Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

I liked this significantly more than I expected. He gives Kanye without the guilt

...Mr. Fluffy, Alex Trebek, Maximilien Robespierre, Mr. Hands, The Elephant Man, Phil Keoghan, Helen Keller even though she can't hear this, Bert and Ernie, Carl Heinrich Hellmann, the moon lady from Eraserhead, my teeth, Tiny Tim hope he gets better soon, New Zealand and Tasmania, homestarrunner.com, Sophia from the Golden Girls, charmeleon, Gordon Ramsay, PeeWee Herman, weather, Ice McDonald... 3/5

​I had heard of Lupe before, but I had never actually listened to him, and now I'm quite miffed at myself for missing out. Growing up in the '90s, I used to hang out at the skate park—even though I couldn't skate—just because they always had the coolest punk rock and hip-hop playing. I would always think about how much fun it must be to actually ride, and the track "Kick, Push" is basically those exact thoughts writ large. The storytelling on this record is amazing, and the instrumentals definitely have Kanye West's fingerprints all over them. As someone else pointed out, it's like being able to listen to Kanye without the guilt of listening to Kanye. This is a very good album packed with tight rhymes that immediately makes you want to search out more of his work.

All you purists out there criticizing foul language on rap albums, here's the album for you. Yeah, there's your occasional strong word, but there's emotional maturity, recognition that the genre has a negative aspect that can be righted. Does it make you wanna keep listening? Not for me. It's an okay album 80% of the time, with an occasional banger that depending on your own exposure you might place on your music library. As a whole, it's a project book-ended with the fact that it's a project. I wasn't impressed when it came out, and I'm still not *very* impressed today. He's not a bad rapper by any stretch, it's just kinda sorta boring. He knows how to keep a rhyme scheme, how to switch things up, I'm sure the production team had a lot to do with making the listen as smooth as it is. The album just needs some spice, some kind of seasoning, otherwise it's stale and bland too often. If I find myself in a mood for music like this, I'm heading STRAIGHT for A Tribe Called Quest. 2.9/5

Sick-ass album, incredible beats and great rapping. I'm definitely going to be relistening to this one a lot. Cool cover, too. :3

I enjoyed it while driving. I don't know rap at all. Make of it what you will.

I mean... what more do I even have to say? This is one of Lupe Fiasco's most astonishing pieces of work to date and some would argue it isn't even his best. Great lyrical capabilities, amazing storytelling, themes, and production, and it still stands strong as one of his best projects today.

This is without a doubt one of the records made in all time. A record that exists and can be heard by playing on headphones. Music that vibrates different sound waves into your ear canal and registers as different tones in your brain. Yep. Definitely a record that exists.

A rap album with no stupid skits, amazing! Enjoyed this, didn’t realise I knew one or two of the songs already.

I didn’t like it. It’s not good. The album never really grabbed me and I spent most of it waiting for something to click that never did. There is technical skill on display. Lupe can clearly write and deliver complex lines, and the production is clean and polished in that mid 2000s hip hop style. The problem is that the songs stay distant and overly controlled. The cleverness feels more like a barrier than an invitation. After a while the whole record starts to sound the same: dense verses over smooth, well-made beats that never develop real emotional weight. The production is competent and detailed. Everything sits neatly in the mix, the samples are clear, and nothing sounds cheap. That surface quality only makes the lack of connection more obvious. Food & Liquor is a miss for me. Skilled, polished, and completely unengaging.

No. Big F no.

3/5. Was a better one for a change. Not really into rap but it was enjoyable.

It was a decent album, I recognized one of the songs. I imagine that for 2006 this was somewhat revolutionary. I found myself enjoying parts of it for sure, but overall not my jam. I'd have to say 3.25. It's better than middle-of-the-road, but only slightly in my eyes.

I’m apprehensive that this a 1h16m - I find it rare that an artist has so much to say to warrant filling out the full length of a CD. I was a child that preferred killing music with a home taped album on one side of a TDK90. All that said I really enjoyed this a lot and somehow hadn’t heard it before. After the Intro we are into business with Real, good track and has me looking forward to the rest of the album. The rhymes on Just Might Be Ok are tight and the music mixing soul and weird sound effects hits hard. Kick Push is laid back skate rap track with a funky syncopated vocal delivery. Shout out to Sarah Green on backing vocals which really lift a number of the tracks. The contrarian in me loves The Instrumental which isn’t. Jay Z wanders in and does Jay Z things on Pressure. American Terrorist is probably my favourite track on the album As others have said I didn’t really need the 12 minute Outro, would have preferred to finish in Kick push II This is the first album on my 1001 journey that I didn’t own that I’ve now purchased.

I really liked this album when it came out, less so now. But it’s ok

I need to spin this again, something made me shut down on it, so I need another spin to see if it really is a 2

I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Very approachable even while handling some serious topics.

Skateboard rap is still rap. It was an alright album, I really hate the final tracks that are like 10 minutes of credits oof.

Lowkey cerebral.

Ugh, the voice, the orchestral sample—that's probably all it is—simply awful. Musically, it's definitely the elevator music version of rap. I'm not interested in the lyrics at all. And I don't care about the whole album. Lupe Fiasco, to make an impression on me, he'd have to offer something completely different. You can tell I'm not a rap or hip-hop fan, but that's no surprise. It's not my culture, it's not my experience, and the music that holds it all together doesn't do anything for me. Get rid of it.

Entré sin ganas y me terminó convenciendo. Buenos temas tiene

This was cool. I don't think I connected with it as much as I hoped to, but still a solid solid album. He's a legend

Is an album still a 5/5 if the last track is completely skippable? I think given that in this case that last track is just 12 minutes of shoutouts I'll let it pass. Lyrically, musically, and rap flow wise this album definitely made me want to listen to it again. Conscious Rap. Definitely my bag.

The lyricism and rhyming schemes go crazy here. Great record. Flows were amazing, beats and production were very good, intro and outro were really not needed and took up way too much time.

Favorite Song: The Instrumental Least Favorite: I Gotcha

I was never a Lupe guy. Still not a Lupe guy. This album is totally ok and really doesn't have any massive misses.

Listen man, a lot of this was good, but I don’t like long Oscar acceptance speeches and the outro lovefest on this album really tried my patience. I wanna drop his rating by an entire star, but that does seem rude to his crew that he wanted to thank. So my rating will generously be based on the entire album EXCEPT the last 12 minutes, which was so damn annoying since I don’t know those people!

Nope.

A bit long, but overall decent.

Unremarkable. Surprised it’s on the list…

Extremely dated. It's fine but it doesn't deserve to be on this list

Shoutout to 1001albumsgenerator.com for giving me a place to journal. Shoutout to Hinge, the platform that allowed me to meet my girlfriend. (Hinge!) Shoutout to my girlfriend. Ain't gonna say no names, but you know I love you. (I love you!) Shoutout to all the exes that led me to her. (lesbians unite!) Shoutout to Kara, shoutout to Caro (karaoke!) shoutout to Bruce, Nara, all of them. Y'all led me here and I can't forget about you. Thank you. (thanks!) Shoutout to my girlfriend (she knows!) for her encouragement, to keep journaling. (thank you!) Shoutout to my best friends, Shye, Anthony, Claire (it'll be okay!) shoutout to Allie for knowing me for 15 years. (sorry I was weird and cringe when I was like 12!) Shoutout to Elvis Costello for having six albums on this damn list (for real?!) and shoutout Robert Dimery for adding a 7th Rolling Stones album to the list (eat shit, Rob!) Shoutout to the Rolling Stones for kicking Fiona Apple off the list for the new edition of the book (you still suck!) and shoutout Fiona Apple for being so cool. Shoutout to David Bowie having nine entire albums on this list. (I'm not the biggest fan of you!) Shoutout Radiohead for having six albums on this list (I don't like Kid A all that much!) and for being my first favorite band when I was 15 years old. Shoutout Allie (again!) for also liking Radiohead, shoutout Giles Corey (have a nice life!) for being nice to me when I was a kid in high school. Shoutout to all my teachers. But no shoutout for you, Mr. Nicolay, for perving on your little girl students and drunk texting them after-hours. (he drank himself to death!) Shoutout to my dad for being my family's resident pedophile. (go to hell!) Shoutout all my therapists, including the two who died. (Linda! Gordon!) Big shoutout to my current therapist, Ashley, you rock. Shoutout Lupe Fiasco (Chicagooo!) and all the people he mentioned in the last song (I don't know any of you!) to help make this record possible. It's a great album, classic conscious hip hop, a love letter to his friends and family (he loves you!) and all his favorite artists. (Jay-Z!) Shoutout Lupe Fiasco for being unpredictable and announcing albums and then immediately cancelling them. (where's Food & Liquor II Pt. 2?!) Oh my god, he's touring with B.o.B this year. Oh no. (Take back that shoutout!)

I am coloured by Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, which is one of my all time albums. And it doesn't hit that level. Kick, Push and Daydreamin' are next level though

This is one of those albums that fell pretty flat for me, but a lot of that has to do with how dated it sounds and how firmly it's stuck in a particular era. It's one of those albums I probably would have enjoyed 20 years ago when it first came out, but it also radiates so much of the same energy as countless other hip hop artists from the conscious hip hop scene of the early to mid 2000s. Unfortunately, it's a sound that I'm just really burned out on. And like I've said before, these days, every time I hear something from that particular era and style of hip hop, it just falls flat on its face and doesn't do much for me emotionally.

moet hier sws nog een keer naar luisteren, was prima maar zit meer achter

An unexpected treat to see this one kick, push its way onto the list. I’m astounded that it’s twenty years old, because I was playing it loud in my car just yesterday, not in 2006, because that would mean I’m old. Anyway, it’s beautifully produced, sounding like a street musical with an orchestra. His raps are personal and political in a way that’s not cloying or irritating, just like your kid telling you about his day. All the songs are stories, lived-in and engaging, and his rhymes are tricky. I was so happy to hear it again; it’s been too long.

Grandiose 2000s hip hop production on back-to-back days. Really enjoyed this one too.

as far as rap albums go, it was ok

escuché la mitad, sonido hiphopero 2000's. un tema destacó, sobre skating

It’s funny, he seemed so important at the time. Like he really would be the next rap superstar. All in all it’s a decent album. Production is good. But falls into that zone where he talks about how he’s more proper than other rappers. That was more of a thing at the time and maybe it’s a reaction to the southern hip hop coming out.

Man not to get preachy or anything but take me back man. Lupe and Kudi broke down the fucking door and hip hop changed for the better imo. (No I will not give Kanye the credit he probably deserves here) I know some think he's cringy here or whatever but no one really sounded like this and not much sounded like him later either. Dude rocked, outside of a 12 minute outro but that was the style of the time ig. 9/10

I have never listened to Lupe Fiasco before so I didn't know what to expect at all. I used to think I disliked rap. Turns out, the rap that was prevalent during my formative years just isn't my thing. So I hesitantly stepped into this very obvious 00's rap record. I feel torn about this album. The beats are very well produced, but they can get pretty repetitive, especially as many of the songs run over 4 minutes. The rapping itself is aight. Nothing about it really stands out to me. The lyricism is very good though. I particularly like American Terrorist. He has a real gift for storytelling. It's concious rap, which can be very preachy, but Lupe uses allegories to tell stories worth telling which wonderfully circumvents this common pitfall. All in all its pretty good, especially considering that it's 00's rap. I'd be willing to give other albums of Lupe a chance and I am definitely curious how his style evolved over time. Above all this is a piece of art and it's genuine and well made. For that I'll give it a 8/10

Again, not a genre I enjoy. It was okay but I wouldn't listen to it again.

Some decent stuff, not what I was expecting (it was much better frankly) but overall it's just ok. This one isn't going on my Mount Rushmore of rap albums.

I liked this more than other rap, but still not my genre. I enjoyed Pressure (feat. Jay-Z) quite a bit.

I was not expecting anything by Lupe Fiasco to be this good! I really enjoyed his story telling! It was deep but also didn't take itself too seriously. Like he had a 12 min outro song that was just him thanking literally everyone he knows. So funny and iconic to me. I really felt like I got to know him and his thoughts and his views on the world through this album!!

Fun without being shallow, thoughtful without being narcissistic. Kanye’s beats again are undefeated.

3.5

I was feeling a 4 all the way through this, and I'm not going to let the ridiculous outro track ruin it for me, but come on man, you don't need to spend 15 mins listing everyone in your life. The rest of it was really cool, I've not listened to much hip hop this year and it was nice to get a good example of it.

Completely new to me and good. All for more Kanye era hip hop without the guilt of listening to Kanye.

Never heard before… liked it

Some of the poppiest, most toothless rap you’ll hear. Really takes away from a lot of what makes rap fun and interesting.

Which cartridge do you think he has in that ds? I reckon Spirit tracks of Drawn To Life. Drawn to Life had such a depressing vibe to it, all those grey clouds. I loved it. I also liked this album! It's too long, obviously, but there's some nice backing tracks here, his voice is good, and some of the references were very interesting. He's so right about the misogynistic nature of 90s rap music, speak out bestie! I liked when ladies turned up to sing a little. And that 12 minute outro of random shoutouts made me heheheh hohohoho.

It's fine. Not my favorite hip hop.

I pretty enjoyable album

Auch nice das mal ganz gehört zu haben

Man, Chicago rappers used to be optimistic huh? That era Kanye, Common, Lupe. Now when I think of Chicago rap it’s all dark and grimy drill music. Funny how things and perspectives of a scene change over time. This album never really moved me. I see why it’s a critical success. Lupe is a really good rapper and his subject matter is different from most. But I don’t know, never really caught me. It’s fine.

Ok, wouldnt listen to again.

It was a step up from other modern R&B / rap stuff. I liked that the electronic music at least attempted to resemble traditional instrument music. The songs had power and energy to them. They weren't repetitive. The lyrics weren't agregious. Overall very good for that genre, just probably my least favorite genre.

Not my kind of "Music". I can think of many alblums i would rank higher. My wife asked why i waste my time listening to this kind of stuff? My answer was that it makes me appreciate listening to the stuff that pleasantly surpises me.

All in all, not terrible. I don’t think I would ever buy or even think about listening to this second time.

Smooooth

Never listened. Expectations: Low - Verdict: Alright - Real has a sound that sits somewhere between early Kanye and N.E.R.D., I quite like it. Kick, Push is fun. The Chicago style is definitely prevalent here. He Say She Say is a bit more mellow but overall I'm not blown away by the general style of the record. Daydreamin' has a dramatic flair and Pressure is an intense track that Jay-Z elevates significantly. American Terrorist has an interesting latin flavour to it that breaks it up from some of the other tracks. This album was better than I expected based purely on the awful album artwork but didn't do anything to particularly stick in my head.

Ei paskin

Aardig creatief maar irritante ingeblikte violen

Nothing necessarily wrong with this album, it’s just quite unspectacular. It’s definitely not one that will last long in the memory. Apart from Outro, ridiculous track. 13 minutes of this Head Melt thanking seemingly everyone under the sun lol.

Nope.

didn’t mind this, hip hops not usually my jam but it was good except for the intro and outro

Album 96 Top 3 favorites off the album: Kick, Push; The Cool, Intro Solid album. I enjoyed this one. Chicago bias? Maybe.  I was locked in the whole time. I enjoyed the storytelling. The outro made me laugh. Consider this a 3.5, not a 3.

Buen álbum de hip hop. Canciones pegadizas. Bien de una época 00s donde mezclas buena data con intento de pegarla comercialmente. Se arman unos temas pegadizos. Gran flow de Lupe. 7/10

Removed

Better than I thought it would be. I stopped listening to much hip - hop around this time so this completely passed me by but I liked a few of the tracks on this album. 3.3

I thought this guy sounded a bit like Jay Z. And then he popped up as a guest. I do like the string arrangements in this and the sound is generally good. It's ok but not my thing I suppose. And the outro which served as 12 minute long album liner list of thanks was probably not meant to be as funny as it was.

Lupe Fiasco kommt aus Chicago und war 2006 schon vor seinem ersten Album bekannt, unter anderem durch einen Gastauftritt bei Kanye West. Food & Liquor erschien am 19. September 2006 bei 1st & 15th Entertainment und Atlantic. Als ausführende Produzenten sind Jay-Z, Chilly und Fiasco selbst genannt. Aufgenommen wurde hauptsächlich in den eigenen 1st & 15th Studios in Chicago, dazu kamen Sessions im Record Plant in Hollywood und in den Right Track Studios in New York. Genremäßig bewegt sich das Album irgendwo zwischen Conscious und Alternative Hip-Hop. Die Beats stammen zu großen Teilen von Soundtrakk und Prolyfic, dazu kommen die Neptunes. Sie bauen auf Soul- und Funk-Samples mit gemächlichen Boom-Bap-Drums. „Kick, Push“ erzählt vom Skaten und bleibt auch ohne jedes Gangsta-Klischee hängen. „Daydreamin'“ mit Jill Scott brachte Fiasco einen Grammy ein. „I Gotcha“ ist der Neptunes-Beitrag, hier wird das Tempo kurz angezogen. Textlich ist das Album dichter, als der lockere Sound vermuten lässt. Der Titel steht für das Ziehen zwischen Gut (Food) und Böse (Liquor), und Fiasco erzählt das eher in Szenen als in Parolen. Mit gut 72 Minuten ist die Platte lang, und einzelne Stücke im hinteren Teil verlieren etwas Spannung. Das ändert wenig am Gesamteindruck.

I haven’t heard this before. I’ve heard a few of these songs and I always liked Kick Push since it really captures the essence of skateboarding when I was a teen, but I didn't listen to much hip hop around this time and didn’t get much deeper than that. I spent the 00s going back to find stuff I missed in the 80s and I’m finding i need to spend the 20s going back to find stuff I missed in the 00s. I like the I guess cinematic backing music for this, it reminds me of some Jay Z tracks from this time, except I like this better than Jay Z. Every track on here is a banger and I really dig it.

rip this dude's career

This ones been on my personal "list" for so long its got dust on it.... glad to have finally gotten to it. Pharrell, Kanye and Mike Shinoda production??? Not much else for me to ask for! Overall, the album misses with the song structures and just sort of passes by. Lupe has some great moments but they never feel fully developed. The back half especially starts to drag. The highs are high but the lows just get a stale. (If Jay-Z had a better verse it might have lifted the back end up) Daydreamin' however is an absolute stand out here. Wonderful sample flip and Jill sounds amazing here. Favorite Songs: Kick, Push, I Gotcha, Daydreamin'

achei ótimo. fiquei surpresa por nunca ter ouvido falar nesse rapper, parece muito mainstream pelo que pesquisei. só não gostei dele já ter feito parceria com o kanye west

Really dug this one, especially Daydreamin'

Pretty nice mid-2000s rap. The outro is absurd though.

Ännu ett hiphopalbum som låter nästan samma som alla andra efter millennieskiftet. Dock inte helt värdelöst. Funkar att ha på i bakgrunden.

This was a 4.5. Loved it, and a nostalgia factor too.

Surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I knew the name Lupe Fiasco, but hadn’t heard anything by him before. Good songs, a lyrical content that is in conversation with, but doesn’t fall into the same traps as other rap albums I’ve heard. Definitely could’ve done without the outro though. That’s what liner notes are for. 4/5

A great rap album. Good production, very nice beats, great performances. The only thing that puts me away is Lupe's voice. To me it is just a big unconvincing.

Really enjoyable oughts-era rap— bouncy beats, fast-paced and engaging lyrical flow. I don’t know how I missed this artist when he was doing his thing in the first place. Glad this project brought Lupe to my attention! 4.5 stars

This was pretty bad. Clunky child-like delivery, simple lyrics, little style. Although the backing music was decent. Also, no one asked for a 12 minute outro acting as a credit reel. No one.

Kinda standard early 2000's rap Fave track: Daydreamin'

Such an excellently crafted hip-hop album - one of the greatest debuts of all time. Can't review this album without mentioning that awful album cover - truly one of the worst of all time. Still - this is an absolute classic of the genre. 4.5/5

Hurt Me Soul <3

Great timing by the list to have this album pop up right after Raekwon's Cuban record. Two decades later, Lupe Fiasco brings some thoughtful, genuine hip-hop. Food & Liquor really showcases his lyrical skills and poetic poise. Top tracks like "Kick Push," "Daydreamin'," "Hurt Me Soul," "The Instrumental," "Sunshine," and "American Terrorist" break out of the gangster rap formula (with criticism) and hit with themes of skateboarding, T.V., addiction, slavery, and dating. It's refreshing and shows Lupe has some unique writing talents much like Eminem or Common. "All the world's ills, sittin' on chrome 24-inch wheels." Great album. Whole thing good but don't need a 12 minute "Thank You" to wrap it up...put that in the liner notes. 3.9 stars for kickin' out the stale and pushin' in some creative music.

Another blind spot for me. I know of Lupe Fiasco from pop culture references but couldn't have named a song before this listen. Food & Liquor is a pretty nice little hip hop album. I appreciate that it felt like it was written from mostly a cleaner perspective instead of constantly presenting drugs, guns or anything else tied to the thug image. F&L has a good mix of production and sampling with Lupe's snazzy vocals. The Instrumental, The Cool and Kick, Push were the best tracks but the whole thing was pretty catchy across the board. Pretty solid album from Lupe. I'd welcome some more entries from him or others in this genre. 3.48 stars

Dang, hit me with Illmatic and then follow it up with Food & Liquor? It's amazing to witness the creativity, sincerity, and focused messaging from a kid coming out of Chicago in the early-2000s with such finesse given the hip-hop environment at the time, and with great beats to boot. I even love the mad long outro credit roll. While it's not my absolute favorite from Lupe (Tetsuo & Youth still lays claim to that even among his latest releases), it is still quintessential Lupe and a staple in the conversation of "classic hip-hop records" and substantive, lyrical hip-hop.

Kick push is a much better song than I remember when it first came out and I didn’t like it. The production on this album has all the hallmarks of this era but I don’t know if this was early or just done really well, but the sampling meets maximalist orchestral stuff was done well. I just don’t really get down with the lyrics meaning much or the concept overall.

pretty good album

It's 2006 and they couldn't come up with a better album cover? Apart from that this was pretty cool.

Daydream is so gas

Honestly idk, I thought I'd like it more...

Was not really that excited about seeing another rap album but this is definitely a vibe

Wow, that ultra high sheen orchestral soul hip-hop production really places this squarely in 2006 eh? Was a fan of Kick Push from back then but hadn’t listened to the rest. I think his bars are wicked, and are done dirty by the cheese of the production, would be keen to hear other stuff of his with a different sound

The thinking man's rapper, he actually ended up lecturing at MIT!