Jay-Z - American Gangster

if jay didnt have fans before this album would he get any ?

every album after the black album jay loses respect. he doesnt do it for the love he does it for the money. dont get me wrong thats what were here for. but after you make your deal the buisness is done and you get back in the kitchen to cook up that new masterpiece. if jay didnt have fans before this album would he get any honestly? its time to retire. June 16, 2008

good cd

this 2 me is a grown man cd. music for tha grown folks. i like it. its something that you can be laid back to and chill with yo girl June 16, 2008

uh?

Its a okay cd. Not jay's best by any means. I think it was rushed. I wouldnt buy this over again. June 14, 2008

American Gangster

Before I start with the review I have to plug the review by Scipio Africanus, Vanquisher of Hannibal "The Holy of Holies".

If you are looking for entertainment check out this guys review. He went and bought a rap CD called American Gangster hoping to hear "a rapper who didn't disparage blacks and women or abuse profanity.....lol" Then go check out his profile....is he for real?

On with the review: On his last CD, Kingdom Come, Jay-Z became a victim of his own success. Most people did not feel the album because they could not relate to the Hollywood persona. A product of his own success. This meant Jay-Z could no longer draw from his usual well of inspiration i.e. his own life. For most artists this would have spelt the end but Jay has been here before. At the turn of the century Jay-Z's relevance in the game started to decline and his heir(s) apparent, Bleek & Beans, could not carry the mantle. That's when Jay-Z came back with "The Blueprint". To make it Jay-Z went out of his comfort zone, from bringing in, little known but soon to blow, producers Just Blaze & Kanye West, to borrowing from KRS One to even going public with his beefs. It became an instant classic.

Fast forward to 2007 and Jay-Z faces extinction once again, his role as president of Def Jam is met with mixed feelings, Roc-a-fella is on life support (Kanye carrying it), his last album flopped and most fans feel he should have stayed retired.

So what does he do? He finds inspiration in a movie and makes his own soundtrack to it. The move is a smart one because firstly, it allows him to ignore all the negativity surrounding him and focus on the theme of the album. Secondly it allows to reconnect with his lost audience without losing face for rapping about things he doesn't experience himself anymore. And finally the move takes away the pressure of making a big radio single to promote the CD as the movie acts as his promotional vehicle.

The album plays out in three acts like a classic gangster flick, the come up, the triumph and the fall. Jay-Z gives us the background story on `Pray', showing that he is a product of his poverty stricken, drug infested, crime riddled, corrupt environment. The parallels to the movie are striking although the story is different. On the second act (triumph) he reincarnates the soul of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye on `Roc Boys' & `Party Life'. Jay-Z is at his best here with a billionaire's swagger, dropping metaphors like they don't matter. The mood switches on the final act as things take a dark turn as Jay-Z deals with the trappings of `Success' and the ultimate downfall.

For the music Jay-Z taps another comeback king in the form of Diddy and his new production team of Sean C & L.V. The trio expertly handle the majority of the production and provide the most meaningful moments in the album. The beats on `Pray', `No Hook' and `American Dreamin' are dark but soulful. They are not mind blowing but they fit the theme to a tee. The biggest surprise, production wise, is Jermaine Dupri's contributions. Mr "You know what this is" helms the gloomiest portion of the CD and admittedly pulls it off, see `Success'. In another surprise move Jay-Z shows love to the dirty south by giving Lil' Wayne a guest spot and including two cuts from Bigg D and DJ Toomp. The latter is responsible for beat on my favourite song `Say Hello'

Overall, this is another classic CD from Jay-Z (That makes it 4 by my count). He seems to be able to produce his best every time his back is against the wall. May 28, 2008

Don't Call It Reasonable Doubt Part II

Although a countless amount of reviewers have been calling this the second coming of Reasonable Doubt, I'd prefer to think of American Gangster as its own album. Sure, they share more than a few resemblances to each other - a mafioso theme being the major one - but American Gangster deserves to be viewed as it's own record, especially since it's such a creative effort.

Lyrically, this is not Jigga's best effort - but he did an excellent job of trying to keep it mainstream friendly while appealing to the hardcore hip-hop fans at the same time. Most of the lyrics are entertaining enough though, and the entire idea - a concept album based off the smash hit movie of the same title - makes it feel very fresh compared to the rest of his catalog.

The real star of the show is in the superb production. Having a mafioso theme (though different from 'Reasonable Doubt', as this one feels produced to perfection compared to the more raw feel of Jay-Z's classic debut). American Gangster also frequently samples from old-school soul artists, although it either works well ('Party Life') or it doesn't ('Fallin'').

Although 'American Gangster' is definitely not Jay-Z's greatest release to date, it does prove that Jay-Z is still relevant to the rap game. Who would have thought that a mainstream hip-hop album in this day and age could be of quality this high?

Standout tracks: 'Party Life', 'Sweet', and 'Ignorant ****(featuring Beanie Sigel).'



May 27, 2008

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