Lupe Fiasco could do it all in 2006. He was one of hip-hop’s most radical voices. No rapper touched on systemic injustices happening in America and on a global scale quite like the Chicago MC. He effortlessly blended lyrical density with style that made him fit for sexy Neptunes-produced songs and windy skateboarding anthems alike.
After the breakout success of Kanye West, everyone was looking for an artist that could replicate his everyman quality without sacrificing coolness. Lupe did that with his breakout debut album Food & Liquor, which was released on this day 20 years ago.
The crux of Food & Liquor revolves around the simple binary of good and evil. There’s a constant tug-of-war between the two, fighting for the soul of a person.
“The title reflects on me being Muslim and being from the streets,” Lupe Fiasco explained at the time. “In Chicago, instead [of] having bodegas like in New York, the majority of the corner stores are called ‘Food and Liquors.’ The store is where everything is at, whether it be the wine-o hanging by the store, or us as kids going back and forth to the store to buy something. The ‘Food’ is the good part and the ‘Liquors’ is the bad part. I try to balance out both parts of me.”
Lupe Fiasco Releases One of Hip-Hop’s All-Time Great Debut Albums on This Day in 2006
However, in April 2006, the entire album leaked. This led to the album being shelved initially. But rather than diminish the hype, it only built up further. Critics lauded his work, and fans on HipHopDX called Lupe a “savior of hip-hop.” Keep in mind that this was during the era when Nas declared hip-hop completely dead. Lupe’s lyrical dexterity made fans believe he would resurrect it.
Consequently, Lupe Fiasco recorded some more songs and tinkered around with some last-minute sample issues. Additional songs and all, he still won over critics. Rolling Stone gave the record 4 stars, with writer Evan Serpick marveling at the imagery in his writing and production alike. The only complaint Sean Fennessy of Pitchfork had at the time was a matter of Lupe’s choruses.
“More troubling is Fiasco’s apparent inability to write fly hooks. While his verses are packed with wit and double meaning, his hooks are mostly blandly-sung, unmemorable couplets. This highlights what may be Food & Liquor‘s biggest flaw: It’s just not that fun,” Fennessy wrote of Lupe Fiasco.
“This is not to say there isn’t a place for grand, thoughtful hip-hop—there isn’t nearly enough. But on the strength of his 1st and 15th mixtapes, the joyful ‘Kick, Push’, and effervescent ‘I Gotcha’… Fiasco’s at his best when he’s a bit livelier.”
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
The post 20 Years Ago Today, Lupe Fiasco Released One of the Greatest Debut Hip-Hop Albums of All Time appeared first on VICE.
