On September 19, 2016, the world-at-large took to social media with an outpour of gratitude towards Lupe Fiasco.
The day marked the 10th anniversary of his stellar debut album Food & Liquor. It was a project that was surely ahead of its time in 2006, introducing the hip hop community to skateboarding (“Kick Push”), tackling the misconceptions of Islam in America head on (“American Terrorist”), and opposing fake, label-driven music (“Real”).
However, the rapper himself doesn’t hold the record to the same pedestal as many. “I don’t think it’s a classic to be honest,” he said in an hour-long podcast uploaded to his Soundcloud entitled “Ten Yurrs Layda.” While Fiasco doesn’t go into extreme detail on why he feels that way, he does explain that the album wasn’t an isolated moment for him, revealing that Lasers, his third album, sold more units. “This album set the tone for me being an underdog,” he continued. Nevertheless, he did show genuine appreciation to those like Meek Mill, who have cited the album as a soundscape that set the tone for their rhyming aspirations.
In the podcast, Fiasco also discusses everything from Jay Z’s role as executive producer, the album’s artwork, and the inception of some of the songs like the Grammy Award-winning “Daydreamin’.” While he admits there’s a lot he doesn’t remember, many of the gem-like details he touched will make a true Lupe Fiasco beam with pure excitement and take them back to the day they gave Food & Liquor an inaugural spin.