What Happened To The Sk8er Rap? (Food And Liquor: Parental Advisory - Lupe Fiasco)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	Food And Liquor: Parental Advisory - Lupe Fiasco
Date:	01/05/09 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Original

Disadvantages: Pretty much average throughout

"Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor" was the debut album from the Chicago MC, Lupe Fiasco. The Mid-Western Hip Hopper was seen to take great influence form fellow Chi-Town native, Kanye West, who had just made it big at the time (2006) in the fact that he contrasted so greatly from the general Gangsta Rap which dominated the Hip Hop world at the time.

1. "Intro"

2. "Real"

After a long introduction from the artist, you have him performing a track which seem to be a recurring thing in the album as you have him do a track which speaks on real-life thing which he has experienced in his life, and going on advise from those around him, he chooses to do this record with this in mind, and not talk for long on things which don't deal with what the world is really about (unlike the superficial thing manner focus on).

**Three Stars**

3. "Just Might Be OK"

This is a very lively way to get things going as you are still in the early stages of the thin, and it really wakes you up in the way that the producer, Prolyfic chooses to come with lots of energetic things to get it all going, and back Lupe in a way that he feels comfortable. It is an experimental one, to the stage where I couldn't keep up with his themes, but it is a fair one and must be 'slept on'.

**Three Stars***

4. "Kick, Push"

This is the track which Lupe debuted with, and it had him break through as something completely new to the game as he appeared to be a skater rapper. Although this track concentrates around the life of a skate, and their rebellion against all around them, truly he isn't really a skater, as it immerged alter, and this may be a good one, the 'realness' which the album was supposed to be about seemed to fall apart this early on.

**Four Stars**

5. "I Gotcha"

This was another of the bigger singles to come off the album, and I saw it as one of the best that you find on the album as you see him rapping on top of what are some very different beats from The Neptunes. Pharrell has worked with him a lot since here, and this early stage in the relationship gives you nothing but hope for the future as he claims to bring nothing be realness, unlike the fakeness most rappers of his time seemed to come out with.

**Four Stars**

6. "The Instrumental"

Being used on a couple of game soundtracks, I'm sure that I few will recognize it, and I felt that for this reason it seems to stand out a little more on the album, and it even brings back a few memories (despite being that long ago when it dropped). The fact that Mike Shinoda is behind the beats doesn't really do much more me, but I felt that this slightly more matured alt Hip Hop production meant that Lupe was able to easily adapt.

**Four Stars**

7. "He Say, She Say"

This one is sample-rich, but as I can't say that I recognized any of the ones which were used, it did every little for me, and I can't say that it effected the way I looked on it as I hear the rhymes which came from it. I thought that the lay-out to it was quite strong, but the way he goes about flowing really puts me off as it never changes and at times the way he uses excessive enjambment means that it takes away from the tune.

**Two Stars**

8. "Sunshine"

I have to say that this is one of a fair few tracks on the album which really don't stand out at all. As a result it is a tune which you are likely to forget about quickly, and this can never be a good thing for it as there are a few big lines on this track, but Soundtrakk's beats just don't say enough for you to really take much notice of it.

**Three Stars**

9. "Daydreamin'"

I expect more to recognise the sample used in this song, and from hear you find him do a track which basically take from the original and stays in the same sort of dream-like state which the first recorded was built on, and this strange atmosphere allows you engage with the music in a way which isn't capable with many of the others found here.

**Four Stars**

10. "The Cool"

This title was used for the name of his second album, and so it must have a certain degree of significance to it, and I felt that this was transferred into some quality material on this one as it finds him on top of some hot breakbeats to give it a certain feel which differs quite a lot from what else you get on here. He drops big things on this one, and it is one which you should really look out for as it is one of few I would say is really worth a listen.

**Four Stars**

11. "Hurt Me Soul"

Although not getting the chance to be dropped as a single, this was a track which attracted a lot of attention due to the fact that it has him speak on wide issues concerning the Hip Hop world (at the perfect time as it coincided with the 'Hip Hop Is Dead' movement). It has him rap satirically about how the Hip Hop world is plagued with misogyny, violence and drug references. Although he says all this, he understands that he once fell for all this at one pint, but is only now understanding how he can break free of it all.

**Four Stars**

12. "Pressure"

Here you get him alongside Jay-Z in the only Hip Hop collaboration on the album, and I felt as though the influence of the other artist meant that it seemed as though he was forcing the change in the sound of the music in order to make it sound like something that we are much more likely to connect with. For this reason I was put off by it, and it was disappointing (not that Young Hov did too badly).

**Two Stars**

13. "American Terrorist"

This one finds him on top of some funky beats, and it makes a great difference to the quality of things as it seems to lift it all a lot and make it sound a lot better than elsewhere on the album, and I felt as though it made his flow sound much better in general as a result of this. There's a lot to like about this, but the Latino thing (which goes to the extreme in the chorus) put me off a little. I was glad that he didn't choose to go too political hear, and it came across better for this reason.

**Three Stars**

14. "The Emperor's Soundtrack"

This came as the final single off the album and it finds him doing another tune to express his originality and uniqueness in comparison to those others out there. It has him take the basic structure of Slick Rick's "Children's Story", and the same sort of subjects come through, but in a much more darker light .I felt that it ended rather abruptly, possibly even before I had a chance to engage fully with it.

**Three Stars**

15. "Kick, Push II"

In a track which revisits the biggest singles from the album you have him do a tune which has him drop all the light-heartedness which he started off with, and go for something a bit darker (and more in-tune with what the rest of the album is saying) as it has him speak more on what such a skater lifestyle involves, and its complexity beyond just doing tricks. It is significantly worse than the original, but others may feel differently towards it.

**Two Stars**

16. "Outro"

Although I liked a few of the tracks here, it seemed to stay on around the same level throughout. I expect many to think differently towards it as he is clearly doing lots of original and unique things on the album, but for me, a lot of it was rather forced, and so didn't really suit my tastes, but if you like at least three (to a fair degree), then you will probably like the whole thing.

Summary: Lupe Fiasco's debut album