LUPE FIASCO

"FOOD & LIQUOR"

review date: 09 / 18 / 06

rating: 9.6

written by: Suj

I’m no Hip-Hop aficionado. I’ve listen to the genre from time to time listening to some of the greats: Chuck D, Biggie, Jay-Z, Tupac, KRS-ONE, to name a few. Though, it appears nowadays that the lush poetry spouted from the aforementioned has been lost and the genre itself became saturated with cliché. All the acts seem to be rapping about and showing in their videos the exact same thing. Whether it is how gangster they are, or how much money they have, or how bad they’ve had it growing up, all the while having flashy jewelry hanging from their necks and dozens of woman shaking what their mother gave them. It’s not the same, it appears its all about making money, and the art of rhyme has evolved into the art of selling-out.

Enter, Lupe Fiasco. Shall we dub him the “Savior of Hip-Hop?” Absolutely. He’s a breath of fresh air, a dawning of a new era, a lyrical poet that flows. When I first heard the leaked version of Food & Liquor, I was taken back by its sheer greatness. I found myself falling in love with this genre that I lost faith in many years ago. The album was just brilliant, plain and simple. Unfortunately, this leak resulted in the record label pushing back the release date, and enabling Lupe to re-tool the album for the better, if that was even possible. How can one make better, perfection? Well, it appears you can in case of the newly re-tooled Food & Liquor.

This newly constructed album from top to bottom is the best thing going for this scene. Listening to it you get the feeling that you’re in for something unique, something special. As the album progresses you being feel that you’re part of something that will bring change, something new and fresh, simply put, something astonishing. And that is what this album is all about, its here to astonish, and it doesn’t miss its target.

It all begins with “Intro” where you have a woman rocking spoken word poetry on what feels like a street corner, which smoothly switches to a beautiful instrumental where Lupe talks about his philosophy on life and provides a deeper meaning behind the title of the album. Then like an explosion the track “Real” comes sweeping into your speakers where Lupe is dropping jewls with such precision that right then and there you know this kid is a new breed. There is so much diversity on this album and its made more relevant in the track “The Instrumental” where we are just taken on a whole new level; just listen to it and you’ll know exactly what I mean. On this album, the kid just has this innate ability to tell unbelievable stories that stick with you long after you’ve stopped listening. On “American Terrorist” Lupe breaks down the woes of society and the underling truth of what’s really going on, “He Say, She Say” speaks of a struggling child growing up with no father figure. This song is really chill. The whole album is this one big novel filled with intriguing chapters that you just want to re-read every chance you get.

With all the hype Lupe Fiasco has received, its undeniable here that he’s lived up to it. This album may very go down as a classic. This is a prime example of what hip-hop should be all about. It’s about telling a story, a story with substance and meaning. This album is a true testament that you don’t have to run with the norm of ignorant gun toting, drug selling rap. Sound the alarm, cause Lupe Fiasco is about to blow up.