The Coolest Rapper

Ever since I heard the song "Kick, Push", I've been in love with Lupe Fiasco. Why? Well, to be honest I could probably answer that in so many different ways but, instead, I think I'll go with the fact that he's unique. Not only is the guy a breath of fresh air, but both his complex worldplay and his whole outlook on the game makes him stand out.

While some compare him to a modern day Nas (as compared to Lil' Wayne's Jay-Z), Lupe has certainly made a name for himself. Already spanning an assortment of material that includes two studio albums, the only thing missing is validation; but not even that comes overnight.

Nope. Just like every other rapper, Lupe must earn his stars and stripes; and with due time, I'm quite confident that he will. It's just a shame that a lot of people don't see him and recognize his talent for what he is and I guess that's why I'm doing this feature on him.

Look, I understand that everybody is all Lil' Wayne crazy and have been for quite some time; but I, myself, can no longer have Lil' Wayne at the top of my list when it comes to the hottest rappers. Sure, at one time or another, my list went as follows: Lil' Wayne, Jay-Z, and Lupe Fiasco; but as good as Tha Carter III was, it was not as good as Lupe Fiasco's The Cool or even the Untitled album from Nas. In fact, Tha' Carter III was all a product of pure hype so to even call it a classic would be wrong to begin with. At least, in my opinion anyway.

However, when it comes to quality and consistency, Lupe delivers on every verse he gives and, to me, it's all about replay value. I mean, there's still stuff on his earlier mixtapes that I don't understand and I guess that's the true mark of his genius because the same can be said for his albums. Both Food & Liquor and The Cool are dope in their own right and I'm sure his upcoming release, L-U-P End, will be just as good as well.

I guess the thing is, I respect Lupe and admire him for his style but I just don't understand his whole thought process when it comes to certain things. For one, I didn't agree with his flub-up at last year's Hip-Hop Honors and, two, I hate the fact that he's considering retirement. I mean, his two albums alone would be enough to put him in the Hip-Hop Hall of fame; but it's all about body of work. If he were to retire, some would look at it as if his arrogance got the best of him and, in ways, I could see how it would be fair to assume that. Nevertheless, Lupe remains a top 5 M.C. in my book; so regardless of how the cards fall as they may, let it be known that Lupe Fiasco IS [hands down] the coolest rapper.