I downloaded Jay-Z's tenth studio album yesterday, "American Gangster," which is set to come out next Tuesday. I've got two words for you...
Instant. Classic.
I can pretty much say I've listened through it all already. God DAMN it's good. Like, finally Jay! Enough of the Kingdom Come bullshit. This. Is. The. Shit.
It's got a Nas collabo (very good). A Weezy collabo (even better). But most importantly, it's got substance, story substance. I want to petition Ridley Scott to make some more movies that can inspire Jay to (not) write this shit.
Some songs to check out if not ready for the full album yet (other than the two singles out already and the two collabos mentioned earlier):
Pray - Wow. The beat is so raw and I have almost never heard Jay like this. It is awesome.
Ignorant Shit ft. Beanie Siegel - I am SO happy this track is on the album. It's actually old. I've been listening to it (or at least the first 2 Jay verses) since about '03 or '04. It was just never officially released, but it is sick. ("First thing Ima so is free Siegel..." it was recorded when he was in jail haha). And the last two verses from Beans and Jay are surprisingly conscious.
Party Life - Beat is laid back, but upbeat... a sick sample. Second verse: is he talking about B or H? (Beyonce or Heroin)? You be the judge.
Basically, this album is like Blueprint, but a ton more raw. The samples are all 70s shit, catchy, laid back, well produced, simple. The lyrics are full of Jay metaphors, interesting lines and verses you'll be quoting.
The funny thing is this semi-review is after only one listen through. And we all know albums/songs only get better as you listen to them.
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