Lupe Fiasco: Cold World
The fact that Chicago native Lupe Fiasco once gave a shout out to HYPEBEAST in a fashion magazine feature on him, as well as the last track on his debut album not to mention he once had a blog on this very site that he updated frequently speaks volumes about his place in youth culture. It shows that he isn’t simply using the internet to his advantage as a slick marketing tool, rather he is of the generation that logs in every day, checks for new music, the latest clothes and kicks and news. This has endeared him to millions of fans that see themselves in the artist and makes him that much more relatable. However, Lupe knows all too well what a double edged sword the internet can be. Lupe’s debut album “Food and Liquor” leaked on the net months before its release date probably significantly cutting into the sales of the album. Also, last year Lupe was embroiled in a minor controversy concerning fumbling a few lyrics from his tribute to A Tribe Called Quest. Die hard Tribe fans hit the message boards and took aim like heat seeking missiles. But at the end of the day what it all comes down to is the music, and what cannot be denied is Lupes’ lyrical prowess. His ability to string together a shocking amount of similes and metaphors, his abstract rhyme structures and immense vocabulary has easily made him one of the top lyricists of today. This unreleased gem from “The Cool” entitled “Cold World” is another example of this. This is no longer the wave of the future; it’s the soundtrack of today. Listen to the track [HERE].
The fact that Chicago native Lupe Fiasco once gave a shout out to HYPEBEAST in a fashion magazine feature on him, as well as the last track on his debut album not to mention he once had a blog on this very site that he updated frequently speaks volumes about his place in youth culture. It shows that he isn’t simply using the internet to his advantage as a slick marketing tool, rather he is of the generation that logs in every day, checks for new music, the latest clothes and kicks and news. This has endeared him to millions of fans that see themselves in the artist and makes him that much more relatable.
However, Lupe knows all too well what a double edged sword the internet can be. Lupe’s debut album “Food and Liquor” leaked on the net months before its release date probably significantly cutting into the sales of the album. Also, last year Lupe was embroiled in a minor controversy concerning fumbling a few lyrics from his tribute to A Tribe Called Quest. Die hard Tribe fans hit the message boards and took aim like heat seeking missiles. But at the end of the day what it all comes down to is the music, and what cannot be denied is Lupes’ lyrical prowess. His ability to string together a shocking amount of similes and metaphors, his abstract rhyme structures and immense vocabulary has easily made him one of the top lyricists of today. This unreleased gem from “The Cool” entitled “Cold World” is another example of this. This is no longer the wave of the future; it’s the soundtrack of today.
Listen to the track [HERE].
