to understand the concepts of what he's putting down.

even if he still can't resist rapping nonsense like "drink the tears from her eyes." We know "wipe" would have been too easy, but c'mon now.

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This guy who wrote this review sounds like an idiot. Did he not listen to the lyrics to the song, he said something along the lines of , " And if the rain stops, and everything's dry/she would cry/Just so I could drink the tears from her eyes. So replacing drink with wipe makes no sense. Its people like this guy who can't appreciate the essence of what hip hop is and what should be. He's the type to give Soulja boy 5 mics if he worked for The Source

There are way too many people who like hip hop but dont get the real concept of what itz about. Its gettin kind of ridiculous. 95% of peeps nowadays just listen to radio stations lookin for a good beat or a catchy chorus that makes u bob your head...apparently thats what people look for nowadays is something to bob your head to.

I completely agree with solomonvtp & enemyofignorance..truth is most of the people that read their comments will be too ignorant to understand anyways.

This is what i see artists like soulja boy and other "lets make up dances that eventually get old anyways" type of artists as... music to dance to.

Thats a bout it.
just music with a, sometimes, catchy beat. And HALF the time, most of their other songs sound like all their other ones. Watch. A couple of years from now, soulja boy'z gonna be way played out and people are gonna focus on the next guy who up "some new dance." Sorry soulja boy, but your replacable.

Lupe Fiasco, Common, Talib Kweli, Kanye West, Nas...(and only a handful more of artists out there)..
their music actually puts a message out there...and most of the time its a universal message that people really dont get.

Sad
Lupe doesnt need to have his music Dumbed Down to prevent people for thinking that smart is cool, because its not like they get it anyways.