Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
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Free Music Notes for Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Free Music Review: Incredible Debut CD
Hit: 5 Stars
The first rapper I enjoyed was DMX, mostly for his ridiculous energy and passion for his music. However, I always thought he was held back with all the pent-up aggression and anger and gangsta mentality.
After exploring this genre more, I extended this opinion to include just about the whole rap/hip hop movement. NWA, 2Pac, Notorious BIG and countless other classic hip hop legends were all great, but I feel that most of them were held back by their obsessions with sex and violence; 2Pac and Biggie in particular, since both died by gang violence.
And now here comes Lupe Fiasco, a man who turns the hip hop world upside down with his first CD, proving that the genre can evolve beyond "gang-bang" this and "smoke and smack" that. Lupe represents a change in the hip hop movement that is so desperately needed, along with other artists like Kanye West.
Lupe Fiasco has the same energy I admired in DMX, except instead of DMX's dark, disturbing subject matter, Lupe has a positive attitude and at times an even lighthearted, upbeat, and almost frolicking nature. The best example of that is the track "I Gotcha." Instead of furthering rap stereotypes by bragging about bling bling and all the women he's having sex with, Lupe says,
"My name is Lupe, I'll be your new day,
they wanna smell like me, they want my bouquet
But they can't they accented like the UK
Turn that ude Lupe to Pepe Le Peu Spray
Flagrantly fragrant and they can't escape it
My perfume persued on everywhere that they went
You don't want a loan leave my cologne alone
It's a little too strong for you to be puttin on"
The result is ridiculously catchy and a pure joy to listen to. I've practically memorized four songs on this CD already, "Real" "Just Might Be Ok" "Kick, Push" and "I Gotcha." That's not just because I listen to this CD so much, but because the lyrics seem so effortlessly poetic and catchy they're easy to remember. Most rappers' lyrics are entirely forgettable, but Lupe's really sticks in your head.
Lupe also shows a strong narrative voice in "The Cool" in which he tells the story of a drug dealer who was killed and buried, but came back to life. Lines such as this simply radiant with originality: "Working like a... hmmm, reverse archeologist, except... his buried treasure was sunshine." What a unique way of describing a man digging out of his own grave, no?
Lupe Fiasco shows amazing potential as a future rap legend, but perhaps more importantly, crafts a debut CD that is one of the most original and enjoyable hip hop releases in recent memory. A must-own for true hip hop fans.
Free Music Review: A New Breed
Hit: 4 Stars
It is very difficult in today's music industry to recieve an artist in a positive way who has had so much hype surrounding his name and debut album. Lupe Fiasco is a man who had to live up to big expectations. "The Savior of today's hip-hop" he has been called many times. Lupe is changing hip-hop. And for the better.
Food & Liquor is quite the album. It is very different from the hip-hop that has flooded the airwaves. Lupe's style is about as even as one can get. He is in the middle of being consciounce and a mainstream MC. See, his music is very catchy and inviting, yet his lyrics and subject matter are the farthest away from, "My chain hang low" as they can possibly get.
"Real" (3/5) The album starts off with "Real." The beat seems almost soulfoul, classic, as if it could have been concieved in the late 1970's. A great deal of the beats hold the same suggestion. "Real" is a solid introduction to what the album has to offer.
"Just Might Be OK" (4/5) This is a great song. It again holds a classic feeling. The listener gets a feel who Lupe is as a lyricist. He is going hard on this one.
"Kick, Push" (4/5) This song is the first single from the album. It's an ode to skateboarding. The metaphors and lyrics are sharp as a Ginsu blade on this track. Even if one is not a skater it is impossible to not atleast respect this song. It is very brave of Lupe to come out with this being a lead single.
"I Gotcha" 4/5 This the only beat that seems out of place when surrounding by the beats from the other songs. It is produced by Pharrell from the Neptunes. It is a solid song, yet feels forced when listening through the rest of the album. It seems like Lupe needed this one to be the dance track.
"The Instrumental" 5/5 This is the track that got me excited for the rest of the album. It is produced by the same guys who produced a large portion of the Fort Minor album. It has Mike Shinoda written all over it, yet fits perfectly with Lupe's vocals. I love this song.
"He Say, She Say" 5/5 Another classic Lupe song. It's lyrical content is genius. A refreshing song when sat side by side today's TOP 10 hip-hop singles. Lupe is on to something.
"Sunshine" 5/5 The album is on the climax with this song. "Sunshine" produces another sign that Lupe is a lyricist to be afraid of. He brings so much to this song. The passion reminds me of 2Pac when he wrote "Me Against the World." Seriously.
"Daydreamin'" 5/5 I'm not being bias with these ratings either. Another 5/5. "Daydreamin'" is featured with Jill Scott and is a feel good song. It's a song you're ma could appriciate. Once again, the lyrics outshine anything else. And if a rapper can do that these days, he is one of the best.
"The Cool" 4/5 This beat is produced by Kanye West. But you would never know it. It does not seem like the average West track, but it does its job behind Lupe's vocals. A solid effort.
"Hurt Me Soul" 5/5 This is another song that brought me to think that this dude is going to be one of the best MCs ever. Top 10 for sure. It's another one like "Sunshine." Beautiful music, man.
"Pressure" 3/5 This track features Jay-Z. And trust me, I was more excited to check this cut out than any other on the album. However, it falls short of my expectations. The beat is just so-so and Jay-Z's verse is nothing to write home about. It's an okay song. But dissappointing to say the least.
"American Terrorist" 5/5 My favorite song on the album. It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed this song the most. It features Matthew Santos, who is going to be that next feature artist everyone grabs. Watch out for him! His voice is one of a kind. The mix of these two artists is untouchable. Lupe's lyrics about the different races, Indian, Black are on point. Check this song out as soon as you can.
"Emperor's Soundtrack" 4/5 Another great song. It's another example of lyrical perfection.
"Kick, Push II" 4/5 A sequal of sorts to the first "Kick, Push," which is about skateboarding, the sequel is about slanging drugs. But Lupe does not support it or encourage it, but he nevertheless spits a nice song.
There you have it. Food & Liquor is one of the best albums to come out in '06. A defenite classic hip-hop album from one of the most promising MCs to grace a mic. Have fun discovering this dude.
Free Music Review: This album is underrated
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a phenomenal album. Great lyrics and tight beats. It makes me wonder why Lupe Fiasco is not a "house-hold name." This kid is hot. This isn't your ordinary trash talkin', gun-slinging, hustlin' music that is so abundant in the music biz. If you want something new and refreshing, pick this album up. You will not be dissapointed.Free Music Review: Solid Debut
Hit: 4 Stars
3.5/5
Chances are Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor is unlike any hip hop album you've heard. It's refreshing, enigmatic, eclectic, thought-provoking, and above all deep, as Lupe puts his heart and soul into this debut album. While the lyrics and production are above average, the album's biggest strength is Lupe's unique cadence, which enables him to move gracefully from line to line all way through his verses. The subject matter is the main weakness of this album, since there are certain songs where he just rambles on about random things from line to line, never focusing on the same subject. Overall this album is very listenable, though.
Free Music Review: Quite intoxicating
Hit: 4 Stars
I know I mention this a lot, but...although I'm still a rap fan, I am so sick of looking at the Billboard charts every week and seeing the top spots taken over by wack stuff like Soulja Boy, Gorilla Zoe and any song with "Shawty" in the title. Well, if you want some GOOD rap, it's not too late to pick up Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor.
This is another one of the many albums that was leaked long before its intended release date, thus resulting in the artist creating new tracks for the disc. But in this case, Lupe's finished material actually sounds pretty damn good. He is an excellent storyteller, as shown by selections like "Just Might Be OK" and "Hurts Me Soul". He also does a good job when he goes political: see "The Emperor's Soundtrack" or "American Terrorist". Also good is the necessary Neptunes track, "I Gotcha".
As another reviewer said, Lupe also tackles unique subject matter, as evidenced by "Kick, Push" and its sequel; and they differ in that the original is about Lupe himself while the sequel tells stories about other people. Another thing about those songs, though, is that on the former, that horn sample is a little off, and on the latter, I wish people would learn that the Greek wrap is pronounced YEE-row, not GY-row. Anyway, the romantic "Sunshine" also kicks.
When Lupe joins up with songstress Sarah Green, he hits ("He Say She Say") and misses ("Real" -- sorry, but that chorus is a little dull). Also, the outro has him doing nothing but giving shout-outs, which sounds fine at first, but after twelve minutes it gets monotonous because it had me starting to think that he was just stating random names. But Food & Liquor is still a solid album, so if you like your rap free of bitches, hoes and blingin', it'll definitely satisfy your musical hunger.
Anthony Rupert