JAY-Z - American Gangster | Review By: Conan Milne


Release Date : November 6 2007

Label : Roc-A-Fella

Rating: 4.5/5

Dub Quotable: The majority of those who embrace American Gangster, however, will not dwell on such punch-lines. Rather, they will be enthralled by what remains a plush, cinematic masterstroke.

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With Hip-Hop scarily obsessed with authenticity, the concept behind Jay-Z’s latest album is somewhat ingenious. Perhaps the most acutely aware MC alive, Jigga understands that his fans recognize him as much for his vast entrepreneurial fortune as his gritty back catalogue. This essentially left Jay in a ‘lose-lose’ situation with 2006 comeback, Kingdom Come. Fans wanted to hear the intensely personal tracks that have always made Hova fascinating. They were dismissive, however, of alien raps about growing old gracefully and the hardships of high-profile relationships; raps that reflected Jay-Z’s current reality as a world weary CEO. Striking upon the perfect solution, President Carter delivers this thematic masterpiece. An impassioned homage to the recent film of the same name, American Gangster also mirrors Jay’s own notorious ascent. The result is an admirably adventurous opus in a time where the culture screams ‘generic.’

Over the muffled, sweeping strings of opener “Pray,” Jay seems totally at ease with the burden of delivering an entertaining and cohesive account. Typically comfortable behind the microphone, he jumps in: “Hey young world, wanna hear a story?/Close your eyes and you can pretend that you’re me.” Hov then provides several synopses for the drug-laden chapters to come, although one in particular sticks. “This is the genesis of a nemesis,” breathily remarks the MC. He then bounds to the soulful “American Dream,” where the primary, romanticized notions of drug trafficking are served.

The highlight of the album is the wonderful, climatic “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)” The finest single Jay has offered in years, it captures the naïve enthusiasm of a rising star so perfectly that you could be forgiven for thinking you’d just stumbled upon a recording of the Reasonable Doubt release party. Hova is positively vibrant over Diddy & The Hitmen’s pompous brass thrusts. Feverishly excited, he bellows, “The Roc Boys is in the building tonight/Oh, what a feeling, I’m feeling light/You ain’t even gotta bring your paper out/We the dope boys of the year/Drinks is on the house.” “Roc Boys” brilliance is that, while it delivers as a standalone effort, it is an integral part of American Gangster’s tale. All glitzy overindulgence, it remains distinctly foreboding. When Jay brashly quips, “I get away with murder when I slang ‘yay,” the listener senses the inevitable, crushing fall to come.

And so the album slinks towards the echoing drums of “Fallin,’” which begins immediately with an emotional ode to hindsight. “I know I shouldn’t have did that,” comes a quivering vocal, as Jay-Z curses addiction. “The irony is selling drugs is sort of like you’re using it,” the MC glumly notes, explaining how illegal product funded the lavish lifestyle embedded in the afore-mentioned “Roc Boys.” Referencing every classic mob movie imaginable, Jay nonetheless highlights reality when he warns, “You seen what that last run did to De Niro.” With that apt message delivered, fading, tinkering keys and a cooing vocal aptly conjure the artist’s downfall.

Generally expertly realized and scored, American Gangster is not flawless. When Jay delivers overly self-referential lyrics like, “Take what the ‘Forbes’ figured and figure more/’Cause they forgot to account what I did with the raw,” he breaks the third wall and harms his conceptual narrative. This is but one example, and boasts that fail to fit snugly as either a nod to the American Gangster movie or Jay’s plight are scattered throughout this record. At the same time, their presence is understood. Jay-Z once begrudgingly announced that, “Y’all don’t respect modest – y’all respect my dollars,” and it’s true that a Jay album minus such coy lyricism would confuse. Their presence keeps those listeners searching for a witty update on the Def Jam President’s wealth pleased. The majority of those who embrace American Gangster, however, will not dwell on such punch-lines. Rather, they will be enthralled by what remains a plush, cinematic masterstroke.






 

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