Lupe Fiasco has been nominated for four Grammy awards:

Best Rap Solo Performance: Paris, Tokyo

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Superstar

Best Rap Song: Superstar

Best Rap Album: The Cool

I just found this article about the prospects for Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool.” The writer briefly talks about the album, Lupe, and the chances it has to win album of the year at the upcoming Grammys. Here it is:

Lupe Fiasco, “The Cool“: The nerdy Kanye West protoge (Lupe was seen opening on Kanye’s Glow in the Dark tour) trades skateboarding anthems for a concept record about fame, capitalism, corporate hip-hop and a fast-food culture.

Grammy potential: Grammy voters are definitely aware of Lupe Fiasco — his song “Daydreaming” featuring Jill Scott won best alternative/urban performance this year, and in 2007, his “Food & Liquor” was nominated for best rap album. “The Cool” would seem to be a lock in the rap field, and has been a steady seller, if not a blockbuster success (”The Cool” was at No. 192 on the U.S. pop chart 27 weeks after its release). But he may be too heady of an artist for Grammy voters to recognize as an album-of-the-year candidate, especially with a Jay-Z album in contention, and the recent breakout success of Lil Wayne.

Grammy deserving: “The Cool” is as good as hip-hop in 2008 gets, and while a critically-adored album, its late December release prevented it from scoring a slew of year-end accolades. But Lupe’s breezy delivery allows him to deftly hop around his weighty subject matter with an almost jazz-like finesse, and the occasional references to cartoon characters lighten the mood.

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