Lupe Fiasco
Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1
Atlantic Records
Producer: Various
Score: 8 out of 10
Conscious hip-hop. That’s how most people categorize Lupe Fiasco. But you won’t find a “go out and vote” or an educated elitist rapping on this, the second installment of the Food & Liquor series. Instead, Lupe brings back Ayesha to set the stage for 16 tracks that plead, “Wake up and make a difference.” Those who felt the message was lost in the pop-driven Lasers should give this deeply-detailed piece of art a few spins (specifically “Around My Way,” “Bitch Bad” and “Unforgivable Youth”). As Lupe proves once again, hip-hop can be about more than just bouncing your ass on a greasy pole—like anti-establishment, world peace and chivalry. Wayne, Drake, and the like should take note.
By Andy Mesecher
