Audio Mixers: Craig Bauer; James Auwarter; Bojan Dugich; Patrick Viala.

Recording information: 1st And 15th Studios; Record Plant; Right Track Studios, NY.

Photographer: Mireya Acierto.

There was a buzz surrounding rapper Lupe Fiasco (thanks to a botched deal with Arista, an association with Kanye West, and a postponed record release date) for some time before his debut dropped in 2006. Thankfully, however, the hip-hop world's high hopes were met in full with FOOD & LIQUOR. Innovative, conscious, and boasting work from top-shelf producers like West and the Neptunes, the album comes on strong and doesn't let up, offering a battery of agile, articulate, laid-back rhymes over a backdrop of sophisticated, retro-tinged tracks. FOOD & LIQUOR announces the arrival of a talent poised to take his place in a lineage that includes Nas, Common, and West himself.