Food and LiquorLupe FiascoAtlantic Records
Out of all albums that have come out this year, it is hard to find one that has been more highly anticipated than Lupe Fiasco's debut on Atlantic Records, "Food and Liquor." He has benefited greatly from association with fellow Chicago native Kanye West, mostly due to his appearance in one of the most popular songs on 2005's "Late Registration": "Touch the Sky." This attention helped Lupe land a lucrative sponsorship deal with Reebok even though he didn't have his own album out yet.
Despite the fact that in this situation the hype tends to outweigh the musical quality of a debut album, in this case it is well deserved. "Food and Liquor" demonstrates some of the qualities that Kanye is blessed with, such as a strong emphasis on the production end, but Lupe takes it a step further. In a sense, one might say that, despite his mainstream popularity, being a Lupe Fiasco fan will earn you scene points.
The reason it is O.K. to jump on the Lupe bandwagon is that his brilliant production is backed up by a strong personality and a positive message, which is very hard to find in the sea of clones that constitutes most of today's rap selection. The intro to the album sums it up nicely as it introduces the man by saying, "But God has another solution/ That has evolved from the 'hood/ I present one who turns/ The Fiasco to good."
As a practicing Muslim, Lupe refuses many of the luxuries that have led well-intentioned hip-hop artists astray: he doesn't drink, he doesn't do drugs, and - most exceptionally - he doesn't objectify women. You may be wondering what else there could possibly be to write about. There's plenty - don't be narrow-minded.
As stated in the album's first single, "Kick Push," Lupe enjoys skateboarding. He also gives listeners another legitimate reason to hate the police: their lack of respect for the sport. On a serious note, the song has a wider message, observing that skating is a great confidence-builder and a healthy activity for many kids who lack such options growing up in bad neighborhoods. Finally, a legitimate skating anthem outside of the realm of speed punk.
It is unfortunate, though, that the song had to be made into a single and, thus, split into two four-minute parts, with "Kick, Push II" sitting at the very end of the album. Together, the song is powerful and moving, even epic. It can be seen as a legitimate way to tell a story: set it up at the beginning and use part two to tie the album together and close the story. The problem is since part one is a heavily promoted single, part two inevitably gets far less exposure, making the song lose much of its message.
The best song musically on the album is another single, "Daydreamin,'" featuring Jill Scott. Though it is hard to pick out the best out of so many great songs, the track stands out, because it is tailored to mix Lupe's style with Scott's smoother R&B sound.
Lupe describes the daydream that Scott sings about as the gangster-ghetto stigma that is always associated with the genre. The song is a sarcastic look at how this could possibly be a vision that people aspire to and dream of as they "fall asleep amid the flowers." This sort of dark humor is a great way to assert his own morals without seeming as arrogant as he does elsewhere.
"Food and Liquor" features other high-profile guests such as Jay-Z and Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda. It is really telling, though, that the Jay-Z song, "Pressure," is toward the end of the album. This is not due a lack of quality, but rather, points out that Lupe is the real talent on the album and that the guests are there to add diversity and not to help gain credibility - or to serve as a crutch. Compare this to Kanye's "Late Registration" singles: "Heard 'Em Say featuring Adam Levine of Maroon 5," "Gold Digger featuring Jamie Foxx" and the slew of other songs with absurdly long titles.
"Food and Liquor" is proof that alternative hip-hop can survive in a mainstream environment. Based on how well this album has sold (80,000 in the first week), this may be the beginning of a positive trend in hip-hop music.
