If you're even just a casual follower of hip-hop, you know the story by now.
Lupe began his career with the widely acclaimed Food and Liquor. F&L was a masterpiece for Lupe in two senses of the word.
On one hand, Lupe showcased his abilities as a lyricist in the creative sense, producing songs such as "Kick, Push" about the life a skater to "He Say She Say", which details the struggles of a child with divorced parents.
The other hand showed that Lupe was also an incredibly introspective artist, who examined society's problems through music. "The Instrumental" is a great example of this, as Lupe discusses the problem with Americans' addiction to television by referring to it as "the box" and how much it influences our everyday speech.
With hip-hop still being heavily influenced by artists (or should I say "garbage") like Lil John and Paul Wall (this was an age where Mike Jones could release a top 20 single), F&L was a breath of fresh air, even causing the likes of Jay-Z to proclaim Lupe as hip-hop's "next vanguard".
Lupe followed up F&L with another strong effort in The Cool, which was more of a concept and darker album than the first. Still, Lupe was also able to stay fresh for his fans with hits such as "Superstar", "Paris, Tokyo" and "Dumb it Down" (I personally enjoyed The Cool more than 2007's Graduation, which garnered 24324x more attention).
Just when it seemed Lupe was destined to conquer the hip-hop realm, however, his ego became his greatest enemy.
After the release of The Cool, Lupe proclaimed that he would retire after his next album, LupE.N.D. This turned out to be false (something I thought the entire time) and Lupe backed out of his "retirement" to work on his next album, Lasers.
The album was doomed from the start, as Lupe campaigned for nearly two years against his own label, Atlantic, claiming that they wouldn't allow him to express his own creativity due to the desire to sell records. When Lasers was finally released, it was met not only with harsh reviews, but an angry response from his dedicated fan base. An album that fans had waited for over four years was muddled with commercial production and an attempt to go more mainstream.
Lupe also found himself in even hotter water, when he proclaimed that President Barack Obama was a "terrorist" for not meeting his promises of the 2008 election and that Lupe wouldn't vote in the next election (the album was a huge disappointment, but this was the statement that made me speculate that Lupe could have lost it. Remember, the timing of this announcement was only 2 years into the Obama presidency and Lupe sounded impatient and like a kid who didn't get candy in the checkout lane, to me at least).
All in the meanwhile, Lupe had recorded another album that didn't get the time of day (for obvious reasons, as I've mentioned above). In fact, it's the one I'm about to talk about right now and the one that is the title of this post.
Food and Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Part 1
Lupe Fiasco
Atlantic Records
Release Date: September 25th, 2012
1. Ayesha Says (Intro)
Something that was missing from Lasers was this: an introduction/monologue from Lupe's own sister, Ayesha Juco. As was the first two of her messages, this one is also interesting and is worth the listen if you want to throw this album on in full.
2. Strange Fruition ft. Casey Benjamin (Prod. by Soundtrakk)
Clearly Lupe saw the sign on the wall that he needed to pair back up with Soundtrakk (remember, this is the dude responsible for "Go Go Gadget Flow", "Superstar" AND "Paris, Tokyo", which makes we wonder where the hell he was during Lasers or if their was a rift between the two). The production here is good, but not spectacular, and certainly not a beat that will stick with you long after the drums fade. However, the lyrics on here are worth your time. Lupe has widely been regarded as one of the better (I refuse to say best after Lasers) lyricists in the game today and he is on par here. I'm not crazy about all the conspiracy crap he wants us all to believe, but I will admit he puts it more elegantly than any comment from Mitt Romney or most politicians (seriously though, the GOP totally wins the upcoming election if Romney just busts out a rap of his policies, that would be epic).
3. ITAL (Roses) (Prod. by 1500 or Nothin')
I was curious to see whether Lupe would decide to respond to his critics on this album, as he wanted to distance himself from Lasers as much as possible (for good reason). Not surprisingly, however, Lupe fires back in this trumpet laden 1500 or Nothin' track. Again, this was a beat that didn't have that extra omph (however the hell that's spelled) to make it memorable, but one thing it does is complement Lupe pretty well. Lupe tries to make that stale argument we've heard every other rapper use since the hip-hop's beginnings that he feeds off the hate thrown at him. The lyrics here are constructed well but the message is more of the same, leaving the track more of a dandelion than a rose.
4. Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free) (Prod. by Simonsayz & B Sides)
Three quick things I'd like to point out before delving more into the actual message and lyrics in this one:
1. The artwork for this single is fucking brilliant.
2. How high were Simonsayz & B Sides when they tried making this beat? This has to be one of the laziest efforts behind the boards I've seen since J.Cole tried to sell that "In The Morning" was not a recycled track off of The Warm Up.
3. Pete Rock has every right to be pissed and should be taking this shit to court as soon as humanly possible.
OK, that being said, Lupe absolutely destroys the beat given to him here. If you aren't a hip-hop head, you will love this probably on first listen. If you have actually heard of one of the greatest tracks to come out of the last 20 years ("T.R.O.Y." in case you had a temporary brain fart), then let this one grow on you like it did for me. The messages in here are great, like this line here:
And we marvel at the state of heart of man
Then turn around and treat Ghana like a garbage can
America’s a big motherfuckin’ garbageman
If you ain’t know, you’re part and parcel of the problem
You say no you ain’t, and I say yes you is
Soon as you find out what planned obsolescence is
You say no they didn’t, and I say yes they did
The definition of unnecessary-ness
It's one of the most conflicting songs I've heard in a while. It loses mucho points for stealing, yes stealing, one of the greatest beats of all time. Yet, the beat also makes Lupe sound really, really good, so I can see the argument for it as well. Either way, Lupe did well here and even if he loses millions over copyright infringement. I think the price is worth it.
5. Audubon Ballroom (Prod. by Fatimes & Bullit)
Aside from the hook, which is awful, this song didn't do much for me. If you want to spend some time analyzing the lyrics, you'll find some introspective shit, but otherwise, I found this track boring for the most part. Then again, if I had heard this on Lasers, I'd have probably thought it was the greatest thing since Golden Tate's postgame interview against the Packers this week.
6. Bitch Bad (Prod. by The Audibles & Jason Boyd)
Another beat that is less than stellar, but here's a case where the production is supposed to take the backseat. I loved the message on this and the writing here is extremely well done. Lupe's flow may seem choppy, but after you watch the video, you get a better understanding that he's trying to tell a story, rather than rap one. The "double entendre" line was also brilliant and while this isn't a song that you'll have on repeat in the near future, it's one that needs to be heard. Definitely a topic that gets nearly zero attention and good to see Lupe had the sense to pick up on that.
7. Lamborghini Angels (Prod. by Mr. Inkredible)
Here's the production I was waiting for. This is the first time Lupe and Mr. Inkredible have paired up and listening to about 30 seconds of this has me praying they work together again, and soon. By far the most up tempo song on the album, Lupe is also up to the task and again, he sounds very good over Inkredible's production. The song, like every other on this album basically, is littered with political meaning, but the third verse is the one that really sticks out to me, particularly this:
With his crucifix inside his pocket said his mission is divine
Put his Bible on the bed and then he touched on his behind
Told him take off all his clothes and put your penis next to mine
Now the little boy think it's normal because they do this all the time
With no life inside his body now he finally think he's safe
But they cut off all his fingers while they piss all in his face
Lupe clearly has no boundaries on who he attacks, going after the church and American troops in about 10 seconds. This is also one of the few songs on the album where you actually have to listen to pick up the meaning of what Lupe is saying. He has a tendency to make things almost too simple to understand (how ironic is his "Dumb it Down" now?) and it's one of my major criticisms of Lupe. That's not the case here. In seven tracks, Lupe has officially produced more quality tracks than he did on the entire Lasers album. That, in itself, is an improvement.
8. Put 'Em Up (Prod. by 1500 or Nothin' & Julian Bunetta)
Transitioning from the fastest paced song to one of the slowest, this will probably be one of his fan favorites from this album. It's a good beat to unleash over and I expect there will be some sort of freestyle over this sometime soon, but it's also not something that's breaking any new ground. I'm sure this will be a lot better live (as I've seen first hand with some of Lupe's tracks even from Lasers), it's just not doing much for me right now.
9. Heart Donor ft. Poo Bear (Prod. by
As shown in the production credits, this is clearly not a track Lupe had much involvement with (at least I'd hope so for his sake). What's sad is that not only does this mainstream attempt ruin momentum for this album, but the chances I see this on the Billboard Hot 100 anytime soon are about as good Lindsay Lohan ever resurrecting her career.
10. How Dare You ft. Bilal (Prod. by Severe)
I skipped this one after about 15 seconds in. Tried coming back to it, then repeated the same thing I did the first time.
11. Battle Scars ft. Guy Sebastian (Prod. Pro-Jay & Guy Sebastian)
If any song has a chance at getting radio attention, I feel its this one. Surprisingly, this has a commercial feel but it doesn't sound terrible. Sebastian does a great job with the hook and he probably outshines the host here. The album has clearly shifted from the ultra-political first half to a more personal second half, which is relieving in a sense. This may get some Valentines Day play, at least.
12. Brave Heart ft. Poo Bear (Prod. by The Runners & Jason Boyd)
I liked the introspect into his own career on this, and Lupe tears apart the second verse, so that's definitely worth mentioning. The beat is also not awful, along with the hook, so I can't really complain about that either. I just felt this song was missing something. It reminded me somewhat of Big Boi's "General Patton", except that song really hit me when I first heard it. Same with Eminem's "Till I Collapse", both songs that used a military march as a background. It's kind of like Lupe was ready to throw a haymaker, but then decided to just throw a weak uppercut in a fight. Still effective, but not a knockout.
13. Form Follows Function (Prod. by Infamous)
As with much of this album, unfortunately, the production is not anything special. It is just good enough though, to keep me listening. One issue I have with this album is its organization, as this is a song that could have possibly been the last one on the tracklist. In that case, I think it would have fit perfectly. Yes, it is the back end of the album, so it's hard to keep up the momentum from the first half, but great albums are ones that keep you engaged for the entire set. It's like the film Hancock. The first hour of that movie is fucking awesome, but the second hour is as stale as Spiderman 3.
14. Cold War ft. Jane $$$ (Prod. by 1500 or Nothin')
From the opening guitar riff, I knew this was going to be something special. Everything, or rather everyone, in this song works. 1500 or Nothin' drops easily the strongest beat of the album and the stuff he uses for the hook is terrific. Yet, Jane $$$ nearly outshines everyone here because of his stadium sounding voice on the hook. I had been griping about how Lupe hadn't had something that really blew me away on this album, but he finally comes through in just about the last round.
Yes, this song is incredibly simplistic. You only need to look at the lyrics once to understand the track's entire meaning, but regardless, the music here is so good that it overshadows the lack of metaphors or clever wordplay. Lupe also sounds much more personal on this song, maybe more personal than anything I've ever heard him on before, and the beat complements his dedication to his friend extremely well. It's not the best dedication song I've ever heard (or even this year for that matter, as Ab-Soul's "The Book of Soul" takes that honor by a mile), but it's still very, very good.
15. Unforgivable Youth ft. Jason Evigan (Prod. by King David)
It's hard to follow up a track like "Cold War", and it's clear this track suffers from a little of the hangover effect. If this one had been earlier in the album, I think it sounds better, as it's not a bad track overall (although Evigan's hook is weak as shit). Lupe's message, or argument really, is well constructed on here and it does fit with the overall tone of the album. It's just definitely one I will be coming back to.
16. Hood Now (Outro) (Prod. by 1500 or Nothin')
A rare attribute that Lupe has over other artists I've listened to is his ability to make an outro I actually want to listen to. Credit, this is based off just F&L and this particular case, but that's two more than I've listened to on any Kanye or Nas album of late. 1500's beat here is probably the album's 2nd best, even if it does get ultra repetitive. I'm glad Lupe didn't just rap over the whole thing and actually added a hook, which sounds great, just don't know who is behind it. I also liked the point Lupe tries to make, which is how countless items in our culture now is classified as "hood". I'm guilty of doing this myself, but this is the culture we live in today in America. Lupe just wants to remind us that the word is, and always will be, something the African American community will be attached to.
We took that hurt
Made it into song
This sums it up in just two lines. One of my favorite tracks of this album and it leaves me with a much better taste in my mouth than most albums have this year.
Closing Statement:
So Food and Liquor 2 was not the album that will propel Lupe Fiasco back into the conversation of greatest rappers alive, in fact, far from it. There is some good on here, even moments of greatness, but half of this album were basically fillers and I can't see this making my top five list, or many others, at the end of the year. Some sites, like HipHopDX have looked at this more favorably because of the massive amount of lyrical content on here, and I don't fault them for that. A great album, however, has much more than that. A great album not only has the lyrics to keep you thinking, but beats that unique to the artist and breaking new ground in one way or another. A great album is well organized and keeps the listener's adrenaline pumping for the entirety of the ride, not just one or two big hills. And a great album has some sort of connection between each of its tracks (I always revert to Only Built for Cuban Linx for this one).
By no means, however, is this a bad or even mediocre album. I'm glad that Lupe worked hard to get this out as soon as he could to start the healing process from Lasers, as he desperately needed it. I also give props to Lupe for sticking to who he is, being a great lyricist and someone who cares very deeply about social and political issues of today. You will absolutely learn a thing or two by giving this a listen. Lupe also does have some outstanding songs here: "Cold War", "Lamborghini Angels", "Bitch Bad", and "Hood Now (Outro)".
While it isn't even close to what F&L was, it is without a doubt a step in the right direction for Lupe. I was worried if Lupe would ever be what he once was after Lasers. After hearing this, I know he won't be the Lupe of 2006 ever again. This is a new, or "version 4" as he calls himself in "Battle Scars", of Lupe and it's one that I will be excited to hear more from in the future.
The Verdict:
I'm going to recommend you buy this, but only by a smidgen. If you have the extra cash, then I think it's worth a pick up, but if you've been eating Ramen for the last week, I think a burn will suffice. This is probably Lupe's third best album and I don't expect it to sell very well. Even still, there are some great tracks on here that you should definitely have in your library, so if anything, grab those because they are well worth the listen.
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