Common - Can I Borrow A Dollar?

Released: October 6, 1992

Lonnie Lynn Jr., the man we know as Common, grew up on the South Side of Chicago, having a good teenage life with his parents (while they were divorced), formed a group called CDR, and ended up successfully on the "Unsigned Hype" column in The Source while at University. This got him signed to Relativity and released 3 albums on the label (including Resurrection, known for "I Used to Love H.E.R"). He then signed a deal with MCA and released 2 albums on that label (one of the albums, Electric Circus, [where he experimented with other genres other than rap and hip-hop] was seen as a weak project from him). He left the label and luckily got signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music, and released 3 albums on there (Be, Finding Forever and Universal Mind Control). While he was on the label, he started doing major film work, in movies like New Year's Eve, Date Night, Dow Jones and his most popular film, Just Wright with fellow rapper/singer Queen Latifah.  He left GOOD without any hard feelings, and released The Dreamer/The Believer, and now, he has recently got signed to his longtime friend No ID's ARTium, releasing Nobody's Smiling on that label in July.

I think that paragraph sums up his whole career at the moment...

Anyway, in September 1992, Lonnie was known as Common Sense and released his debut single, "Take It EZ". This was then followed by his debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, released the following month under Relativity. The album was produced by No ID (who was then known as Immenslope), Twilite Tone and The Beatnuts. Although the album didn't really sell much, it was praised by critics and the hip-hop audience, it also did expose Common to the underground world of hip-hop, along with the 3 singles hitting the charts.

Let's give this album a listen and see what there is to hear...

1. A Penny for My Thoughts
The song takes a long time to get to the point and has a really lengthy build up, but it's worth it. I find it really laidback and great. Common's wordplay and delivery are really nice & smooth. He has very appealing lyrics, bringing up what's on his mind, and showing off his lyrical skills (even referring to popular people like Wesley Snipes and MC Eiht). I do remember Young Roddy (Jet Life) doing a track to this song on his mixtape, Good Sense (which is why I know this song in the first place). No ID's beat is nice and the Eddie Kendricks sample was a great highlight of the song. One of the best tracks on the album.

2. Charms Alarm
This song is a great one, the chorus is catchy and the beat is a funky boom-bap beat. Com does his thing with his fast-rhyming, and his lines. Furthermore, the sample interests me a lot, along with the lyrics. An interesting and excellent cut.

3. Take It EZ
Also known as Common's debut, No ID gives Com a groovy beat. It was a good way to introduce himself to the hip-hop scene, especially coming from Chicago aka the Midwest. A lot of Jazz elements are formed here like any other song from the early 90s. Common's lyrics are on point and the way he gets on the track is really appealing. However, the more I hear Com's friend Ynot on the beginning and end of each song, the more it feels like he's the host of this album, making this feel like a major concept album, than just a regular type of album. Nevertheless, this is great.

4. Heidi Hoe
I see this as the darkest track on the album. Here, Common disrespects the women that "don't have respect for themselves". If anything, it's a good track and the concept interests me, mainly because the amount of "hoes" degrading themselves that is in the generation right now. A great song.

5. Breaker 1/9
The second single of the album. No ID samples The Isley Brothers' "Between The Sheets", which would be a known sample when it was later sampled on "Big Poppa" by The Notorious BIG. And if I had to choose which one is sampled and done better, it had to be "Big Poppa" (not just because it's Biggie). Anyway, the instrumental is smooth, mainly because of the Isley sample. Common uses an lot of romantic adventures for the plot of the song (which has been a frequent thing to talk about in 90s songs), and it comes off as an appealing song. His lyrics are nice and it's a very fun track. Another solid cut.

6. Two Scoops of Raisins
Common & No ID collaborate on this track. Of course, on the previous 5 tracks, we only saw Immenslope/No ID as a producer. The two share the mic and they both do well. No ID does great for someone who's a producer, but no matter how many tracks we can hear him rap on, I'll always see him as a producer rather than an occasional rapper. Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about Common. He did great too, although he gave an bigger opportunity for No ID to shine on. His lyrics were very fine and the references were accurate. Another one of the best tracks on the album.

7. No Defence
Ain't nothing but an interlude. NEXT!

8. Blows on the Temple
This song is a little boring. The sample is good, but the beat is a little fast and it feels like it don't suit Common. He did well, though.

9. Just In The Nick of Rhyme
Now I know why "Blows on the Temple" was boring. Twilite Tone!

10. Tricks Up My Sleeve
Ok, now this one features Rayshel, Common's "ex-girlfriend". The beat is great, and Common does well. Rayshel proves to be a good rapper, so it's funny how she never blew up after this. She's nice. Once again, another solid cut.

11. Puppy Chow
Twilite returns to production, and he makes a good song, unlike the other 2 tracks he done. This feels like a new jack swing track. Singer Miss Jones does the background vocals, and she's excellent. Common contributes good lyrics on this song. But the overall song just comes out decent.

12. Soul By The Pound
I think this is one of the softest tracks on this album. It's not that fast like other tracks, and I feel that this is Common at his finest on the album. He's more serious than before and it's a laidback and smooth cut from him. However, there is a Thump Mix of this song, which is hardcore and has a darker vibe. Still, this is an awesome song.

13. Pitchin' Pennies
Common concludes this album by making a rap about a game that is played in Chicago. And it's an excellent way to end the album. I like how he messes with the concept and he says what he's doing in the game. It's hilarious how it ends with him taking a piss. Well, that's the album for ya.

Can I Borrow A Dollar? is an interesting listen for me and a lot of people. It puts Common in a very different position instead of the position he has been in for 20 years. He showcases a fun, positive side, instead of the lyrical conscious side which he has used since Resurrection. This can be known as one of the most slept-on debuts I've ever came across, especially when Com has many classic albums like Resurrection, Like Water For Chocolate and Be. On this album, Common makes a lot of good tracks and many listeners can be surprised with an album like this. With excellent production from Immenslope & Twilite Tone, and features from 3 people, he messes around with many concepts and uses jazzy beats, fast rapping, positive vibes and lyrical skills. It's great, in many ways, but when listening to the album start-to-finish, it makes you happy that he switched up after this; which is why this is a very interesting listen. He shows that he was ahead of his time and knew how to keep it real since the start of his career. I do recommend that you borrow a few dollars (or pounds if you're British) and buy this (or stream it on Spotify). It's an underrated debut from Common, and as I said before, puts him in a very different position. A decent and solid effort.

The Furious 5ive
A Penny For My Thoughts
Two Scoops of Raisins
Charms Alarm
Breaker 1/9
Soul By The Pound (preferably the Thump Mix)

Honourable Mentions
Heidi Hoe
Take It EZ

Eminem - Infinite

Released: 1996

Everyone knows and loves Eminem. That white rapper. That guy who your parents hated. That guy from Detroit. That... well, you get the point. A lot of people, especially those who see themselves as "hardcore Shady fans" mostly knew the fact that in his early stages in his career, he was rapping in the streets, got into rap battles, and all that. Other than the things that a lot of fans saw in 8 Mile, there was a lot more than just that. So, if you only know about the street rapping and the battles he got into, and you classify yourself as a "hardcore fan" of Em, then you got a lot to research to do after reading this review.

Infinite was Eminem's actual first album (The Slim Shady LP was his major label debut). This was released in 1996, after releasing a third EP with the local rap group, Soul Intent in 1995. The EP (which was self-titled, Soul Intent), was best-known for a song called "F***in' Backstabber", which featured the late Proof. Em was still known as M&M at the time (seriously, joining his initials of his name, Marshall Mathers, and that was an awful stage name), before making it look like a word. According to Wikipedia, this album came out on November 12, 1996, although it's not really declared as official from Eminem himself and others, If it's true, then this album had its 18th anniversary just 3 days ago, along with the 10th anniversary of Encore, Eminem's fifth album, which can be seen as one of his weakest projects yet. Many people noticed the fact that on this album, he sounded similar to Nas and his sideman AZ (who was only popular for being on Nas' "Life's A Bitch"). Denaun Porter (aka Kon Artis) was behind every song. Although looking a little like there was a few ghost-producers, Mr. Porter was seen as the only producer.

Seeing as not many people ever knew about this album, until around 2006-2009, I can see why Infinite didn't sell much (only around a thousand copies). Noticing that this was before the birth of Slim Shady, the alter ego that made your parents hate him so much; and how he has grown so big in 18 years, I decided to check this out and see if the different side of Eminem on this album, is as good as how he portrays himself as Slim Shady. And now, allow me to introduce you to Marshall's actual debut...

1. Infinite
The album starts off with a song, which shows his lyricism and his fitting in on the beat. Eminem sounds great on this track. He shows a laidback and smooth flow over a pretty awesome beat, bringing up things like telekinesis, chain reactions and him being a stimulator and stuff. As for the chorus lyric being that he "went to hell, serving a sentence for murdering instruments", well, this looked as if it was acceptable in the 90s or something. Right now, a lot of people say it sounds like a 3 year old could've wrote that. Nevertheless, this is one of the best tracks on this album.

2. WEGO (Interlude)
Normally, I'd skip this and just say "Meh" or that it's just a skit/interlude, but the only reason this is tolerable is only because of the input of the late Proof. Admit it, we would skip it and I wouldn't be writing about this track if he was alive. Enough said.

3. It's OK
The sound of the beat feels weird, but does come out alright. Eminem talks about his struggles in life and how he got hope for the future. His lyrics are interesting and he sounds calm and soft. Speaking of which, it's funny looking back on Eminem's career from how he sounded so calm and smooth to sounding aggressive and expressing a lot of violence in a lot of tracks. This song has a catchy hook and a very nice concept, along with a great beat for Porter. This is another one of the best tracks on this album.

4. Tonite
"Tonite" sounds like a TLC or [insert any R&B girl-group here] song, that was never recorded. This is the most commercial song I've ever heard from Eminem. The chorus makes this song really tolerable and good. Eminem does good with his lyrics and his delivery is great. The production does come out a little weak with the lyricism being really STRONG.

5. 313 (feat. Eye-Kyu)
I always found this song a little boring. This features a rapper called Eye-Kyu, who doesn't really helps the song like it would, The song sounds like something recorded from 1992-1993. Eye-Kyu sounds alright and he's good, but it's weird how he never blew up after this, while Eminem does good and tries to sound hardcore and dark. But, the overall song just comes out boring.

6. Maxine (feat. Mr. Porter & Three)
So, here, Eminem and his crew talk about a girl called Maxine, and how they wanted to do things with her. The song starts with a conversation between Porter and Maxine, and Em does well with his first verse, followed by Porter, who is just OK, while Three (the underground rapper) does awful and sounds a little bit like Imani from The Pharcyde. The production is chill and reminds me of production from The Pharcyde or A Tribe Called Quest. This song is actually great but it's just Eminem and Porter that does good with the song.

7. Open Mic (feat. Thyme)
This song is a good track, and yeah the sound is dark, but it's good. Thyme does the chorus and he is really annoying on the track. Eminem could've at least got a different guy on this. Anyway, speaking of Em, he does a great job and has a great lyricism on this especially reminiscing from the open mic in the Hip-Hop Shop in Detroit, hence the title. The line "I never gave a f***, now I give a f*** less" is an awesome lyric, which can be known for having Jay-Z to even rework that line in a song. I knew this song because of Joey Bada$$' sample of this chorus in "World Domination". This song is nice. Just take away Thyme and we got a really tolerable track.

8. Never 2 Far
Eminem talks about how he is poor and he needs money, along with him talking about the streets. It kinda reminds me of Lose Yourself, due to the fact that their content are similar to each other. The production is funky and I like it. Em does awesome on this and the hook is really memorable. I heard Porter say "You only live once", not that it's a bad thing, but we all know that the saying was never really said by rappers till Drake came out with "The Motto". Also, it's another song that is really interesting to hear, especially knowing how far he has came to get to where he is today. Nevertheless, this song is really great and nice.

9. Searchin (feat. Mr. Porter)
You know how every rapper, hardcore or not, has that one love song. Well, this is it. Eminem makes a song dedicated to Kim. The fact that this was before all the fights and that horrible song he made on the MMLP just surprises me. Porter follows up, but he messes up with his singing mixing with his rapping. Not all mainstream love songs are good, and this is an example. It's just average,

10. Backstabber
Eminem does a continuation to "F***in' Backstabber", where he raps about backstabbers, as the song suggests. The beat is weak, while the concept is interesting but lacks a little here and there. Nevertheless, the song is alright.

11. Jealousy Woes II
Sampling LL Cool J's "Jealous", Eminem does his own version and it follows him complaining about a jealous women. This song is alright, but doesn't do well to my appetite. Overall, it's a good way to end the album.

A lot of people say that this is his best work yet, and that it's a classic, then there's some others that think that this was awful because of the production, "ripping off" certain tracks and Em sounding like AZ & Nas, and finally, there's me. On a scale on 1-10 (1 being rubbish and 10 being a classic), I'd put this on a 5.5. It's a good album. Eminem showed that in this album that he has a lot of potential. Although Em sounds like AZ, it comes out good. But the thing is, if the album had better production and input from other people, instead of just Porter (or him probably getting signed earlier), maybe I would've ranked this higher than I did now. But it just stays like that. I do recommend a listen or a purchase, since there are a few good tracks, and from start to finish make this a solid listen. 11 tracks is quick and Eminem makes it like how Illmatic was with 10 tracks. Like how Wiz Khalifa's Show and Prove was (readers, don't get mad at me for comparing this to a guy like Wiz), it's good, but does mess up here and there, and Eminem had yet to find himself and develop his own style.

The Furious 5ive
Infinite
It's OK
Open Mic
Never 2 Far
Maxine

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Released: September 19, 2006

In 1982, Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (popularly known as Lupe Fiasco) was born and raised in Chicago to West African parents. His father was an engineer and was part of the Black Panthers while his mother was a gourmet chef. Raised a Muslim on the west side of Chicago, he even took martial arts. His parents divorced when he was five and by 6th grade (Year 7), he moved in with his dad full-time and his dad taught him how to use guns (luckily, Lupe didn't grow up to make drill music, just all modern Chi-Town rappers do now) to protect himself.
As he grew up, he didn't really liked rap music, due to its major vulgarity and profanity, but because of him not being able to play an instrument, he started doing poetry. He started rapping his poems in the eighth grade (Year 9) and decided to pursue a rap career after listening to It Was Written, Nas' sophomore effort.

He started off in a group called Da Pak, who signed to Epic. They only had one song before splitting up, and what they talked about made Lupe feel like a hypocrite. He started making guest appearances on Tha Rayne and K-Foxx singles while on Arista, before getting dropped, due to LA Reid being fired as CEO. He later met Jay-Z who helped him sign a deal to Atlantic. He remixed Kanye West's song "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and caught Kanye's attention, wanting to work with him on "Touch The Sky". At first, Lupe disagreed, but when a friend encouraged him, he decided to do it.
When Lupe finally got signed to Atlantic, he started working on his debut. While this happened, he decided to release the mixtape series, Fahrenheit 1/15, which gained him a lot of popularity, especially with the second instalment, Revenge of the Nerds, known for the songs "Switch (The Science Project" and "Conflict Diamonds" (the remix of Diamonds from Sierra Leone). Lupe released "Kick, Push", which was even nominated for a Grammy. "I Gotcha" was the next single, produced by The Neptunes.

The album was finally finished. But unfortunately, the album leaked onto the Internet (this version was known as the Advance). Lupe was angry about it and ranted about it before deciding to make a lot of changes. He changed some of the original titles ("You My" became "Sunshine", "Trials & Tribulations" became "Pressure" etc.), changed his verses and recorded brand new songs. At last, Food & Liquor was released on September 19, 2006. The album featured guests from Sarah Green, Gemini, Jonah Matranga, Jill Scott, Matthew Santos & Jay Z. So now after that introduction, let's review this...

1. Intro
Ayesha, Lupe's sister introduces the album with a captivating poem. It is then followed by Lupe reading from the Quran and welcoming us to the album. Well, this is just an intro, nothing special. So NEXT!

2. Real (feat. Sarah Green)
Another song I'm reviewing called "Real". Here, Lupe says a lot of conscious things while Sarah Green does some ad-libs on the chorus. I like Sarah on the chorus, her catchy "oh-oh's" are worth being there and the instrumental, provided by Soundtrakk, is great. Does it mean that the song is great? Well... yes. But Lupe's lyrical delivery is not anything special, and it just sounds like he's doing something funky. So it's OK.

3. Just Might Be OK (feat. Gemini)
If this was performed live, this song would've sounded epic. No, seriously. This song has the greatest instrumentals to lead a hip-hop orchestra concert. Gemini's R&B hook is actually good and makes this track really great. Lupe does a decent job on this, making this one hell of a song.

4. Kick, Push
AWWWWWW YEAAAAH! Lupe's debut single is up. And you know the concept: skateboarding. The song follows 2 people of the opposite who both like skateboarding and how they have to skateboard without the cops seeing them. I like the concept, of course and the sample used to make a good skateboarding song. This song bangs and I love it.

5. I Gotcha
The Neptunes provide Lupe a funky piano beat. I always loved this song. The piano sample used is very memorable and lovely. Lupe's lyrics are hot. The chorus is catchy and unforgettable, altogether making a very hot song.

6. The Instrumental (feat. Jonah Matranga)
When I first saw this song on the album tracklist, I actually thought it was an instrumental interlude from either Jonah Matranga or Mike Shinoda. But, I was wrong, this is just a normal song. It's a little funky but sounds like a leftover from either Fort Minor's We Major or The Rising Tied. Here, Lupe talks about the youth obsession with electronic media especially TV & Computer. It's weird how he talked about it in the year of 2006. I mean, the youth obsession would get worse by the time iPhones & Android phones came out. I gotta admit, I got a little obsession with electronics, but I'm working on it. Jonah's input is horrible and is the type of guy to whisper-sing on some good songs. Lupe's lyrics are nice and I like the concept of the song. The Instrumental... I mean the beat, is good and suits in with the overall song. But, still an decent song. Just take away the hook and we got a great one.

7. He Say, She Say (feat. Gemini & Sarah Green)
Here, Lupe speaks from the Mother and Son's point of view on how the father is abandoning his family. Of course, the black deadbeat dad stereotype. This can be known for the starting point of Lupe's character, The Cool. On this song, Lupe repeating the verse twice to get to someone's POV can get annoying for listeners, but to be honest, I don't mind. It's actually good this way, or it'd probably be an interlude. One of my favourites on the album.

8. Sunshine
On this song, Lupe expresses his love for both a girl and hip-hop in general. I can tell the inspiration of "I Used to Love H.E.R." is here, especially when Common personified Hip-Hop as a girl. I always liked the lighthearted atmosphere on this track, probably the lightest track on the album. The Diana Ross sample makes the song very good. And the metaphors are really outstanding on this song. As a whole, this song is excellent.

9. Daydreamin' (feat. Jill Scott)
Lupe and Jill Scott are on the biggest standout on this album. Here, Craig Kallman produces this. Ok, this is weird. I mean, this guy is the CEO of Atlantic who produced this. Anyway, forget that, this song is sooooooooo good. The sample of I Monster's "Daydream in Blue" fits in and is a reason why the song bangs. Lupe's lyrics are hot. Jill's input makes this very great. And the beat is just excellent. I still can't believe Craig Kallman produce this though. It even won a Grammy. Oh lord!

10. The Cool
The second part of "The Cool" instalments is here, and we dig deep into the story of Michael Young History. While several songs from "The Cool" album follows on the beginning, this focuses on the end. I found this song very good. Kanye... yes, Kanye's beat is very dark and gets in with the horrorcore type of song. Lupe's story of how Michael was back from the Dead makes the song interesting to listen to (haven't said that in a while, huh?). Generally, it's a banging track, and one of the best tracks off the album.

11. Hurt Me Soul
Needlz produces a light sampled track which talks about how he used to hate rap music, because of how they used to talk about women (the way they now do it is worse). He also talks about hip-hop as a whole and how it can be criticized for the topics they talk about. This song always stood out to me, mainly because of the hook and the message behind it. Needlz' beat is excellent and is a good beat for Lupe to have. An enjoyable cut from Lu.

12. Pressure (feat. Jay Z)
I feel like Prolyfic wanted this to sound very epic. I mean, this feels like something from Just Blaze. It's not a bad thing. Of course, Blaze is a big influence. But it sounds like something off The Black Album or The Blueprint. Anyway, forget about that, and this song is another enjoyable cut from Lu. A lot of people think that Jay had the best verse on this album, but his verse was actually very weak, compared to many of his tracks. This is a reason why I think he is a bit too overrated in the industry. Anyway, Prolyfic's instrumental is very hardcore. I heard the original version (Trials & Tribulations) and I have to say that version was even better than this one. Nevertheless, The instrumental, hook, and lyrics make this track generally one of the best tracks.

13. American Terrorist (feat. Matthew Santos)
Matthew gets on a "just decent" track. It isn't a best track or a standout. Just decent. Anyway, here Lu talks about how the US has a humanitarian record history (with George Washington being the American Osama bin Laden). I find this to be a little deep especially with the message. Matthew just messes up with the hook, as it feels like it was originally recorded for a different song. The beat is alright and the overall message is appealing. In general, this song is just decent.

14. The Emperor's Soundtrack
This song bangs. The hardcore instrumental from Soundtrakk just rocks on my phone so hard. Lupe's metaphors and verses are fire, and he even references "Children's Story" The song overall just makes a hardcore song from Lupe.

15. Kick, Push II
The sequel to Lupe's debut single comes on the album, and a lot of people find it better than the first part. For me, it's weak. Yeah, I said it. WEAK! But the story continues and it's a little more interesting than the first. The beat is boring. The chorus is nice, but as for the song in general, it's just decent.

16. Outro
12 minutes! 12 MINUTES of him shouting out people involved in the album and his friends etc. This wasn't needed. In these 12 minutes, he could've done another rap or a double track for us. But no, he gives us a 12 minute outro of him giving shoutouts. Hey, isn't there something called liner notes?!

5 years later, Atlantic re-released the album, as the 5th Anniversary Edition. The following features the 4 bonus tracks on this edition:

Theme Music To A Drive By
The 5th anniversary edition bonuses start with this, a Prolyfic beat and 2 verses from Lu. This song was originally supposed to be the intro to the album, but due to the bootlegging and leaking, it ended up not being on the standard version at all. I like Prolyfic's beat as he uses a sample of The Spinners, which creates a really smooth laidback beat. Lupe's lyrics are really nice and his wordplay is awesome here. The message behind it is good to listen to. This track rocks.

Tilted
Originally taken from the Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2005 soundtrack, Needlz produces a club banger, which has Lu talk about cars and his awesome wordplay. I like how this song turned out to be, especially suiting the Most Wanted game itself. Lupe's references to cars are nice. And of course, the chorus is catchy and really memorable, overall being a great song.

Carrera Lu
Prolyfic is back and he produces some funky beat. Carrera Lu sounds like it was taken from a 70s film and all Prolyfic did was just get Lupe to rap over it. But, still, Lu's intro with that "Carrera's a predator" stuff is good to listen to and may want to make you rap the section the way he did. Under the alter ego, Carrera Lu, Lupe has himself care about the money and paper, but at the same time uses his usual lyrical wordplay and metaphors. The beat is funky and nice, and his lyrics are hot, generally being an awesome track.

What It Do
As soon as I saw the title, I knew that the song would sound like this. To be honest, this was a little weak. The track sounds like it's from a Southern dance track. But, the thing is, Lupe flips it and makes it hot, but the wordplay and lyrics feel like a hit-and-miss thing. Lupe talking about CDs telling you to buy a TV, telling you to buy a DVD, telling you to buy a... you get the point. But, all things aside, it's an OK song. It's a bit of a banger and it's interesting to see Lu get on something like this.

Hearing Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is a very nice listen for me. From skateboarding stories ("Kick Push" I & II) to interesting gritty stories ("The Cool"), Lupe shows his very lyrical wordplay, appealing topics, and his Chi-Town repping, especially on tracks like "The Emperor's Soundtrack", "I Gotcha", "Hurt Me Soul" and "Sunshine". The production is great. Soundtrakk does his thing as he creates some outstanding work on songs like "Real", "Kick, Push", "He Say, She Say" and "Sunshine". Prolyfic has a lot of interesting work on "Just Might Be OK", and "Pressure". And many more producers doing a very good job.
The features... well, although not many, it was just fine. Jay-Z was a little weak on "Pressure", yet people thought his verse was the best out of the two. Matthew Santos, however, sounded like he was originally on a different song on "American Terrorist". Gemini's singing is nice on "Just Might Be OK", while Sarah Green does some catchy ad-libs on "Real", with the two both coming together on "He Say, She Say".

Lupe does well on the album. His wordplay, lyrics and flow are on point and interests the listener especially being inspired by a lot of people. The hooks on "Hurt Me Soul" and "The Cool" are really catchy. Judging from the album, I can see how Lupe felt when the album was leaked, and the album ended up like this. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but the "Advance" version was a lot better than the original. The final product was just averagely decent.

Overall, Food & Liquor is a solid project. The only problem is how the people had the chance to leak it, with the finalized product coming out not that OK. It's similar to what happened with Nas when he was to release "I Am... The Autobiography" as a double-disc, but then the heavy bootlegging came and I Am... (the first part) ended up OK while Nastramadus (the second part) ended up being the worst album he ever put out. Notice the similarities of Food & Liquor and I Am... They had a struggle due to the bootlegging, but the albums both came out OK. Anyway, I do recommend this a purchase, but for anyone who heard the Advance version and liked it a lot (like 100%) more than this, just get your blank CDs out. This is a good album, Lupe done good, but the finalized version just came out just decent, and not that good for some people, compared to the leak. It's your choice...

The Furious 5ive
Hurt Me Soul
Pressure
Kick, Push
He Say, She Say
Daydreamin'

(The following embed Spotify link unfortunately doesn't have the other 2 5th Anniversary tracks, only Tilted and Carrera Lu. However, if you want to check the other 2, look them up on YouTube)



Here's the Advance version:

http://grooveshark.com/album/Food+and+Liquor+Advance/1919123