Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1

Nearly six years ago, a skater kid from Chicago made his solo debut with the excellent *Food and Liquor* and created a bona fide manifesto that spoke to socially conscious ’80s babies. Now, with the release of *Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1*, Fiasco reveals the extent of his evolution. Against a background of synthesized future pop, Fiasco deconstructs heavyweight topics with an undeniable flow.

Lupe Fiasco doesn't give you anything straight: Not a verse, a simile, or a song, and certainly not an album. As an artist, he's helplessly drawn towards perversity. His latest is his most relaxed, rewarding effort in a while. At its best, it feels like a re-introduction to a promising artist who spent some time in the wilderness.

After Atlantic Records delayed Lupe Fiasco’s third album, Lasers, one too many times, the rapper’s ever-loyal fans took to the streets to pressure the label to release it. If they could have heard the final product in advance, though, they might not have bothered. A parade of every gaudy pop-rap trend of the moment, La…

Oh, Lupe. You were the savior. You were the future of hip hop. You were the next generation.

Check out our album review of Artist's Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 on Rolling Stone.com.

Rapper Lupe Fiasco deploys pugnaciously mass-market tunes inflected with righteous fury, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong>

Fiasco shuns sexism and violence but he does so in such portentous fashion you wish he'd sing more about his cars, writes <strong>Paul MacInnes</strong>