Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
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Free Music Notes for Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Free Music Review: Love Love Loving It
Hit: 5 Stars
Not much of a hip hop fan, nor am I fully versed in the old school stuff that many people feel cannot be touched let alone immitated. So honestly my review here is based off of how this album is alone, not compared to similar stuff done in the past. I love how this album isn't so gangsta, so rough and full of materialism. I love how the songs deal with love, skating, school, and fatherhood type stuff. This is an album that the world needs right now in these violent times, we need to all just chill, be around friends and family and let this one rock. The beats are banging, Lupe Fiasco obviously is not only talented, but I can feel his ambition and work shine through his tracks. This may be one of the very first hip hop albums that ever spoke to me personally and I'm guessing that if your ready for something more "out of the hood" and more "down to earth" give this disc a spin.Free Music Review: go talk to Capital D, then show me what ya know...
Hit: 2 Stars
Perhaps I shouldn't open my review (esp. since it's my first) with a qualification, but I must admit to only getting through this album twice, then reducing its rotation in my ipod to Daydreamin'. It's just TOO MUCH. Where to start?
This guy is evidently intelligent; his lyrics prove he's not just interested in whips n bling, etc. But for the most part they are a downer and are fairly inaccessible (read: boring) to this listener.
As for the production, it's as slick and radio-ready as all Kanye West/Jay-Z cuts. And it's all been done before, and better, just not all at once (on each and every song). (Listen to Common's I Am Music and Guru's Plenty for better versions of Daydreamin.') He shows with this album that he's learned all the tricks in the book, but he doesn't yet know how to use them sparingly to elicit a proper emotional response. True artists know the beauty and strength that comes from restraint and sparsity, but they also come correctly with booty-shakin' beats where appropriate.
He's a Chicago boy; perhaps he might go back to his roots and study the subtle perfection of Capital D & The Molemen's Writer's Block (the movie) (one of the best hip-hop concept albums ever, along with Deltron 3030) or the raw power of Capital D's Insomnia, a relevant and angry indictment of our administration and the ignorance of the masses (Mos Def's True Magic ain't bad in that regard, either).
To those whose only point of reference is Top 40's interpretation of "hip-hop," this album probably does deserve the ratings they've posted. Not terrible, but they should know there's better, more mature stuff out there.
BTW, this review is a delayed response to the question, "What about Lupe Fiasco?" that Main Flow (whose work is tops - check him out, too) asked me as we pushed our kids on the swingset at Mission Bay Park. Hope he and his family are doing well...
Free Music Review: KICK PUSHED INTO THE CHARTS FOR A REASON
Hit: 4 Stars
Chicago's latest hot shot, Lupe Fiasco, has finally released his debut, and it is proving worth the wait. Coming off the mass (if not truly underground) early success, of the first single, Kick, Push, Lupe has roped in Jay-Z as a producer, and he's crafted a great hip-hop album in a year littered with mediocre hip-hop albums. The first track off Food and Liquor, Real, sets the stage with the cry of, "my mamma said they're not used to having something real", and if music he's talking about, then he's giving them what they need. Great lyrics, great emotion, smart sampling, and a viewpoint often paired with alt-rock bands rather than hip-hop. Although some of the tracks ooze a Chicago feel, he has more in common with acts like The Pharcyde, Tribe, and De La Soul, than fellow Chicagoan, Kanye West. Lupe has tapped into a culture that effortlessly crosses all demos. That culture is a positive one, an embracing one, yet he doesn't shy away from harsh realities and harsher truths. Think less bling, and more skateboards, art, and culture.
The music of Food and Liquor is instantly enjoyable. A song like Daydreamin' (leaked ages ago), is still heaven on disc, Jill Scott's vocals are jaw dropping enough to make you forget the over-used sample. Even the mandatory collaboration with Pharrell sounds better than anything on Pharrell's own releases. Watching Lupe upstage Kanye at Lollapalooza (during Kanye's headlining set) was exactly why he's someone to watch. He demands attention without asking for it. Its more about the story and less about the storyteller. The sampling as I said before, is very smart, whether its Burt Bachrach (He Say She Say), or the horns of Humphrey's Overture (Just Might Be Ok), they all work, and give depth to Food and Liquor. A depth that is worth checking out
Free Music Review: Not for hip hop veterans
Hit: 2 Stars
One who has only been exposed to hip hop via the radio, or mtv will find this album interesting/innovative. As it is distinctly more thoughtful lyricaly, than most mainstream hip hop. Which is why I feel it has so much hype surrounding it, it stands out among that which is in the mainstream. Though the angle that it strives to personify, thoughtful lyricisim progressive/different beats just sound amateaur. Except for "Kick Push" which has a distinctly New York feel, the rest of the album is just plain boring. His flow is boring, sounds like Jay-Z without the speed of flow. Comparisons to NAS and Tribe Called Quest are a big stretch to say the least. Free Music Review: Stop The Autopsy!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Who said hip-hop was dead? If it is, then Lupe Fiasco is a ghost, or a zombie (or something), because his debut album "Food & Liquor" is definitely alive, kicking, and pushing!! There have been critiques of his work, saying that it's been done before. Blah, blah, blah. Stop hating. And don't say you're not hating. You are. And, you're a liar.
How often do we hear a rapper being an artist, rather than some faux social commentator? He gives us stories, boasts, social awareness, and overall good music, all on one disc. He's not preaching. He's not teaching. He doing what most men his age need to start doing. He's conveying a message of normalcy. He's saying that it's OK to go skateboarding, as opposed to going out thugging. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Do yourself a favor-- add "Food & Liquor" to your musical library.