Food & Liquor was one of the first albums which I reviewed for About.com (check it out right here). After several initial spins, I felt -- and still do -- that both the album and Lupe as an artist are revolutionary to the art form of hip hop. Point blank period, he brings something "new" to a game which tends to recycle and procrastinate over the "old". His lyrical skills are unparalleled -- calling him the Rakim of the 2000's is quite apt, in my opinion -- as he delves into profound sociocultural and political topics, issues which inspire and enlighten me. But here we are in our Sample Sets/Sample & Example feature so I've gotta discuss the beats that Lupe hopped on (along with their original sample sources).
While his second album, The Cool, featured only a handful of samples, all but one of Food & Liquor's tracks (intro/outro tracks not included) made use of those nifty milk crate-dwellers. Nearly every track on this album flipped a sample - some rare, some rarer! Like I just mentioned, this contrasts greatly with The Cool. With that being said, you might find it rewarding to compare Food & Liquor with The Cool solely based on beats and production. You might discover that you have a preference -- be it conscious or not -- of sampled beats over original compositions or vice versa! A little food for thought... But I digress.
Next to our Kala set, the sample compilation for Food & Liquor is one of the most musically diverse sets you'll ever listen to. Some of these samples were flipped in miraculously neat ways if you pay close attention to 'em. The crazy part is the digging which went in to all of this. Filipino music mixed with Blaxploitation crates? Damn! Only hip hop... Only hip hop... Turn it up!!
While his second album, The Cool, featured only a handful of samples, all but one of Food & Liquor's tracks (intro/outro tracks not included) made use of those nifty milk crate-dwellers. Nearly every track on this album flipped a sample - some rare, some rarer! Like I just mentioned, this contrasts greatly with The Cool. With that being said, you might find it rewarding to compare Food & Liquor with The Cool solely based on beats and production. You might discover that you have a preference -- be it conscious or not -- of sampled beats over original compositions or vice versa! A little food for thought... But I digress.
Next to our Kala set, the sample compilation for Food & Liquor is one of the most musically diverse sets you'll ever listen to. Some of these samples were flipped in miraculously neat ways if you pay close attention to 'em. The crazy part is the digging which went in to all of this. Filipino music mixed with Blaxploitation crates? Damn! Only hip hop... Only hip hop... Turn it up!!
"Daydreamin'" (featuring Jill Scott)
"I Gotcha" (featuring Pharrell)
"Kick, Push"
