Food & Liquor
Encyclopedia
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, commonly referred to as Food & Liquor, is the debut studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by American recording artist Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...

, released on September 19, 2006, on 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

. The album features production from The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...

, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

, Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda
Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...

, Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman is Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records.Craig Kallman signed the legendary lyricist Percee P and released his sought after 12" "Puttin' Heads To Bed" on his imprint Big Beat in the early 1990s. He joined the company in 1991, when Atlantic acquired Kallman's independent Big Beat...

, Prolyfic
Prolyfic
Prolyfic is an American Hip-Hop record producer best known for his work with the Grammy Award Winning hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco.-Early life:...

, Needlz
Needlz
Khari Cain, better known by his stage name Needlz, is an American record producer, Grammy Award Winning, engineer and composer.-Life and career:...

, Soundtrakk, and Brandon Howard. Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

, Chill, and Fiasco himself are credited as the executive producers for the album.

Originally, the album was reported to have debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

; however, due to incomplete Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

 reports, the album actually debuted at number eight, even though the album had produced no top ten singles.

The first international single off the album was "Kick, Push
Kick, Push
"Kick, Push" is the Grammy nominated first single released from Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor. It has been referred to as "a needle in hip hop's haystack of complacent songs."...

". The song stated Fiasco's love for skateboarding. The second single in Europe was "Daydreamin'
Daydreamin'
"Daydreamin" is the Grammy Award–winning third single taken from Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor album and features soul singer Jill Scott and music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, the Danse de Cygnes...

" (featuring Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...

) which features a sample of I Monster
I Monster
I Monster are an English electronic music group, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. They formed in 1997, and released their debut album These Are Our Children in 1998....

's cover of "Daydream in Blue." The second single in the U.S. (and the third international single) was "I Gotcha" which is produced by The Neptunes. The song's video was featured on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

's "Making the Video
Making the Video
Making the Video is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video and the show often includes light-hearted and humorous moments. It always concludes with a premiere of the...

." Fiasco held a poll on his MySpace profile, where fans were able to vote for which song they wanted to be made into a music video.

The album received four Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 nominations, including Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...

 at the 49th Grammy Awards. Its fourth nomination produced a win as it won the Best Urban/Alternative Song at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...

 for his track "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott.

On September 13, 2011 the album was digitally re-released to mark its 5th anniversary. The anniversary edition featured four new bonus tracks and the music videos for I Gotcha and Daydreamin

Background and conception

At age 19, Fiasco was signed to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 and was a member of a group called Da Pak. The group released one single before splitting up. He later signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...

, but was dropped when president and chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 (CEO) L. A. Reid
L. A. Reid
Antonio "L.A." Reid is a three-time Grammy Award-winning US record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping bring Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Avril Lavigne, Toni Braxton, TLC,...

 was fired. In 2006, recording artist Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

 was impressed by Fiasco's feature on Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

's "Touch the Sky
Touch the Sky
"Touch the Sky" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released in early 2006 as the fourth single from his second album, Late Registration. The song features Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco on his radio debut and was produced by Just Blaze, standing as the only song on the entire album...

" and agreed to become the executive producer of the album.

The title of the album refers to the various Food and Liquor stores in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 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:
Prior to the release of Food & Liquor, Fiasco was one of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 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
Shelved
In politics, the term can be used for policy drafts, that have never been officially brought into legislation.In the film industry, a film is considered shelved if it is not released for public viewing after filming has started, or even completed....

. 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
Prolyfic
Prolyfic is an American Hip-Hop record producer best known for his work with the Grammy Award Winning hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco.-Early life:...

 and Soundtrakk, he also worked with other record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

s, including Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

, Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...

 and Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda
Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...

. Recording sessions took place at the 1st & 15th Studios in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, the Record Plant Studios
Record Plant Studios
The Record Plant was a series of three famous recording studios which were founded by Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone, beginning in New York City in 1968. The next year, Kellgren and Stone opened a second studio in Los Angeles. In 1972, the company expanded again with a third location in Sausalito,...

 in Hollywood, California
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...

 and the Right Track Studios in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. Prior to its release, Fiasco had to make "several last-minute changes" due to "sample issues".

Subject matter

Food & Liquor contains elements of midwest hip hop
Midwest hip hop
Midwest hip hop is hip hop music performed by artists from the Midwestern United States. In contrast with its East Coast, West Coast and Southern counterparts, Midwest hip hop has very few constants...

 and alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...

. On the album, Fiasco covers a wide variety of subjects on the album. The opening track begins with Fiasco chanting the opening lines of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

 in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

. The following track, "Real", is a reflection of "making music of which he doesn't have to be ashamed". "Kick, Push
Kick, Push
"Kick, Push" is the Grammy nominated first single released from Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor. It has been referred to as "a needle in hip hop's haystack of complacent songs."...

", the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

, is about a young male and his love for skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...

. 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
Father Figure
"Father Figure" is the U.S. number-one song written and performed by George Michael and released on Columbia Records in 1988 as the third single from the album Faith.-History:...

. "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
Hurt Me Soul
"Hurt Me Soul" is a satirical song written by rapper Lupe Fiasco. The Needlz-produced track was released in September 2006 on his debut album Food & Liquor. "Hurt Me Soul" is considered by many hip-hop enthusiasts as one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of 2006...

" deals with displacement and alienation from his neighborhood. On "American Terrorist", Fiasco discusses the misconceptions of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 religion. He also addresses the issues of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

 and gun culture
Gun culture
The gun culture is a culture shared by people in the gun politics debate, generally those who advocate preserving gun rights and who are generally against more gun control...

. The song had originally sampled a song by Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...

, 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.

Production

Food & Liquor was handled by a variety of different producers; some lesser-known such as Prolyfic
Prolyfic
Prolyfic is an American Hip-Hop record producer best known for his work with the Grammy Award Winning hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco.-Early life:...

, Soundtrakk, Needlz
Needlz
Khari Cain, better known by his stage name Needlz, is an American record producer, Grammy Award Winning, engineer and composer.-Life and career:...

 and Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman
Craig Kallman is Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records.Craig Kallman signed the legendary lyricist Percee P and released his sought after 12" "Puttin' Heads To Bed" on his imprint Big Beat in the early 1990s. He joined the company in 1991, when Atlantic acquired Kallman's independent Big Beat...

, while also having tracks produced by well-known producers such as Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

, Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda
Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...

 and The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...

. On "Kick, Push", Soundtrakk provided lush strings and horns as the backdrop. Strings are prominent through the album particularly on songs such as "Hurt Me Soul", "He Say She Say", and "Daydreamin'". "Daydreamin'" contains a sample of the well-known song "Daydream in Blue" as covered by I Monster
I Monster
I Monster are an English electronic music group, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. They formed in 1997, and released their debut album These Are Our Children in 1998....

 as the chorus. "American Terrorist" contains a middle-eastern style beat provided by Prolyfic. The Neptunes provided a more synth and keyboard based beat on "I Gotcha". Brandon Howard provides a lush piano loop on "Kick, Push II".

Artwork

The album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...

 of Food & Liquor was designed by Chuck Anderson and Righteous Kung Fu. It was inspired by a skateboard deck Fiasco owned. The cover shows Fiasco floating in air, surrounded by several items, including a Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...

 postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....

, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

, a sketchbook
Sketchbook
A sketchbook is "a book or pad with blank pages for sketching," and is frequently used by artists for drawing or painting as a part of their creative process....

, the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

 and a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

. He explained that the items were picked out carefully, as they were things he "carr[ied] around every day". In the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...

, Fiasco parodies drug dealing
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...

 by replacing liquor with milk and cookies, and drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...

s by replacing guns with books.

Reception

Food & Liquor received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...

 score of 83 based on 20 reviews. Several writers lauded the lyrical content on the album. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...

 praised the album, saying that Fiasco "masterfully melds his peerless storytelling gifts with his idiosyncratic passion for skateboarding, fantasy, and incisive sociopolitical commentary". He also noted that Fiasco "boldly expand[ed] the parameters of mainstream hip-hop". Sarah Godfrey of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

 hailed the album as a "masterpiece of responsible rap". Darryl Sterdan of Jam!
Jam!
Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....

 called the album "one of the sharpest and smartest hip-hop discs" of 2006, while Andy Kellman of Allmusic argued that "Food and Liquor just might be the steadiest and most compelling rap album of 2006". Sean Fennessey of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 described the album's verses as being "packed with wit and double meaning", but felt that the album's biggest flaw was Fiasco's inability to write memorable hooks
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...

, which he described as "blandly-sung, unmemorable couplets". Steve 'Flash' Juon gave the album 8.5/9.5/9 and said, "I've been impressed by some major label debut albums before, but quite honestly I think Lupe Fiasco takes the cake here with his "Food & Liquor" and eats it too. Fiasco wasn't satisfied with just a slice of the rap game, he wanted the whole damn pie."

Food & Liquor debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, selling 81,000 copies in its first week. As of January 2008, it went on to sell 325,000 copies in the United States,and over 500,000 worldwide by many analysts. The album was named best hip hop album of 2006 by several publications and was ranked within several year-end lists. It was also one of the best-reviewed albums of 2006 at Metacritic. The album earned Fiasco three nominations at the 2007 49th Grammy Awards: Best Rap Album
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...

, Best Rap Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....

 and Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...

 for "Kick, Push
Kick, Push
"Kick, Push" is the Grammy nominated first single released from Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor. It has been referred to as "a needle in hip hop's haystack of complacent songs."...

". In 2008, "Daydreamin'
Daydreamin'
"Daydreamin" is the Grammy Award–winning third single taken from Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor album and features soul singer Jill Scott and music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, the Danse de Cygnes...

" won the award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performances...

 at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...

.

Track listing

# Title Songwriters Producer(s) Sample(s) Length
1 "Intro" Chris & Drop
  • Note: The woman who recites the poem on the introduction is Iesha Jaco, Lupe's sister. The same woman is also responsible for the poem in the introduction to "The Cool".
3:06
2 "Real" (Feat. Sarah Green) Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...

/Harvey Mason/Kenny Mason/Soundtrakk
Soundtrakk
  • "How Does It Feel" by Harvey Mason
    Harvey Mason
    Harvey William Mason is an American jazz drummer. He has worked with many jazz and fusion artists such as Bob James, The Brecker Brothers, Lee Ritenour, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and almost all the Mizell Brothers productions with Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Bobbi Humphrey and Gary Bartz...

  • 4:02
    3 "Just Might Be OK" (Feat. Gemini) Paul Humphrey/Fiasco/Prolyfic
    Prolyfic
    Prolyfic is an American Hip-Hop record producer best known for his work with the Grammy Award Winning hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco.-Early life:...

    Prolyfic
  • "Humphrey's Overture" written by Paul Humphrey
    Paul Humphrey
    Paul Nelson Humphrey is an American jazz and funk/R+B drummer.He worked as a session drummer in the 1960s for jazz artists such as Wes Montgomery, Les McCann, Kai Winding, Charles Mingus, Lee Konitz, Blue Mitchell and Gene Ammons.As a bandleader, he recorded under the name Paul Humphrey and the...

  • 4:24
    4 "Kick, Push
    Kick, Push
    "Kick, Push" is the Grammy nominated first single released from Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor. It has been referred to as "a needle in hip hop's haystack of complacent songs."...

    "
    Fiasco/Soundtrakk Soundtrakk
  • "Magtaksil Man Ikaw (Bolero Medley)" by Celeste Legaspi
  • 4:13
    5 "I Gotcha" (Feat. Pharrell Williams
    Pharrell Williams
    Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...

    )
    Fiasco/Pharrell Williams The Neptunes
    The Neptunes
    The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...

    3:58
    6 "The Instrumental" (Feat. Jonah Matranga
    Jonah Matranga
    Jonah Rzadzinski Matranga is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who has released a variety of solo material under his own name and onelinedrawing, and has previously been part of the bands Far and New End Original and Gratitude...

    )
    John Gutenberger/Shaun Lopez/Fiasco/Jonah Matranga/Chris Robyn/Mike Shinoda Mike Shinoda
    Mike Shinoda
    Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...

  • "Nestle" by Far
    Far (band)
    Far is a band from Sacramento, USA.-Releases :After a number of local releases including their first demo tape Sweat A River, Live No Lies and two independent albums Listening Game and Quick they signed to Epic/Immortal Records and released their first major record, Tin Cans With Strings To You...

  • 3:26
    7 "He Say She Say" (Feat. Gemini & Sarah Green) Burt Bacharach/Hal Bowen David/Fiasco/Soundtrakk Soundtrakk
  • "The Last One to Be Loved" by Burt Bacharach
    Burt Bacharach
    Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...

  • "Mesopotamia" by The B-52's
    The B-52's
    The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...

  • 4:12
    8 "Sunshine" Fiasco/Soundtrakk Soundtrakk
  • "Friend to Friend" by Diana Ross
    Diana Ross
    Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

  • 3:55
    9 "Daydreamin'
    Daydreamin'
    "Daydreamin" is the Grammy Award–winning third single taken from Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor album and features soul singer Jill Scott and music from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, the Danse de Cygnes...

    " (Feat. Jill Scott
    Jill Scott
    Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...

    )
    Craig Kallman/Fiasco/Dave Mackay/Sylveer Van Holman/Raymond Vincent Craig Kallman
    Craig Kallman
    Craig Kallman is Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records.Craig Kallman signed the legendary lyricist Percee P and released his sought after 12" "Puttin' Heads To Bed" on his imprint Big Beat in the early 1990s. He joined the company in 1991, when Atlantic acquired Kallman's independent Big Beat...

  • "Daydream" by I Monster
    I Monster
    I Monster are an English electronic music group, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. They formed in 1997, and released their debut album These Are Our Children in 1998....

  • 3:55
    10 "The Cool" Fiasco/Dexter Wansel/Kanye West Kanye West
    Kanye West
    Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

  • "Life on Mars" by Dexter Wansel
    Dexter Wansel
    Dexter Gilman Wansel is an American keyboardist, raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound and worked with producers Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records. Wansel led the musical group, Yellow Sunshine...

  • "Funky Drummer
    Funky drummer
    "Funky Drummer" is a funk song recorded by James Brown and his band. The recording's drum break, performed by drummer Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampled rhythmic breaks in hip hop and popular music; indeed, it lays a strong claim to being the most sampled recording ever,...

    " by James Brown
    James Brown
    James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

  • 3:46
    11 "Hurt Me Soul
    Hurt Me Soul
    "Hurt Me Soul" is a satirical song written by rapper Lupe Fiasco. The Needlz-produced track was released in September 2006 on his debut album Food & Liquor. "Hurt Me Soul" is considered by many hip-hop enthusiasts as one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of 2006...

    "
    Tony Camillo/Fiasco/Needlz
    Needlz
    Khari Cain, better known by his stage name Needlz, is an American record producer, Grammy Award Winning, engineer and composer.-Life and career:...

    /Mary Sawyer
    Needlz
  • "Stay with Me" by Cecil Holmes
  • 4:22
    12 "Pressure" (Feat. Jay-Z
    Jay-Z
    Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

    )
    Shawn Carter/Fiasco/Mike Melvoin/Prolyfic/Bill Schnee Prolyfic
  • "Pressure Cooker" by Thelma Houston
    Thelma Houston
    Thelma Houston is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She scored a number-one hit in 1976 with her cover version of the song "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.-Early life & career:Houston is the daughter of a cotton picking mother...

  • 4:47
    13 "American Terrorist" (Feat. Matthew Santos
    Matthew Santos
    Matthew Santos is an American rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter. He is best known for his collaboration with Chicago native Lupe Fiasco on the single "Superstar." He was signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st & 15th Entertainment record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.-Early...

    )
    Armando Corea/Fiasco/Prolyfic Prolyfic
  • "The Romantic Warrior" by Return to Forever
    Return to Forever
    Return to Forever is a jazz fusion group founded and led by keyboardist Chick Corea. Through its existence, the band has cycled through a number of different members, with the only consistent band mate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke...

  • 4:40
    14 "The Emperor's Soundtrack
    The Emperor's Soundtrack
    "The Emperor's Soundtrack" is the fifth single from Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor.The song was produced by Soundtrakk. A very low budget video for the song appeared on Lupe's MySpace Blog a little after the release of the last official single from Food and Liquor.-External links:*...

    "
    Fiasco/Michael Schenker/Soundtrakk Soundtrakk
  • "Between the Walls" by UFO
    UFO (band)
    UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...

  • 2:56
    15 "Kick, Push II" Brandon Howard/Fiasco Brandon Howard 4:11
    16 "Outro" Chris & Drop 12:13
    * "Carrera Lu" (Limited Edition Bonus Track) Prolyfic 3:11
    * "Tilted" (Limited Edition Bonus Track) Needlz 3:30
    * "...And He Gets the Girl" (Feat. Pharrell) (Limited Edition Bonus Track) The Neptunes
  • "Maybe
    Maybe (N.E.R.D song)
    "Maybe" is a single from N*E*R*D's album Fly or Die and was only released in the UK, where it reached #24. It has since been released in America after 2004. The song was featured in an iPod commercial which also promoted the song...

    " by N.E.R.D
  • 4:09
    * "Theme Music to a Drive By" (Limited Edition Bonus Track) Prolyfic 3:04

    Personnel

    As listed on Allmusic.

    • Mireya Acierto – photography
      Photography
      Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...

    • Chuck Anderson – cover art
      Cover art
      Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...

    • James Auwarter – mixing
      Audio mixing (recorded music)
      In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...

      , mixing assistant
    • Craig Bauer – mixing
    • Jeff Breakley – mixing assistant
    • Chill – executive producer, management
      Management
      Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

    • Andrew Coleman – engineer
    • Bojan Dugich – engineer, mixing
    • Lupe Fiasco
      Lupe Fiasco
      Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...

       – executive producer
    • Patrick Fong – design
      Design
      Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...

    • Brian Gartner – vocal engineer
    • Chris Gehringer – mastering
      Audio mastering
      Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...

    • Sarah Green – performer
    • Brandon Howard – producer
      Record producer
      A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

    • I Monster – producer
    • Jay-Z
      Jay-Z
      Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

       – executive producer
    • Chris Jennings – assistant engineer

    • Darrale Jones – executive producer
    • Craig Kallman – producer
    • Greg Magers – engineer
    • Jonah Matranga
      Jonah Matranga
      Jonah Rzadzinski Matranga is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who has released a variety of solo material under his own name and onelinedrawing, and has previously been part of the bands Far and New End Original and Gratitude...

       – performer
    • The Neptunes
      The Neptunes
      The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...

       – producer
    • Ryan Neuschafer – mixing assistant
    • Prolyfic
      Prolyfic
      Prolyfic is an American Hip-Hop record producer best known for his work with the Grammy Award Winning hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco.-Early life:...

       – producer
    • Will Quinell – mastering assistant
    • Righteous Kung Fu – creative director
      Creative Director
      A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....

      , cover art
    • Jason Salvador – management
    • Matthew Santos
      Matthew Santos
      Matthew Santos is an American rock and folk singer-songwriter, musician and painter. He is best known for his collaboration with Chicago native Lupe Fiasco on the single "Superstar." He was signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st & 15th Entertainment record label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records.-Early...

       – performer
    • Mike Shinoda
      Mike Shinoda
      Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...

       – producer
    • Soundtrakk – producer
    • Reed "Mountain Man" Taylor – assistant engineer
    • Patrick Viala – mixing
    • Kanye West
      Kanye West
      Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

       – producer, consultant
      Consultant
      A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...



    Chart history

    Chart (2006) Peak
    position
    Dutch Albums Chart 74
    French Albums Chart
    Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
    The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...

    172
    U.S. Billboard 200
    Billboard 200
    The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

    8
    U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
    Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
    Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

    2
    U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums
    Top Rap Albums
    Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....

    1
    UK Albums Chart
    UK Albums Chart
    The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

    31

    External links

    • Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor at Metacritic
      Metacritic
      Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
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