The Cool
| Lupe Fiasco's The Cool | ||||||||
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| Studio album by Lupe Fiasco | ||||||||
| Released | December 18, 2007 | |||||||
| Recorded | 2006–07 | |||||||
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| Length | 70:44 | |||||||
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| Lupe Fiasco chronology | ||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| The A.V. Club | A− |
| Robert Christgau | A– |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| The Guardian | |
| NME | 9/10 |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.1/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | 7/10 |
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (commonly referred as The Cool) is the second studio album by Chicago-native rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released on December 18, 2007, by 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions took place during 2006 to 2007, with Lupe Fiasco himself, alongside Charles Patton (Chilly) serving as the records executive producers. The concept album, The Cool was based upon the song and a title character from his debut album, Food & Liquor (2006). The album features guest appearances from Gemini, Snoop Dogg and Matthew Santos, while the production was provided by Patrick Stump, Soundtrakk and Unkle, among others.
The album debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, selling 143,407 copies in its first week. The album debuted as the number-one rap record and remained for 9 weeks. To date, the album was a certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). At the 2009's Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for the Best Rap Album.
While Lupe was recording his second album, Lupe Fiasco's father died of type II diabetes, his good friend Stack Bundles died, and his business partner and mentor—Charles "Chilly" Patton—was sentenced to 44 years in prison. When asked about the album's dark side, Lupe Fiasco replied:
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