Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor

Chi-Town…Again!

The leak. For a rapper, it’s one of the most frustrating things that can happen when releasing an album. For an artist, it is also one of the most flattering things that can occur, especially for a debut. The people couldn’t wait and the album was leaked long before it was supposed to. Lupe Fiasco witnessed this contrast first hand.

Many of the hip hop faithful couldn’t wait to get their hands on Food and Liquor. You know why? It’s because he’s a different dude. Lupe Fiasco. He wears frames on the regular…with lenses that don’t block the sun rays. He writes about skateboardin’ and cartoons, among other things and the wordplay mixed with the flow is next level. On top of all that, he’s Muslim…for real. He might be the breath that hip hop needs blown into its dying lungs. The respirators are failing. Lupe to the rescue.

If you heard the intro from the “leaked” album you will be disappointed with this one, so let’s move on. On Just Might Be OK, Lupe spits on a Just Blaze sounding track in a range-y lyrical exercise. Lupe speaks from the perspective of a mother and son longing for an absent father on He Say She Say. Daydreamin’ employs the vocals of Jill Scott. While the hook sounds like a Broadway musical, Lupe gets loose on the ills of the streets and television. In an album with seemingly no filler, Hurt Me Soul emerges as one of the hottest tracks.

Food and Liquor stands to be one of the few albums of the year that garners a complete listen every time you put it in the deck. Lupe has dropped what I like to call a five tooler. The album has lyrics, flow, creativity, production and the intangible (aka X-factor). These are the very elements that keep the hip hop fiend wanting more. And when you’re able to fit all five into one project something special is bound to happen.

Now I’m not saying he is hip hop’s savior. It’s going to take a lot more than one man to restore the feeling (there are some albums coming this fall that could do the trick). I’m just saying that he is another big step in the right direction.

Sadly, I have a strong feeling that he won’t get the burn he deserves. In this hip hop universe, bling is king and Lupe ain’t where it’s at. But soon the masses will realize that he is, in fact, “a good addition to the rap ambiance”. He’s gotten pretty good exposure with the two videos that he’s put out but I’m not sure his numbers will match his talent. I predict he’ll be seen through the same eyes that crowned AZ one of the best. Regardless…Touché Lupe, touché.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 matches

Hot Trax: Too many to list.

Outkast - Idlewild

OutKast: Married to the Game?

Yep. Big Boi was right. Everyone is wondering, “are you and Andre still making songs”? Well it appears not, but they do still make albums together. Idlewild is the 6th installment of the OutKast catalog and the second that allowed the artists to do their own thing. Only two songs on the whole album feature both artists, but no complaints on the polarization of OutKast. Although I would like to hear them together welding their two different sounds on a track, this album didn’t disappoint.

Andre 3000 and Big Boi have never been afraid to challenge the status quo of hip hop. Since 1994 they’ve traveled the unbeaten path and 2006 is no different. But the music isn’t crazy different just to be peerless. It’s actually very good. They’re riding in the same candy paint Impala with Kanye West when it comes to making musically driven hip hop. And it’s a nice and very well needed hiccup in the game.

Idlewild kicks off with an intro satirizing actors who believe that rappers and musicians are taking the jobs of the trained professionals (ala Samuel L. Jackson). Humorous and apropos seeing how this is a soundtrack for a movie starring a rapping duo. The first track, Mighty O, features both Andre and Big Boi and is one of the best tracks (if not the best) on the album. It gives us a glimpse of the tandem that we got used to before they started their solo careers…on the low. Morris Brown uses music from the Morris Brown College marching band, recorded in 2002. Using a marching band in production has been done before, but not quite like this. Lil’ Wayne and Snoop lend a hand in Hollywood Divorce, a tale about how Hollywood takes everything popular, uses it and throws it out like it’s yesterday’s news. Mutron Angel is one of those musical masterpieces that OutKast is always good for, but I’m sure this is way more Andre than Antwan.

O to the Kizzay continues to live their namesake in their musical style. We’ve always thought Andre was a little weird with his ski boots and grass skirts. Apparently he’s made the jump from MC to full fledged R&B crooner. We seldom hear a rapping verse from him on this album. Big Boi stays closer to the mainstream middle than Andre but still so far away. He employs his staccato steez and uses a Georgia drawl to deliver his run on sentences. But OutKast drops classics and classic this is not.

Idlewild is a half album. Half record, half soundtrack. Half 3000, half Big Boi. It is pretty much half of what we can expect from the super group. I miss the contrast. I miss the chemistry. I miss OutKast. They dropped a so called album parallel to a full length feature film by the same name. It’s a great way to maximize profits and double the exposure, but it fails for the true fan. Hollywood Divorce eh? Looks like ya’ll just got married.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 matches

Hot Trax: Mighty O, Chronomentrophobia, Hollywood Divorce, Mutron Angel

Obie Trice - Second Round's on Me

Obie Trice: Where We Going to for Breakfast?

Obie Trice. Real name, no gimmicks. Nothing truer has ever been said. He’s following no trends nor is he jumping on a regional bandwagon for success. He dropped Cheers at a time when Eminem was the man and still got some shine. He held his own and established himself as an artist despite being backed by the blonde, pointy-nosed, white kid. Second Round’s on Me is his sophomore effort. He didn’t exactly hit the wall.

I’ve always said a good album sets the tone with the intro. Obie dodged the first bullet. A skit rides into Wake Up, a ballad about his struggle. Wanna Know is a guitar laced track produced by Emile that blends Obie’s gritty Michigan with Van Halen. O rips it apart on Cry Now accompanied by a screaming sample and a beat to match. Trice then showcases his flow dexterity on the self-titled, Eminem-produced, Obie Trice. The track listing is solid and the album was well put together but as for quality…

Why don’t we see that Obie is the greatest thing out of Aftermath since Eminem? He’s that guy on your team (any team it doesn’t matter). Everyone close to him swears he’s the greatest talent out of the whole group. The whole group agrees, but the outsiders can’t imagine it. “If he’s so nice, let him show me!” Yeah that guy. He’s almost a breath of fresh air. Almost. Not too heavy on the gun play, not too much weight on the cocaine slinging.

I applaud Obie for daring to be something different. He has the ability to turn the corner too...except for one thing. I hate to say it but Shady/Aftermath, the same entity that birthed him as an artist, might be the same parent that won’t cut the umbilical cord. An overwhelming amount of Eminem beats don’t do him justice. If Shady wasn’t Shady you’d never hear any of his beats on anything. I’d be willing to bet my Record Review Degree on that. Along with Eminem’s sound there’s a pinch of G-Unit sprinkled throughout. The Shady/Aftermath method is so unmistakable that it’s played out, especially since Em has left the stable.

Give this man credit. He is a talented artist. The flow switches up plus he’s clever and creative. Finding this combination in today’s rap game is like finding a job in Detroit. Although this album isn’t the undeniable instant classic that I expect from every hip hop record (explanation for my ruthlessness on reviews) it’s a respectable release. How is it that this album, a decent one, is flown so far under the radar while more sub par efforts get play? The bar’s closed Obie. Where we going to for breakfast?

Hot Trax: Wanna Know, Snitch, Ghetto, Cry Now