Album Review: Jay-Z- American Gangster
Jay-Z
American Gangster
Roc-A-Fella Records/Island Def Jam
4/5
Written By Samir Siddiqui
In setting out to record his latest offering, American Gangster, the goal for Jay-Z was to produce a loose concept album, influenced by scenes, as well as overall themes from the highly-anticipated film of the same name. However, the finished project is impacted by the gangster-flick not only lyrically, but almost more importantly, in the way in which it is constructed. Cinematic production, a dramatic intro and outro, the display of reoccurring themes, both vivid and clear, and well-written story-telling, all play an important part in making American Gangster a film-like experience in the form of an LP. American Gangster provides a throwback feel in more ways than one, as the album not only maintains a correlation with the 70’s backdrop of the film musically, but also has Jay returning to his lyrical roots, dropping clever gems reminiscent of his immaculate debut set Reasonable Doubt. “Pray” immediately sets a dark, suspenseful tone for the start of the album, as Jigga details the effects of illegal activity on it’s immediate surroundings, leading way for the Marvin Gaye-sample-drenched “American Dreamin’”.
But like all good albums, and movies for that matter, American Gangster is not without it’s flaws, and “Hello Brooklyn 2.0″ is a glaring one- the Jay-Z/Lil Wayne collaboration feels completely out of place- the two rappers fail to generate any type of vocal chemistry, and the production effort stands in direct contrast to the slick, smooth production that surrounds it. The middle portion of the album, however, is good, but not great, as the college band-sounding number “Roc Boys” and the laid back Neptunes contribution “I Know” lighten the mood effectively.
The closing stretch on American Gangster is what the LP truly builds towards, as the album bows out in fine fashion. The revamped “Ignorant Shit” is undeniable, as Jay is at his most confident cutting into the Just Blaze-produced track with witty quips such as, “They’re all actors, lookin’ at themselves in the mirror, backwards, can’t even face themselves, don’t fear no rappers…So don’t believe everything your earlobe captures, it’s mostly backwards, unless it happens to be as accurate as me.” “Say Hello” and “Fallin” have producers DJ Toomp and Jermaine Dupri flipping their usual script, as they drop moody, sweeping soul instrumentals to compliment the introspection of Jay-Z the hustler (although the rapper adds his two cents to the mix, “When Jena 6 don’t exist, that’s when I’ll stop saying bitch, bitchh“. Elsewhere, Jay-Z and Nas make good on collaboration number two with “Success,” another hard-hitting track on which the two legendary emcees let loose lyrically. The lead-single “Blue Magic” could have probably been put into the thick of the album, but it’s relegated to the bonus-track section, alongside the overly-familiar sounding title track.
Overall, the album plays out like a good movie, overly slick at times, but generally, a riveting experience. Diddy and the Hitmen more than hold down the album’s production, as their substantial involvement in crafting the soundscape for the LP pays off in a big way. As for the star of the show, Jay-Z plays off the gangster persona with relative ease, and although the hugely successful side of Jigga does seep into the album in certain stretches, the vibe of the album both lyrically and sonically is consistent and solid for most of the album. At this rate, a sequel might be in order.
Feel free to leave your thoughts on Jay-Z’s new album
80 Comments so far
FIRST BITCHESS
lol ya know i now realize why people are excited n shit to be first
i personally love the album, but 2 of the songs strike me as sort of monotonous, “say hello” and “party life” kinda die down mid listen but still on another level then anyone else putting out music right now. Hov > that soulja boy faggot.
i already most of the album it’s a classic
Is it safe to talk about the album yet? Oh but overall it was a great album and it does sound like some reasonable doubt shit. Its funny how Jay can throw a great album together in less than a month. While others cant make n album in 2 years.(not a shot at Wayne)
its cool
Those who bootleg go out and cop the album officially. “Respect and Honor” the Legend in the Game.
I have the album, its alright….but he wont sell big numbers!!!!!!!….poor jay…ahahahahah!!!!
RTNY has always been biased when it comes to jay, the album is a weedplate 3/5
I have the album and i dont think it is all that great, he wont sell no albums!!!
poor jay-z……he wont sell more than 300,000 copies!!
I think the review is a fair reflection of the album. Some people may wonder why certain tracks (Hello Brooklyn) are on there but it is a concept album so it is just sticking to the script. I have listened to all the songs and I think every track is above average. When I buy the album next week I could be a 5/5 album but cus I have not brought it yet at the moment it is 4/5.
Jay-Z did his thing every album this nigga make goes platnum for real go check his stats….ROC 4 LIFE baby!!
The Dynasty Lives On
2.5/5 at best…..this shouldve been a mixtape, def some of the worst material jay has ever put out
I like the album its up their but no where near Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint or Black Album. He shouldn’t have made those comparisons cause its going to automatically raise niggas (like me at least) expectations.
Its cool, Hov in cruise control is better than 90% of these niggas out right now. I’m a support it but no rush to go cop the first day or anything.
oh yeah Weezy Goldberg messed up the album….what a lil punk bow wow will probably eat his ass in a freestyle battle..lol..
Jigga!!!!!!!
I Blame Little Louweezy for fuckin up the vibe on what could’ve been a 5 out of 5 album. Wayne fucked up Graduation too. I think he did that shit on purpose.
Don’t hate on Weezy
Track is straight fire
^ Nobody hating on Weezy. Weezy and Jay on that track did not go together.
Well written preview. Dope album.
crazy how people can say this album is weak
this shit bumps from begining to end
the people of realtalkny are so lasy,this is all they can come up with.u people need to get your fat asses in the street and give me some real realtalkny.
This album is a classic!!! ..and I don’t throw that word around loosely. I will go as far as to say that it’s the best “complete”
got cut off….best “complete album” in a long time.
yeah i have it, its good id give it a 5/5
go get it!
I want to call it classic too but I goin to wait a few months. And I dont understand why people hatin on the Hello Brooklyn it doesnt really mess up the vibe for real.
The American Gangster album is NOTHING like Reasonable Doubt from what ive heard of it already. I dont think there will ever another album like Reasonable Doubt from Jay-Z…or anybody else for that matter. The 2 albums Jay put out before this one may be a tad bit better…ill know for sure next tuesday ; )
yo reviewer talkin about diddy and the hitmen on production.it’s soundin like it’s bringin it back to some life after death shit d-dot and carlos broady type production.
his first 2 singles were weak like roc boys? c’mon man that some wack shit but i heard the album is hot he should have put that dead presidents 3 joint on the album
I couldn’t believe when dude on MTV said that Wayne raised the bar lyrically for niguz. Dude is all voice like meth….nothing more. Like 50 said what was his last hit? That being said ‘hello Brooklyn’ was cool. Woulda been with Wayne on the hook only. Otherwise the album is fire. The roc is all that matters! And for u uncle murda haters dude gon do wild numbers!
‘American gangster Movie’ in theatre now, i saw the movie n the shit was interesting, denzel W. did a great job he my favorit actor n i was impress, o i forgot jay ‘American Gangster Album’ in store Nov 6, i heard most of the track n i like it im definitly coping the album, i wouldn’t say that it a classic tho, but other might say that it a classic cuz of the Movie ‘American Gangster’ but it not a classic, it also not better then ‘Kingdom Come’ album, but maybe most would say that it better, cuz of the ‘Movie American Gangster’ but it not, but the album is great hov is the best lyricist alive period…. cassidy better watch out
*laughs at the number after 5*
“hov is about to be 40 yrs old, he ain’t got the same hunger
like I do he ain’t got a story to tell like me”-a young dumb punk
AMERICAN GANGSTA MUHFUCKAS!!!!!
Great album. Support the legend, buy the album!
Smh@the feel free 2 leave comments about the new jay-z album
What happens if u haven’t heard it yet
Whats Good ya. Man this is real talk. I dont even know if i wanna cop the new hov, beans, free, or styles shyt, real talk. Fa real, artists need to go bak to the true essence of hip hop i mean dont get me wrong all the dudes i named r nice as hell, but when u drop a rapper lik joe buddens and sign Uncle Murder hip hop is dead, dont get me wrong i love brooklyn i live there and i was raised there Bushwick stand up But a spade is a spade. Example, Fabo had some hot ass tracks on his album and his second single is “baby dont go” come on Gangstas dont play was real, so was im da man and artist or droppin these track to attract who? Females are worried about how many years T.I.’s gonna get, Whats next on Keisha coles new show, or trynna perfect the superman dance, real talk. Tell you the truth (please comment if im wrong) hip hop needs to look at its past Warning, juicy, keep ur head up,i Aint mad at cha, all that i got is u, song cry, if i ruled the world, ruff ryder’s anthem, i could keep going on and on. These songs helped make all these legends who we speak about now. And none of these songs spoke about shaking booty or wifing a chick, come on ya help bring hip hop back.
I am SOOOOO x 1,000,000 tired of people saying shit on every website like “Jay-Z is better than 90% of the rappers out today” like that counts for ANY-FUCKIN-THING!!!
First of all, anyone that WAS EVER a threat to Jay-Z at ANYTIME in his career are DEAD or have COMPLETELY changed their approach like NAS so that makes it QUITE A BIT easier. It’s EASY to say who the best is when no one else is even TRYING!!! Beside the fact that he is 38 and his life experiences surpass anyone out right now period. He has been there and done that TWICE already lol.
And no one, besides 50 and Eminem have made anything remotely CLOSE to a “classic” in the past 10 years and he made sure to make friends with them and do projects with them. He got on Em when he first came out with Renegade and as SOON as 50 came out they did that whole Sprite campaign. He just never expected either of them to be so sucessful financially.
And I can’t help but believe that after all these years (almost 12) Reasonable Doubt is only a classic because HE said so and got most people to believe the hype because that is what he is EXCELLENT at. His gift to gab has gotten him into high places so MORE POWER to ya Jay. Get that money from them white boys.!!!! I ain’t NEVER been mad at that!!!
But in all honesty, I like Blueprint better and so did the critics.
He had to damn near campaign on EVERY ALBUM after Reasonable Doubt that Reasonable Doubt was a classic and guess,what,happened……..EVERYONE BELIEVES IT NOW. I believe,although R.D. was a GREAT debut album…. Jay just couldn’t STAND the fact that another Brooklyn nigga made it bigger than him EVEN IF that was his “best friend” just like he can’t stand to see anyone shine harder than him NOW. I believe he is a egomaniacal, self absorbed control freak and THAT is why he is where he is as well which I can’t on a BUSINESS level. But not if he really treats people that way. To me, he acts like a spoiled little boy when the spot light is off of him and that is why he has to keep making these albums because it’s loney in the dark. I don’t expect ANYONE on this site to agree with anything I just stated. Only a grown woman/man could see what I am talkin’ bout. His little temper tantrums…..Bey may find “cute” or take it as strong ambition, but I DON’T!!!! He is TOO DAMN OLD!!!!
All I’m saying is Jay and others make a career out of KNOWING that the masses are stupid and that they control what they believe. I ain’t mad, it is what it is. I just don’t ever want to be in that position on jugement day.
With all that said, I will probably find someone that still listens to Jay-Z to burn a copy for me just for some diverstity in my CD changer, but after Kindom Come (I hate that title), he gets not even a CRUMB from me. I’m sure he doesn’t care either.
Hugs and Kisses.
most people may say that ‘American Gangster’ is a classic, cuz it plays like a movie but it not, n this will not be his most succesful album, but it could be cuz of the movie ‘American Gangster’ but to me it not n i ain’t saying it like the album is bad or somthing but it not his best, ‘kingdom Come’ was a better album i would of rated it a 8 lyrically n ‘American Gangster’ a 7 lyrically, protuction wise i would of rated ‘Kingdom Come’ album a 6 n American Gangster a 5…..American Gangster is a step down but it still a good album, more album more money more success…………frank lucas must be a proud motherfucka.
^^^I meant can’t hate on a business level. I forgot about Chronic 2001 too as a classic and everyone knows he wrote on that album lol. I love you Dre but without the whole industry writting for you, you and Diddy wouldn’t be about to rap your way out of a paper bag lol.
there a differnce between a classic album a succesful album n a great album…Reasonable Doubt was a succesful album…The Blueprint was a succesful album…n American Gangster is a great album.
And Frank Lucas is a SNITCH!!!!
I was SO embarraced by this man, watching this man’s bio on BET that I don’t even know if I want to see it.
Nigga got 15 years from 70? WTF?
i meant to say Reasonable Doubt was a classic album…The Blueprint was a succesful album…n American Gangster is a great album………..best rapper alive.
I agree with what’s said about “Hello Brooklyn 2.0″. Jay and Lil Wayne on a track is just too polarizing. VERY DIFFERENT VIBES. I don’t hate the track, its aight but it doesn’t flow like butter..
Jay is old ass fuck……give it up son…
Let’s look at the word “classic” in Hip Hop that means complete from 1 - whatever….and he achieved that here. When I say complete..I don’t mean that there aren’t a mediocre cut or two in between, but I truly can listen to this whole album without a skip and I am not crazy about a couple of the joints.
To sum this up..this is not an MTV album…hot first single nice video then fall back and let the buzz sell it. This thing will sell itself by word of mouth!!!
right on. Hello brooklyn is terrible, but let that b#tch breathe…..fugetaboutit
THE ALBUM IS COOL,IN MY OPINION= 3.5/5,ITS A GOOD LISTEN BUT IS NOT A CLASSIC
all ya hating ass niggas who keep saying that jay-z is old must be some new-skool niggas, i mean it dosen’t matter if jay-z is 40 or 50 or whatever, it not about that that shit ain’t important, it about the music the lyric n hiphop n that is what made jay-z a lengend, plus dude has been in the hiphop game for a long time give jay-z some respect…n so what if hov’ is about to be 40 years old, cuz if so then he is n will be one of the most succesful 40 year old hiphop artist, who is basically the best hiphop legend alive period…..it all about the old-skool.
Whats Good ya. Man this is real talk. I dont even know if i wanna cop the new hov, beans, free, or styles shyt, real talk. Fa real, artists need to go bak to the true essence of hip hop i mean dont get me wrong all the dudes i named r nice as hell, but when u drop a rapper lik joe buddens and sign Uncle Murder hip hop is dead, dont get me wrong i love brooklyn i live there and i was raised there Bushwick stand up But a spade is a spade. Example, Fabo had some hot ass tracks on his album and his second single is “baby dont go” come on Gangstas dont play was real, so was im da man and artist or droppin these track to attract who? Females are worried about how many years T.I.’s gonna get, Whats next on Keisha coles new show, or trynna perfect the superman dance, real talk. Tell you the truth (please comment if im wrong) hip hop needs to look at its past Warning, juicy, keep ur head up,i Aint mad at cha, all that i got is u, song cry, if i ruled the world, ruff ryder’s anthem, i could keep going on and on. These songs helped make all these legends who we speak about now. And none of these songs spoke about shaking booty or wifing a chick, come on ya help bring hip hop back.
1
much props for niggas not falling for the hype, i heard the album and really wasn’t impressed just sounds to me like a bunch of recycled lyrics from past albums on wask beats. though i can’t wait for that new nas and joe budden mixtape thats real hip hop.good shit from j dolla and pounce(about time).
Classic material
That is on par with the Blue print & the Black album - Sits right in the middle. I think its big!!!
Let it breath - It aint even released yet. lol!!!!
BAN ANYONE THAT SAYS ‘FIRST B!#@es.’
i agreeeeeeee.
GREAT ALBUM.
THE ONLY REASON WHY THEY CALLING A 37 YEAR OLD MAN OLD AND 40 FOR IS BECAUSE HE’S JAY-Z AND WHEN YOU MAKE IT THAT BIG PEOPLE BEGIN TO HATE ON YOU CAUSE YOUR A HUGE STAR WHY NOT HATE ON YOU .THEY AN’T CALLING MYSTIKAL(36) RED MAN (36) BIRDMAN(37) LL COOL J (41) RAKIM(40) EMINEM (35) NAS (34) CAMRON(32) PLIES (32) DR. DRE (43) SNOOP(36) DIDDY (36) ALL THEM NIGGAS OLD WHY NOT CAUSE THEY AN’T AS BIG AS jay IS THAT’S WHY THAT’S THEY WAY OF HATING SO LET THEM HATE IT ONLY PROVES HOW GREAT HE IS.. ..now say i’m lying?
anyway i love the album i think it’s fits right in with his classics RD,BP,TBA AND AG that’s it. shit it’s a really really great album i’m proud of him
SouthSide/Fckyocouch: I see you, and I raise it… -1.5/5
@ #29/30 (ESP. 30) Say what you feel, I love the independant thought!
MAN… off subject somewhat but why do black businessmen force themselves into the limelight like entertainers?
and dude ain’t better than 90% of the people out, he’s just better to you than the other 90% of people gettin shoved down your thraot like soulja boy, hurricane chris, that so crispy nigga, mims, etc. Age shouldn’t be an issue either as long as you make age appropriaet music.
This dude’s makin music for kids, and tellin them what?
People need to support some fresh new talent and gives folks a fair chance to grow like the older acts had.
this album sucked dick
0.5/5
ALBUM’S OVERRATED! sAY hELLO IS THE ONLY UNDENIABLE RECORD! dON’T KNOW WHY Y’ALL SLEPT ON KINGDOM COME. iT MIGHT BE THE LAST OF THE BEST JAYZ.
cosign #30 ..im glad to see that smart niggaz still exist cuz most of u dumb mutha fukaz don’t realize that jay-z ain that big of a deal..he’s good rapper but he’s not an entertainer..the niggaz boring..he’s not the G.O.A.T .. GOAT would be someone you couldnt fuk wit on any level..someone u’d be scared to go up against..only nigga thats ever portrayed that kind of fear wuz pac and that it, noone else.. u got niggaz like jim jones callin jay out nas murdered this dude lyrically man and tha’s probably only person he been up against cuz he backed away from any other beef he had..GOAT= PAC end of discussion
#43 ENY’ shut up in get off this website..your not hiphop.
it’s to many females on this blog cuz where i’m from niggas don’t hate like this i mean in all honestly this getting good reviews for a reason if the album was as bad as yall CLAIM it is i’m sure niggas wouldn’t hold they breathe about it they haven’t before so why do it now? so all this the album an’t that good shit sound a lil suspect to me but it’s cool cuz yall chicks opinions don’t effect me non at all i’m still coppin if yall don’t like the shit then don’t buy it if niggas think it’s a classic that’s how they feel end of story and i think some of his best work and songs are on this album so like I said yall chicks can pull yall g-string out yall ass on this one lets try being real
JAY IF YOU READING THIS… YOU SHOULD OF NAMED UR ALBUM BLUE MAGIC… CUZ A NIGGA HOOOOKED!!! 4.5/5 HELLO BROOKLYN AINT THAT BAD WAYNES VERSE IS JUST WIERD.
N YALL CANT BLAME WAYNE FOR THAT WACK VERSE .. YOU GOTTA BLAME JAY FOR THINKING THAT HE NEEDED WAYNE TO MAKE HIS ALBUM COMPLETE/ N THE IRONY IS THAT THAT TRACK FUCKED UP WHAT COULD OF BEEN A CLASSIC ALBUM
this album is wack trust no lie this aint the jigga dat got me thinking he was the best this is the 45 year old rapper needs to go back the old peoples home no joke for real true stories i belive the word im looking for is washed up
FIRE.ITS UP THERE WIT BLUEPRINT 1, REASONABLE DOUBT,HARDKNOCK LIFE,THE BLACK ALBUM & THE DYNASTY.REAL TALK,HOV DIN IT ONCE AGAIN.
american gangster = classic
I’m a loyal Jay-Z fan so I got the digital version but i quickly deleted it…Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint and The Black Album were his best albums he put out and American Gangster could’ve been a classic(it’s close to being one tho) but Weezy Goldberg fucked it all up…at first I was like : aiight it might be an original joint and all cause Jay though that Blue Magic was outta context cause of the 80’s feel vibe of it and he wanted some 70’s joints so with Hello Bk 2.0 being in the first batch of the cuts then it would make sense (I wish, woow) but the beat sucks hard (n/h) and it sounds like it’s worth 2 pennys, seriously…
Final Verdict : Can’t rate it for (Can’t judge without the real deal) now but the revie done by the site is precisely on point!
i got a ? 4 the haters. why is age, how a nikka looks an an issue? why dus it matter how old some1 is if they are putting out good music? no one says anything when snoop, 2 short, outcast, nas, and LL put out music. why should the reason for not liking something is ” the dude is almost 40″ or ” this dude looks like a camel”……i missed the point when rap was about age and looks to sell records……..if thats the case go listen to bow wow……bottom line hov has been the most consistant over the last 10 year, he has the best bitch in the game by his side, and has the most money out of any rapper ever. At least respect his gangster.
As most people…I already have to the album (I’m still going to purchase the album in stores)
The point is, the album is hot and anybody saying anything different is simply hating or does not realize real hip-hop when it is being played. The same people saying this album is garbage as the same ones saying Lil Boosie album is fire….Therefore you creditability
Therefore go support real hip-hop, before we are left with Tum Tum and Gucci Mane in the fore front of hip-hip
NO WONDER WHY HIP-HIP IS DEAD….We didn’t take care of it when it was alive and healthy. This album is a glimpse of the golden-era (Jay, BIG, Illmatic Nas, BIG L, NWA)
Stop talking about his age and stop talking about his looks it is not what should be discusseds on these type of sites you niggas are talking all that gay shit.
If you don’t like the album fair enough but I think the album is a damn near good and no matter what type of music is out today it would stand out as a good album. People are only saying it is good compared to what is out now or judging by Jay’s previous albums I say people should judge the album for what it is.
im tired of ppl hating on Hello Brooklyn 2.0, that it out of place but its not in the format of the album. It supposed to symbolize the part in the movie when Frank’s brothers make the transition from Carolina(weezy rep the south) to New York(Jay rep NY).Plus it booms hard because because its like rude awakening. As soon as the Lucas brethren get to New York like the first thing they see is Frank shoot a nigga in the face to let them know this drugs and New York shit aint a fuckin joke….ya dig?
tired of u tired ass niggas on jay’s dick. that nigga wack, and never heard an album he put out that was close to a hit album but long as he has ya’ll lame niggas buying his shit he’ll always go platinum in the state of N.Y.. redmember that the south run this shit TI is the KING and LIL WAYNE is the GREATEST RAPPER ALIVE. jay is like master p was in his day: a nigga thst use his head to get money. that’s why he don’t put out albums cause he is better at business. plus the nigga shit wack
jay is a dope mc fam and his new shit is o.k but he is gonna ruin his legacy.and is he ever gonna let anybody on his roster come out? j needs to stop signing garbage all these freeway’s and peedi crack’s,sam scarfo’s and such!
Very great album damn near clasic dead presidents 3 instead of hello bk would have pushed the album to a true classic album 4.7 by todays standards though it’s a classic b
the funny thing is that people who don’t like it can’t relate to it. if you not from “da hood” or “hood smart”, you wouldn’t like it. the people that don’t like this album, which actually has lyrics and who prefer “soulja boy” or that genre of music, (which by the way is cool for what it is) has ABSOLUTELY NO LYRICAL CONTENT, are silly, in my opinion. or people that don’t like it cant read the subliminals or metaphors he is using. this album is HOTTTT!bottom line. i guess he’s not commercial enough for you all. maybe if he look like a “bruit” dancing around with his pants half down, you dont like him.
We(black people) need to watch what we put out. . . jay z is real as the s*It he talks about. take a class or 2 you will be able to understand him. . .maybe
Lovelyone
Detroit, MI
Greatest Rapper EVER!
This album is right up there with Reasonable Doubt Blueprint and Illmatic……I F#$kin Love IT!
cassidy’s was better by far . i ant gunna hate thou its still a goodalbum. i just wish wayne n jay actually got together and did the track
some of yall are haters jay album is the shit and i think some yall vocal is a little low because i dont yall no what he be talking about and to white bread say hello and party life are two of the best songs on the album fuck that u can play the whole album there are no week songs stop being a jay z hater
This album was a snore.when creating an album the whole package must be offered beats rhymes concepts etc but when an album is just speech i cant listen to it.this is the quickest ive ever taken out a cd. If anyone said they enjoyed it lied.
I don’t know if it’s jealousy, hating, stupidity, ignorance or what. But I do know that the haters that jump on sites like this to disrespect an artist’s work is appalling. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but damn people. Jay Z is one of the last great rappers we’ll see. In terms of lyrical content, there are few hip hop artists who have ever been close to his level of vernacular wizardry. If you don’t like the production, that’s one thing. If you don’t like his flow or cadence, sure, you’re entitled to dislike it (different rappers have different styles). However, if you are one of the individuals who listens to his lyrics and says you don’t like them, you’re either too dumb to understand the complexity and intricacies of his content, or you’re not a true hip hop fan. It’s like this, I don’t like the New England Patriots because I’m a Cowboys fan, but I still respect the greatness of the team and what they’ve done for the last decade. It’s the same thing with Jay Z. You may be a fan of other artists, but to say his music sucks is ridiculous.
Jay Z puts it down (and has over the course of his career) on American Gangster. It’s not for me to judge whether it’s a classic or not, but anytime you can put a CD in your car (and yes, I bought my copy) and play it from the front to the back without needing to skip tracks, that’s a classic.
For those who think the Joe Buddens (and no disrespect to Budden) of the world are better than Jay Z, you’ve lost your minds. That automatically tells me that those individuals need to go back and revisit the Hip Hop History Books. Comparing Jay to almost any of the so-called “hot” rappers of today is a damn insult to not only Jay, but the history of hip hop itself. It kills me when people get on these sites and hate on someone because they’re “too” successful. What the hell is too successful? She he rap for free? Keep it grimy and stay living in the Marcy Projects? Would you respect him then? Would he be better received if he was broke and still hustling?
I think it’s a shame that Jay had to go back to rapping about drugs when that’s not him anymore. “I’m more Frank Lucas than Ludacris/Luda is my dude/so I ain’t trying to dis/And Frank Lucas is cool, but I ain’t trying to snitch.” I love the lyrics and the reference, but Jay Z is no more a gangster than any of you are music moguls. However, in order for him to be successful at his job he’s been forced to talk about being a hustler. In Kingdom Come he let us in and talked about his success and we said the album sucked. He hasn’t been in the game for more than 11 years now. Seriously people, the next time you want to hate on someone, hate on the “real hustlers” that are still selling drugs to our people on a daily basis and blaming the fact that they didn’t get an education on the white man. I think it sucks that Jay felt pressured to talk about hustling again, but I feel worse that we as hip hop fans applied the choke hold.
At the end of the day, Jays making music. He’s an entertainer. If you don’t like his work, that’s your right not to. But please, for the sake of the rest of us that do enjoy him, stop hating. He doesn’t make you buy his music. Stick to your Soulja Boy Dance. And when Jay finally does retire in a couple of years (if not sooner), let’s see where the state of hip hop is a few years later…it’s a damn shame my people refuse to celebrate another black man’s success.
i think brooklyn 2.0 is dope why everyone at jayz concert know all the words? lol
its dopee.
“ILLY RAP” is the illest rapper by far, f*ck Jay-Z