Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

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.

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… this is my kind of hip hop.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Early to mid 2000s rap was such a good era, so I’m honestly surprised I never came across this one before. You can hear some Jay-Z and Nas influence in the writing, especially in the storytelling and the use of strings, but Lupe still sounds like his own thing. “Kick, Push” was awesome. I skateboarded in my teenage years, so that one was always going to hit a little closer to home. Then “Kick, Push II” comes along later and takes a much darker turn than I expected. “Daydreamin’” had a great sample, and “American Terrorist” was probably one of my favorites on the album. This was getting really close to a 5, but that 12-minute outro with acknowledgements was a lot. I respect wanting to thank everybody, but man, wrap it up. Other than that, this was a hell of a debut and another reminder of how much great rap came out during that stretch. Favorite song - “American Terrorist”

7.5/10

The conscious hip hop lyrics flew past me. And that 12 minute outro wasn't too bad, it reminds me of RAYE crediting those who helped make her album. If we took all that out, this album sits perfectly within its time as one of many Kanye-adjacent hip hop albums.

Hadn't heard of the artist but could recognize some of the songs. There is so much depth to them, a real reminder of what hip hop is!

Lush production, smart album - I just don't like rap. Although I liked this than most others?

I hate these corporate whore “artists.” You can just tell this guy made an album for the money instead of trying to make a piece of art. Bubblegum pop hip hop sucks.

Ye brought Lupe to my attention back on Late Registration, and I can now see his influence on touch the sky. The whole album has a very touch the sky feel to it, along with a turn of the century hip-hop vibe. His storytelling on tracks like kick, push, alongside mid 00s soul sampled production from Kanye and The Neptunes, gives it a distinct socially conscious edge. Overall, it’s an okay album, but there's nothing really special about it. I can see why Lupe isn’t an artist we hear much from nowadays, as he seems pretty much dime a dozen. 6/10

Maximalist beats, somehow works even though the individual parts seem to not make sense? And where did I hear kick push before???

I have to be in the mood to listen to Y2K rap to enjoy this, but it’s good Y2K rap

Jamais écouté avant. Encore un très bon album de hip-hop, très accessible, ici agrémenté d'une véritable sensibilité mélodique pop, de productions riches et variées et de textes chiadés qui évitent pour l'essentiel les clichés du genre. En dehors de l'interminable outro, dont je ne perçois pas bien l'intérêt, et de quelques morceaux un peu en deça, je ne me suis pas ennuyé un instant. À se demander pourquoi Lupe Fiasco, dont j'avais déjà vu passer l'erreur le nom mais dont j'ignorais tout, n'a pas la notoriété d'autres artistes du genre, souvent moins talentueux... Top : Daydreamin' Flop : Outro

Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would

Managed to get my toe tapping at times. Second listen not quite as enjoyable as the first

Generally poor and far too long. I liked the version of Daydream though. The font on the album cover should have been a giveaway to have naff this was!

Absolute skip fest this one. More than many rap albums this felt like Karoake over some funk tracks with some added strings. It’s trying way too hard to be cool and happy. Bonus point for apparently not being a misogynist homophobe gangsta.

I liked 'Kick Push (I & II)', 'He Say She Say' and 'Hurt Me Soul'.Didn't love all the tracks but as a whole this was pretty solid.

Love some 00s R&B and this didn't disappoint, don't know how I've never listened to this, and Kick Push is a stand out tune I always forget about

No matter the message (good or bad) I just don’t enjoy rap or hip hop very much. The same here - I can hear that it’s quality, but it’s just not for me

Good storytelling. Nice variety in the beats without losing the flow of the album.

This was already boring and then you’re gonna add in a ten minute outro of you just saying peoples fucking names? Get a job, hippy.

First hip-hop album on my journey! Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor is my first album into his discography. It a very long album, clocking at 1h12, and I think it’s one of its flaws. Maybe some song are fillers, or it doesn’t need an intro and an outro, to cut some minutes. Overall, that’s a good listen. Sometimes his flows looks like Logic (even his beats). I didn’t have a wow moment, but that doesn’t mean the album is bad. 3/5. Some songs will be in my rotation. Intro: 3 Real: 2 Just Might Be Ok: 3,5 Kick, Push: 5 I Gotcha: 4 The Instrumental: 3,5 He Say She Say: 4 Sunshine: 3,5 Daydreaming’: 5 The Cool: 2,5 Hurt Me Soul: 2,5 Pressure: 3 American Terrorist: 2,5 The Emperor’s Soundtrack: 2,5 Kick Push II: 3 Outro: 2

(5/7) nice stuff

I actually really liked this - I think it's a really good collection, covering lots of different important topics and all with a good beat.

Very nice, good tunes

Really good, love the messaging in a lot of his songs

Liked this (surprised) - never heard of him before, but decent

não ironicamente gostei MUITO desse, que surpresa. achei a produção interessantíssima, com bom uso de samples e músicas bem catchy. nunca tinha ouvido falar desse mano, mas parabéns. álbum MUITO honesto e legal.

It nearly had music !! Why is this crap always long? I just dont understand why people like it..or dont they? Its crap. Turned it off.

Good for the most part, solid 00s vibes, the sort of tracks I encountered on games like Fight Night. Outro was hilarious 20 years on. Big up MySpace and Tim Westwood, yo. I did hit a point where I'd had enough though. Enjoyed most of it, could cut a couple of weaker tracks but would listen to about three quarters of it again (not necessarily the first three quarters).

Fun. Pop rap with an old school feel. Solid lyricist - especially for a first LP. 3.

Det är eb tajt produktion. Daydreaming har jag sen länge på egen lista. Den är rätt najs, inte en femma och det saknas i övrigt ett par riktiga bangers för att ens nå en fyra. Helheten är småputtrande ok.

This was ok. I enjoyed it, but didn’t think it was anything that special. “Daydreamin’” was awful. Overall it wasn’t bad, but I doubt I’ll ever listen to it again.

Muy divertido. Muy diferente a lo que esperaba. Rap y ritmos con guitarras, nice.

Speaking of Fiasco ...

At times this album was really enjoyable, and even at it's lowest moments there was usually something good to be found in the songs. Overall a pretty good hip hop album, though one that probably doesn't warrant a place on this list.

I genuinely think this is one of the best rap albums of all time. Lupe Fiasco is one of the most technically gifted MC’s of all time and his talent is on full display on his debut album. All of the 14 tracks (not including interludes) on this album are showing that incredible lyricism over some of the most beautiful, lush beats I’ve ever heard. One of the easiest 5/5’s I’ve given.

Not bad by any means, but thought it sounded a bit overproduced and is far from the best hip-hop album on list.

Not for me