Premature Evaluation: Jay-Z - American Gangster
Jay Z's 10th album American Gangster comes out next week. It reportedly took him four weeks to complete (damn). We're no Jay-Z experts (unlike, say, our Ph.D. in Kanye), but we're really really liking this album, and it's much stronger than Kingdom Come. If you didn't know, it's being promoted along with the Denzel/Russell Crowe flick of the same name. Jay supposedly loved the movie and ran home to make the record after seeing it, but c'mon, it's probably more about corporate synergy (Universal, holla) than random inspiration. Even though it germinated with American Gangster the movie, the film-sampling intro's fairly unnecessary, unless you're a big Denzel fan (with that face, who wouldn't be). That aside, it was obviously the right move for Jay. After the last album was poorly received (too many raps about being rich), it was obviously time to go back to his roots, and rhyme about the hard knock life before he was Hova, not drinking top-shelf liquor with Beyoncé (though she adds some top-shelf vocals to "Pray"). As he said in this sort of oral-history EW piece:
I'm in my comfort zone [rapping about crime]. I can get into detail and have an intelligent point of view — not one that's ''I'm flipping 150 bricks and I don't care about nothing.'' It's really about why [you deal drugs], and the paranoia, and all these emotions you go through. I wasn't dealing with that on my latter albums because that wasn't the life I was living. I didn't think I would ever be able to be in that place again. The movie gave me a chance to revisit those emotions.Word, the product tie-in's oughta be cool, too.
So then, considering where he's coming from, there's the whole retro vibe (the movie takes place in Vietnam-era Harlem; Jay on the other hand is reminiscing about hustling in '80s Brooklyn) and he supports that bringing in some older-school cameos (Nas, Diddy) along with the obligatory Lil Wayne (2007 in the house). Fitting in well with the Brooklyn vibe, "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" samples Beastie Boys', yup, "Hello Brooklyn" from Paul's Boutique. But this is Jay's Boutique. There's no Linkin Park or Chris Martin (Kanye, you win), but Marvin Gaye stops by via a sample in the gorgeous "American Dream" and the Neptunes handle some production (first single "Blue Magic" and "I Know"). Diddy and The Hitmen actually produce six tracks, including second single "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)." So yeah, he's going for the '70s soul/funk vibe: In the past he's mined that really well. Here the sound is updated by his coterie of those go-to producers. Just love the idea of Jay chilling in the studio with Toomp & No ID glued to laptops trying to birth beats that catch Jigga's ear. (Toomp brought a Tom Brock sample; Jay likes those.)
American Gangster's a concept album, obviously, and it's cohesive musically and thematically -- but there are a few really strong grooves that stick out. "Roc Boys"' horn section is so infectious Jay comments while it rides out "this is black superhero music right here"; on "Success" Jay lets a swampy organ riff breathe before and after Nas's turn at the mic ("Google Earth Nas, I got flats in other continents"). Overall it seems like Jay was attempting a 2007 version of Superfly or something. And it is pretty cinematic. (The Frankenstein sampling ("it's aliiiiiive") at the beginning of "Blue Magic"'s kinda corny, though -- why not Sopranos?)
In terms of the lyrics in general, there's a lot to like. Jay's a clever wordsmith. Look at the levels in this one line from "Hello Brooklyn": "My fine ho we got some victims to catch/ so in a couple years baby I'm a bring you some nets." Nets. Get it? Hey, he's partial owner of those dudes! See, where the wealth sunk Kingdom Come, here the effect of a C.E.O. rapping about what it takes to be a Gangster -- it's business-man ramifications, commercial usage included -- seems pretty timeless, even in ways he might not have intended.
There are some lines that distract -- e.g., 'got less steps than Britney' ("Roc Boys") -- but, all said, it's his best work in years. He's supposedly doing a "mini film" for each track. Also, he's on Letterman tonight, so hopefully he'll rap from Dave's desk.
American Gangster is out 11/6 on Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam.
Posted at 5:29 PM in Album Art, Premature Evaluation
Tags: Jay-Z
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i like it, but i feel like it draws too much on the film. i want jay z experiences - not references to a film that may or may not be good. jay z kinda sidestepped his un-retirement by attaching himself to a "film's soundtrack."
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Based on what I've heard, American Gangster is way better than the last album. No Nascar shoutouts thank god
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man, this album is so hot. i've been listening to it pretty much nonstop for over a week now.
"like oj, i get away with murder when i sling ye"
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No matter how good the album might be or how invigorated Jay-Z's flow may go, I can't get past the stigma that is how badly Jay would love to be his former drug-hustling, douchebag self.
DwD
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i call bullshit. when animal collective lets a huge (though cute) corporation like crayola use a track for the purposes of advertising (read ADVERTISING), it's all good in the hood, but when JAY claims inspiration (read INSPIRATION), and releases great music you fucking call him on it. what kind of bullshit indie rock hypocrisy is that??
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Does anybody feel that Jay-Z sounds totally mismatched with the Pharrell beats? Blue Magic is great, but I expect Clipse to be free-styling over it within the week.
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@ king hova
If the CEO of Def Jam is trying to regain artistic authenticity by piggybacking on his parent company's Oscar contender, it's not inspiration. It's marketing.
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i saw the movie last night [three cheers for DVD-quality bootlegs], and it's great. and from what i've heard of the album, it's far superior to kingdom come, and just a hair better than the black album, which means it's his best work since the blueprint.
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great album
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Best hip-hop album of the year so far; this destroys Graduation. I was so skeptical about this album at first with the movie tie in but I'm gonna buy the "inspired by the film" nonsense. The film might have actually inspired Jay-Z to get back on his game and thats okay by me. Blue Magic, Success, No Hook, Roc Boys, and (maybe) Hello Brooklyn are great tracks that I'll be listening to long after I give a damn about the actual movie (I saw it, its okay. Common plays T.I.'s dad, wtf?).
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Marketing, marketing , marketing. No, Jay-Z would never sell out, never.
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like i said, it's a good album. far from the best hip hop release of the year. my problem is the content of the lyrics draw on the movie too much. you even hear denzel's voice from the film at one point. i want jay z unattached. if you're going to start rapping again, make the old jay z stuff. i don't want to hear about frank lucas (even if the film's great). and yeah, it certainly appears he may just be trying to live out those old drug dealer days.
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I've listened to the album for a week or two and I'm getting really sick of his whisper cadence thing happening in some of the songs. If he had more tracks like "Success" (read: classic Jay-Z flows), this album would be so much better. You can really notice the dropoff in "Ignorant Shit" with his added verse about Imus at the end compared to the first two verses done around the time he recorded the Black Album.
And I know Kanye is busy blogging and stuff, but he could've shat out far superior soul tracks than anything by the Hitmen on this album.
Still a good album at the end of the day, but definitely not touching Blueprint, Reasonable Doubt, or the top hip-hop releases this year.
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Can you imagine if Jay-Z were Good Looking? nobody would buy his albums.
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Listened to it several times over the last 4 days or so. I think it is a very good album - WAY better than Kingdom Come, but doesn't quite measure up to the Black Album. Even so, well worth a listen. You might skip over a few tracks, but there are a handful that just kill. I give it an 8 out of 10.
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OFF TOPIC: New Killer´s video - "Tranquilize"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDZxFbj_bds
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"... black bar mitzvahs / Mazel Tov, it's a celebration, bitches!"
This album gets so much better as it goes on. Fits in well with the movie, but I totally agree that Jigga is way better off drawing from his own inspiration.
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american gangster is definitely jay z's best work in some time, but if you really want to be up on whats hot in hip hop right now check out lil waynes newest mixtape drought 4. there is no other rapper in the game today who makes you feel like you're really listening to something monumental like lil wayne. no one can touch this guys word play. not even jigga.
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does anyone know the name of the marvin gaye song he sampled on american dreamin
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LMAO @ sean
btw: ...got less steps than BRITANY...that means it ain't STEPPED ON , dig me?
get it?...Britany...12 steps...rehab...SHE AINT TOOK NO STEPS so it means his heroine is RAW....not cut...not stepped on (drug dealer terminology)
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