Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006)

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, commonly referred to as Food & Liquor or abbreviated to LFFL, is the debut studio album by American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released on September 19, 2006, through 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features production from The Neptunes, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, Craig Kallman, Prolyfic, Needlz, Soundtrakk, and Brandon Howard. Jay-Z, Chill, and Fiasco himself are credited as the executive producers for the album. Songs on the record discuss poverty, Islam, terrorism, racism, and individuality.

Originally, the album was reported to have debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200; however, due to incomplete Nielsen SoundScan reports, the album actually debuted at number eight. The album received four Grammy Award nominations, including Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 49th Grammy Awards. "Daydreamin'", featuring Jill Scott, won Best Urban/Alternative Song at the 50th Grammy Awards. The album was digitally re-released on September 13, 2011, to mark its 5th anniversary; this version features four new tracks. On April 30, 2015, Fiasco released a music video for "Just Might Be OK", nine years after the album's original release.

Background and conception

At age 19, Fiasco was signed to Epic Records as a member of a hip hop group called Da Pak. The group released one single before splitting up. He later signed a recording contract with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and chief executive officer (CEO), L. A. Reid, was fired. In 2006, fellow rapper Jay-Z was impressed by Fiasco's feature on Kanye West's "Touch the Sky" and agreed to become the executive producer of the album.

The title of the album, somewhat of a surprise for many coming from a Muslim, references the various Food and Liquor stores in Chicago neighborhoods. It also refers to the "constant tug of war between good (food) and evil (liquor)". The title is a philosophy that Fiasco believes about human nature. He went on to elaborate:

"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 'Liquor' is the bad part. I try to balance out both parts of me."

Prior to the release of Food & Liquor, Fiasco was one of Rolling Stone magazine's "List of Artists to Watch" in 2006. In April 2006, the entire album was leaked onto the Internet, which resulted in it being shelved. With the leak of the album, Fiasco was heralded as the potential "savior of hip hop" by critics, as well as fellow recording artists West and Williams. In response of the leak, Fiasco recorded additional songs for the album. Despite stating he would only work with Prolyfic and Soundtrakk, he also worked with other record producers, including Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Mike Shinoda. Recording sessions took place at the 1st & 15th Studios in Chicago, Illinois, the Record Plant Studios in Hollywood, California and the Right Track Studios in New York City, New York. Prior to its release, Fiasco had to make "several last-minute changes" due to "sample issues".

Musical content

Subject matter

Food & Liquor contains elements of alternative hip hop. Fiasco covers a wide variety of subjects on the album. The opening track begins with Fiasco chanting the opening lines of the Qur'an in Arabic. The following track, "Real", is a reflection of "making music of which he doesn't have to be ashamed". "Kick, Push", the album's lead single, is about a young male and his love for skateboarding. The lyrics follow the skateboarder through many stages of his life such as his childhood, finding love, marriage, and adulthood. Although the literal meaning of this song is skateboarding, the actual meaning of the song is rejection, and being criticized for doing what one loves. On "The Instrumental", Fiasco addresses addiction to television. "He Say She Say" deals with the story of a single mother and a child lacking a father figure. "The Cool" follows the story of a dead gangster who rises from the grave and returns to the hood where he lived and died. With its "haunting keys and strings", "Hurt Me Soul" deals with displacement and alienation from his neighborhood. On "American Terrorist", Fiasco discusses the misconceptions of Islam in America. He also addresses the issues of racism and gun culture. The song had originally sampled a song by Chick Corea, but due to sampling issues, it was never cleared. For example, the song opens with,"We came through the storm, nooses on our necks, and a smallpox blanket to keep us warm." The album concludes with Lupe reading off an extensive appreciation list of people who helped with the album.