Looking back, how good was Food and Liquor really?

[Street Knowledge]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupe_Fiasco's_Food_%26_Liquor

I remember when this album came out vividly. It got excellent reviews, people were saying things like “it’s a breath of fresh air to the game”, Lupe is what the rap game has been missing, some people even used the C word to describe it. I really liked the album in real time but looking back I’m wondering how good was it really? I revisited this album and it’s not the same for me

Lyrically it’s as good as the best things that were being released that year but lyrics don’t make an album alone. The beats range from mostly meh to horrible, same thing with the hooks which has always been his fatal flaw as an artist. There are songs like Real and American Terrorist, The cool, that I thought was Nice in 2006 that I don’t care for anymore. The only songs I can honestly say I really like to love over 15 years later are Kick Push 1/2, Hurt me Soul, DayDreaming, Pressure, Sunshine, and maybe emperors sountrack?

It’s like a 3-3.5 mic album at best to me now

 

[SunZoo]

It was good, not gonna scoff at anyone calling it a classic but It's like his...third fouth or best album in hindsight.

I just look at it as the introduction to someone and something special in the rap game, meaning that wether you think it's perfect or this amount of mics, it created at moment for itself.

To me that's a huge part of what goes into something being 'classic', not so much impeccable quality but did it create a moment and I'd say F&L is one of those things that kind of made hip hop do a collective double take and that's always fun.

 

[qnsfinest]

5 mics. Classic

Top to bottom, not a single weak track.

 

[NoHalfWay]

It’s a classic. 4.75/5 to be honest. The Cool is a classic too

You coli nikkas needa get on with this revisionist shyt only song I’ll bring to trial is I Gotcha, which isn’t terrible

I know this album special when Meek Mill of all people said he knew every word to it, quoted on twitter, and cited as music that inspired him even over Cole or K Dot

 

[2ATMsYouSteppinOrWhat]

its a good album
classic? i think so
but even then at best its 8 maybe 8.5


Sunshine

fukking love that song

 

[Ziggiy]

4.5 Mics.

If he hadn’t suffered the leak and had to take off tracks like Theme Music To A Drive By and Hustlaz Song he would have had a stone cold classic

 

[MurderToCassette]

I remember the leak being better than what actually dropped, but I haven't listened to either in probably 15 years

 

[JayBaldacci]

It was good album that benefitted from 06 being weak... It was better than his dad and uncle's albums that year(Jay and Nas).

 

[Mandizi]

Classic in my opinion. Bruh had a strong two-year debut with The Cool after it.

 

[ISO]

I said it another thread this is a 3 to 3.5 mic album at best a lot of awful hooks, bad beats, and Jay Z biting throughout.

I listened to it again yesterday a 4.5 mic rating is crazy since albums like Reasonable Doubt and It Was Written only got 4 mics.

 

[CaughtInTWebb]

Classic then, classic now.

 

[Street Knowledge]

It’s a classic. 4.75/5 to be honest. The Cool is a classic too

You coli nikkas needa get on with this revisionist shyt only song I’ll bring to trial is I Gotcha, which isn’t terrible

I know this album special when Meek Mill of all people said he knew every word to it, quoted on twitter, and cited as music that inspired him even over Cole or K Dot

1.)If it’s a “classic” what are classic rap songs? Kick push that’s about it


2.)I don’t think you know what revisionist history is

 

[Sir Richard Spirit]

It was good album that benefitted from 06 being weak... It was better than his dad and uncle's albums that year(Jay and Nas).

06 was a great year for hiphop

 

[ISO]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupe_Fiasco's_Food_%26_Liquor

I remember when this album came out vividly. It got excellent reviews, people were saying things like “it’s a breath of fresh air to the game”, Lupe is what the rap game has been missing, some people even used the C word to describe it. I really liked the album in real time but looking back I’m wondering how good was it really? I revisited this album and it’s not the same for me

Lyrically it’s as good as the best things that were being released that year but lyrics don’t make an album alone. The beats range from mostly meh to horrible, same thing with the hooks which has always been his fatal flaw as an artist. There are songs like Real and American Terrorist, The cool, that I thought was Nice in 2006 that I don’t care for anymore. The only songs I can honestly say I really like to love over 15 years later are Kick Push 1/2, Hurt me Soul, DayDreaming, Pressure, Sunshine, and maybe emperors sountrack?

It’s like a 3-3.5 mic album at best to me now

Even those tracks that are good like Hurt Me Soul and Sunshine have ass hooks.

 

[Street Knowledge]

Even those tracks that are good like Hurt Me Soul and Sunshine have ass hooks.

He’s legit horrible at hooks and choruses. But this is allegedly a “classic” rap album