I discovered Lupe Fiasco about two years ago, when he originally launched his first album “Food and Liquor”. Instantaneously when I heard “Kick Push” I stopped and just listened. He was not an ordinary rapper. No. He was different. He wasn’t rapping about parties, girls or hustling. He had something new and fresh to say and rap. Plus, the beat..the beat was fresh. Captivating.

“The Cool” was released on December 18, 2007 and I purchased the album that same day. Since then I have not stopped listening to it. I mean non-stop listening to the album almost 24/7. I am in love with this man. And all he has to say. It is rare now a days to have an album that has a common theme. Not only does this album have a theme it talks about many issues which our current society has to deal with. But I waited to write about him because I wanted to see him live. I wanted to see how this talent translated in to “up front and personal”. I got the chance this past Friday. It was Brown University’s spring fling weekend and one of the main headliners was Mr. Fiasco himself.

An eclectic crowd gathered at the Hockey Stadium. But once Lupe came on, I blocked out pretty much everybody that was present with the exception of my roomie. The acoustics at the Hockey Stadium are not the best. There is an echo and well this sport complex is not made for concerts. But even with all of that, he sounded flawless. Lupe came off as a confident young 25-year old. He knew what he was doing. He knew really well. His voice was strong and you could understand everything. There was no muffle. The rhymes were flawless. He first presented songs from his first album such as “Kick Push” and then proceeded to “the Cool”. He rapped “the Coolest” a capella. Just him. No one else. He introduced some new beats and mixed all the songs a bit. He obviously played “Superstar” and he concluded with “Daydreaming”. I highly recommend everyone to check him out. As for me, Lupe will be my superstar for some more time…maybe until his next album comes out…