[Review] Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor

Lupe Fiasco

Food and Liquor

September 2006

[EDITOR'S NOTE: the old Blog-City review format has been removed from the latest upgrade, along with their "Latest Reviews" section of my site.  I still am trying to figure out how we will format reviews going forward, so here is my first crack at it.]

"Kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push coasssssst..."

A while back, you may remember that I called Clipse's latest work the "best rap album of 2006." 

Well...whoops.

For those who are seeking out a different style from gangsta rap, crack-rap and other hardcore flexing, but also crave at least a bit of pop appeal, Lupe is the antidote.  He successfully navigates the territory that Kanye West tried to re-establish with his debut The College Dropout and its less-meaningful follow-up Late Registration.  The biggest difference?

Well...for one thing, unlike Kanye, Lupe is a very good rapper. 

Fiasco is at least a socially-minded as West - but in a much more real way.  Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor touches on poverty, his devotion to Islam, and his love of his hobbies -- none of which seem to include cars, big rims, guns or expensive trinkets.  He doesn't drink, doesn't work the groupies and doesn't smoke.  Instead he drops rhymes about dysfunctional families, his own struggles and his love of skateboarding (using the latter as a metaphor in one of the standout tracks).  He flexes stunnig rhyming ability in "Hurt Me Soul", establishing a lyrical pattern I've never heard executed at such great length.  It's rare for a rapper (besides Del Tha Funkee Homosapien) drop the word 'hydroponic' into a verse. 

In fact, on both "Kick, Push" and "Kick, Push II" Lupe outdoes Pharrell in skateboard-repping.  "Kick, Push" is a jazzy, brilliant mix of skate fantasy and serious storytelling; "Kick, Push II" serves metaphors that might bring tears to your eyes with their poignant description of a boy and girl living under crushing emotional squalor. 

Almost as shocking, the only Neptunes-produced track ("I Gotcha") isn't even close to being the most interesting/colorful beat, or song, on the album.  The best beats seem to come from producers Soundtrakk and Prolyfic.  Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park adds in a unique backing track for "The Instrumental."

There are very few weak tracks on this album; one of them is the Kanye-West-produced "The Cool", which is chiefly derailed by a weak chorus.  Otherwise, there isn't much to gripe about.   Food & Liquor proves that Lupe is far more talented than his guest appearances might suggest.  There's nobody like Lupe in the popular rap world today, and that alone vaults his debut to -- well, at least to the same level of Clipse's sophomore album, though comparing the two is a bit like comparing apples and oranges.  Food & Liquor gets five brand-spanking-new Obsidian Potency Golden Mics.  Pay attention to the lyrics, and you might have to take a deep breath to collect yourself after each track.  Whew. 

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit