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.
