Jay-z - American Gangster
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Jay-Z - American Gangster
(Tuesday November 6, 2007 7:52 PM
)
Released on 05/11/07
Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Mercury
Just in case you weren't sure what you were considering buying, the sticker on the outside of this CD advises you that this album - Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's second inside 12 months, and second since he broke his own self-imposed retirement - is a "conceptual body of genius work". The hyperbolic copywriter is, at least, half right. "American Gangster" is conceptual, alright, inspired by the Ridley Scott movie of the same name, and - presumably - rushed out to be in the shops in time for the film's imminent opening. Using a selection of beats built from '70s soul and funk, it reflects the period setting; lyrically, its primary theme is an investigation of the evolution of the gangsta archetype, looking at how the drug dealer became a semi-sympathetic outlaw figure, examining the contradictions inherent in those who chase the American Dream on the far side of legality, and ruminating on what this period of US history might yet come to mean. There is no other emcee you would rather hear tackling this subject over these beats - few, certainly, who have the right mix of skills, perspicacity, perspective and poetic ingenuity. And, after a scene-setting intro, the first track, "Pray", sounds like this could be the masterpiece the post-retirement phase of his career requires. "I'm cut from the cloth of the Kennedys / Frank Sinatra havin' dinner with the Genovese" he intones, with just the right blend of metaphysical gravitas and street-level wonderment. "This is the genesis of a nemesis / Mother America not witnessed since / The Harlem Renaissance birthed black businesses". It's the sort of rich writing, matched to a lush and evocative beat (co-produced by that other label-running hip hop star, Diddy), which suggests Jay is back for real this time. And there are other highs - "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)" samples a recent Daptone 45 with a '70s New York Afrobeat flavour and is the album's musical highpoint, while "Ignorant Sh*t" is a typically multi-layered look at rap's supposed negative influence, lambasting those who hold hip hop responsible for society's ills - "Scarface the movie did more than Scarface the rapper to me / Still that ain't to blame for all the sh*t that's happened to me". But far too much of this record is just Jay marking time....
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