He Said: "I Write What I See"

Lupe Fiasco's The Cool dropped yesterday, and at night, I got to see him perform live at The Fillmore.

The NY fans who came out to see him were a genuinely diverse bunch...

Every ethnic group was represented in solid numbers and people were clearly from all walks of life.

While the show was longer than I expected (over 2 hours), Lupe performed a good mix of old and new songs and still managed to keep the energy high (despite his periodic pausing for explanation).

I always try to get snippets from my favorite songs:

You're my Sunshiiiiiiine:

Coaching the crowd to mimic the energy of shows he's done in Dublin, Ireland, Lu insisted they jump up and down to the next beat... The Instrumental:

At one point in the show, Lu took a moment to discuss our beloved president, George W. Bush. Promising that he has never wished harm on anyone ("it is the holiday season..."), he then vividly described how a Christmas tree, Chanukah menorah and Kwanzaa kinara should all fall on the president and set him on fire since he is, in fact, an American Terrorist:

The 1st & 15 roster got their shine on too... Sarah Green, Bishop G., Gemstones and new addition Matthew Santos were all given moments to demonstrate their talents. Gemstones can sing and actually rap; his song from the perspective of a $100 bill was cliche, but a well executed one at that. Flow is pretty crazy too... I guess we'll see what comes of that project.

Putting some newness on display in the second half, Lupe delivered a few verses a cappella...

The Coolest


Gold Watch

And what kind of person would I be if I didn't leave you with my favorite verse from the single, Superstar:

Now...

I know I mention him a lot, so trust me, this is the last Lupe post for a while....

It's just that I believe in the music. And you should too.