@lupefiasco was super influential in my teenage years from a hip-hop standpoint. I remember as a fan listening to his “Blood Diamonds” freestyle or “Hustlaz” and “Much More” on HipHopGame and appreciating his razor-sharp lyricism. I even remember playing my older cousin Food & Liquor during my college visit at Howard. Fern must have played “Sunshine” 1100 times before ultimately buying his own copy of F&L. That leads me to The Cool. As I wrote: “Fiasco — who nabbed four Grammy nominations on his previous album, including a win for best urban/alternative performance for “Daydreaming” — set the table for his most potent, multi-layered project yet. In a no-holds-barred fashion, the Chicago MC unabashedly rapped about the perils of fame on the dark but pop-leaning single “Superstar,” gun violence on “Hip-Hop Saved My Life,” and health consciousness on “Gotta Eat.” The Cool was rap gold for a senior like me in high school. 15 years later, I’m glad that I was able to chat with Lupe and s...