Meek Mill’s favourite Lupe Fiasco song
In 2015, Lupe Fiasco got involved in beef that erupted when Meek Mill accused Drake of ghostwriting on their song, ‘RICO’. Taking to Instagram, the Chicago rapper wrote, “Some of the most pivotal moments in rap have been ghostwritten verses”, but encouraged rappers to “simply write your own rhymes as much as you can if you are able”. Nonetheless, Mill remains a massive admirer of Fiasco’s work.
From his discography, there’s one track that stands out for Mill. ‘The Cool’ is an eerie and cautionary song by American rapper, record producer and music educator Lupe Fiasco. Released in 2006 on his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor, produced by Kanye West, the piece is notable for its storytelling and social commentary. In just under four minutes, Fiasco tells the story of a murdered gangster who crawls out of his grave and returns to the hood where he lived and died.
‘The Cool’, containing samples of ‘Life on Mars’ by Dexter Wansel and ‘Funky Drummer’ by James Brown, warns about participating in gang activity for social clout. One of the first few bars, “Bling, two earrings, a chain laying on his chest” emphasises the futility of the character’s jewellery, once symbolic of his success, now that he’s dead. This lays the groundwork for a song that unravels the painful disconnect between what is seen as valuable and what really is.
The chorus “Don’t cry, if you breaking the rules, making your moves, paying your dues, chasing the cool” is emblematic of the fine line many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds tread for external validation. Its repetition as the character scrambles to leave his resting place and return to the place he was shot spotlights how the desire to be “cool” is rigidly cemented in communities, as people still adhere to it even after they experience life-changing consequences.
Throughout the track, Fiasco paints a picture of the mental restlessness experienced by those who live on the edge. As the dead corpse rides the train back to where he lost his life, people are saying he stinks, but the only thing he can think of is “getting back in his lane, doing his thang”. When he is eventually shot a second time, his lack of peace even in death is conveyed in the heart-wrenching lyric, “Hustler for death, no heaven for a gangster”.
The story told in ‘The Cool’ forms the basis of Fiasco’s second studio album, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, which tells the story of a little boy from ‘He Say, She Say’ who grew up without a father. Expanding on the social analysis ‘The Cool’ provides, he explores themes of fame, fortune and romantic love through ‘The Streets’ and ‘The Game’, characters represented by a female love interest and father, respectively. While sharing a link to ‘The Cool’ on X in January, Mill said, “This song was one of my favourite of all times too from lupe!!”
When a follower wrote that ‘The Cool’ made them a fan of Lupe when they heard it for the first time, Mill replied by calling the Windy City rapper “advanced” while also giving props to ‘The Pressure’, which features Jay-Z.