The perfect hip-hop album is sort of like the Holy Grail for the hip-hop world. Some doubt its existence, others search aimlessly for it. For those who’ve heard Lupe Fiasco’s debut album Food and Liquor, we’re pretty sure we’ve already heard it. And we keep playing it over, and over and over…
So, you’ve never really heard of the guy? Lupe has been featured on a few renowned songs, most notably Kanye West’s hit single, "Touch The Sky." The first single from the album sounded more like a song destined for the next Tony Hawk game. His style is, god forbid, not all flash, bling, money and cars. There isn’t even a song creating a new dance craze. Food and Liquor is a non-stop train of true hip-hop. Album gems include the before-mentioned ode to skateboarding "Kick Push". While some might say skateboarding has no place in hip-hop, Lupe spins a tale of a boy who finds purpose, love, and a busted lip through skateboarding. Industry newcomer Soundtrakk produces the beat, as well as many other songs on the album. It’s a blend of orchestral strings, and smooth horns, with a touch of good old fashion hip-hop. Veteran producers The Neptunes make an appearance on the radio worthy "I Gotcha," which features Neptune’s poster boy Pharrell Williams. Linkin Park/Fort Minor front man Mike Shinoda kicks off the middle of the album, providing the beat for "The Instrumental:" a hard-hitting song about addiction to TV and the Net.
The trend continues to the next track, "He Say. She Say," where Lupe assumes the role of a single mother, and the child of a deadbeat father. The lyrics are enough to haunt even the coldest of hearts. But hands down, the two most notable songs, "Daydreamin\'," and "Hurt Me Soul," are what make this album so sacred. "Daydreamin\'" pits Lupe on the same track as up and coming diva Jill Scott, with a clear sample of "Daydream" by the Gunter Kallman Choir. Lupe spends the first verse dreaming of being inside a giant robot, looking down on the world, seeing all of its problems, and the second boring a hole into the softcore skin flick that hip-hop has become. "Hurt Me Soul" actually takes a stab at Lupe himself, as he refelcts on his hypocrisy during his younger years. In the song, he states he hated hip-hop because it degraded females, but at the same time listened to artist like Too Short, who were nortious for such acts. He pays homage to genre giants like Nas, Jay-z and Tupac through the course of the song. The lyrics not only reflect on hip-hops follies, but those of the United States and the world. The chorus is written as if it were coming out of the mouth of people all across the globe with problems, ranging from hookers, AIDS victims, inmates, slaves, and people with spyware on their laptops (seriously).
Like any train, the album has a slow start and has taken a while to reach popularity, but it did earn Lupe three Grammy nominations, GQ’s "Break Out Person" award, and the opportunity to work with other well established artists. So while the world might not have been quite ready to hear Food and Liquor’s message, they’ve had plenty of time to get ready for the next one, as Lupes’ second album The Cool drops later this year.
"Food & Liquor" is on sale September 19, 2006 from Atlantic.
