Kanye protege doesn't disappoint

Kanye West's first graduating class of protégés is exceeding expectations this summer. Rhymefest's Blue Collar hit stores with little anticipation in July but was highly praised by critics. Lupe Fiasco's debut album, Food & Liquor, spent the better part of 2006 having its release delayed by Internet leaks and record company disputes. In fact, anybody with BitTorrent and a general interest in hip--hop probably had half the album in May.\nFiasco's career is under intense scrutiny, and it is no wonder. His first major platform was a show-stopping verse in Kanye's "Touch the Sky." Here, he demonstrated his lyrical prowess with smooth flows and creative subject matter -- I believe he's the only artist in history to reference "Lupin III." In recent months, he has advertised himself as the emcee version of Pharrell Williams with his first single, the hip--hop-skater jam "Kick, Push."\nA Chicago native, Fiasco fits the mold of an underground emcee by spilling his soul with each word and pushing the English language to its limit in the process. He has a genuine love for music, and as a practicing Muslim, he takes a serious stance on social injustices and global affairs. "Just Might Be Ok" is one of Fiasco's most lyrically impressive tracks, allowing him to show listeners where he comes from ethically, with lyrics like, "I'm cool, I don't foretell best/I ain't nicest emcee, I ain't Cornel West/I am Cornel West side, Chi-town Rivera/Malcolm X-ercise the demons, gangsta leanin'."\nHe gets much more specific, delving into current issues with "American Terrorist." He weighs in on American-Arab and Christian-Muslim relations with striking eloquence. It will be interesting to see whether Fiasco will be able to successfully continue injecting his underground style into mainstream rap from album to album, as Kanye West has done.\nGood emcees don't just flow; they also realize the synergistic force that original beats and proper samples compel on hip-hop music. As it turns out, Fiasco got a couple of good DJs to spin behind him. Jay-Z, Kanye, Pharrell and former Da Pak member Soundtrakk were responsible for the album's production, and it goes to show that you get what you pay for. "Daydreamin'" samples I Monster's "Daydream in Blue" (which is largely a sample of another song, "Daydream") with absolute compatibility. "Daydream" has found its way into a number of songs through sampling, most notably "Squares" by the Beta Band, but it is truly the precise puzzle piece on this record.\nThere is a moment on Food & Liquor in which Fiasco's voice is drowned out by the talent around him. The burgeoning single "I Gotcha," produced by the Neptunes, samples an experimental harpsichord-esque melody that gives the song an identity crisis, only to fall flat on its face. It's apparent that Fiasco is never meant to be the showcased artist on this track.\nOverall, Fiasco manages to keep his "A Bathing Ape meets Louis Farrakhan"--style on center stage. Debut albums are the touchstone from which we judge musicians, and they almost invariably remain definitive works throughout an artist's career. Fiasco's career will always depend upon how well he can collaborate with his contemporaries - he shows on this record that he can keep up with the best in the game.