Re-Visiting Jay-Z "American Gangster"

[points]

I dont see why everyone hates on Kingdom Come for?  Theres only a couple skippable tracks on there for me.


The prelude   5/5
Oh My God   4/5
Kingdom come  4.5/5
Show me what you got 4/5
Lost One   5/5
Do You wanna ride 3.75/5
30 Something   5/5
Made it   3.75/5
Anything  1/5
Hollywood   1/5
Trouble    5/5
Dig A Hole  4/5
Minortiy report   4/5
Beach Chair  3.75/5

I agree.  Kingdom Come is a slept on fire.   Everything since the Blueprint I've bumped from Jay except for Blueprint 2.  The Carter series I never got too into.

I think these are all classics:
Reasonable Doubt
Blueprint
Black Album
Kingdom Come
American Gangster

[virtuoso]

I couldn't agree less.kingdom come wasn't great but it showed growth as a man as an artist and the lyrics showed that.the subject matter was exactly what I wanted to hear because it was realistic,it was grown up music.But people hate change so they hated on the album they just wanted the same boring drug talk from him that hasn't been a part of his life for what almost 20 years now?he took a chance with it he took some flack then went back to the same boring subject matter.sure the production was solid but I found the album to be a step back for him.

Couldn't have said it better, altough Kingdom Come did have 2 or 3 crappy tracks.

Where was the subject matter that went over peoples heads?
A sloppy short attempt to comment on katrina
A song telling the world with being in your mid thirty's is a blessing and that he runs rings around younger ones
A really weak Dre beat
Dig A Hole, Oh My God, Beach Chair, are the only songs which stand out at all in my opinion

None of his album went over anyones head (of if they did, god help those people) it was just very poor but as is the case with any of this, opinions differ wildly.

[Hey Ma]

I couldn't agree less.kingdom come wasn't great but it showed growth as a man as an artist and the lyrics showed that.the subject matter was exactly what I wanted to hear because it was realistic,it was grown up music.But people hate change so they hated on the album they just wanted the same boring drug talk from him that hasn't been a part of his life for what almost 20 years now?he took a chance with it he took some flack then went back to the same boring subject matter.sure the production was solid but I found the album to be a step back for him.

Couldn't have said it better, altough Kingdom Come did have 2 or 3 crappy tracks.

Where was the subject matter that went over peoples heads?
A sloppy short attempt to comment on katrina
A song telling the world with being in your mid thirty's is a blessing and that he rungs rings around younger ones

None of his album went over anyones head (of if they did, god help those people) it was just very poor but as is the case with any of this, opinions differ wildly.

Exactly.

[Jaydc555]

I never said it went over anyones head.but he showed growth and maturity.he was talking about something other then the same old boring drug talk.he was talking his real life which to me is more appealing then talking about a drug game that he hasn't been a part of for ages and has already said everything before.

[points]

A lot of people forget there's more to hip-hop than the drug dealing hustler perspective so easily adopted by individuals.

[Lunatic]

ya cause songs like Show Me What U Got, Do U Wanna Ride, Anything and Hollywood were all so fresh and original

[Chamillitary Click]

^i liked Do U Wanna Ride & Anything.

[white Boy]

i dont get how this was any more of a concept album than reasonable doubt? (garbage album btw, but def not as bad as kingdom come)

[points]

ya cause songs like Show Me What U Got, Do U Wanna Ride, Anything and Hollywood were all so fresh and original

I know it's the goal of an artist to be original but if that was the only rating we measured an artist on - the majority of them would receive F's.  It was a more honest effort then most of his releases.

[Lunatic]

ya cause songs like Show Me What U Got, Do U Wanna Ride, Anything and Hollywood were all so fresh and original

I know it's the goal of an artist to be original but if that was the only rating we measured an artist on - the majority of them would receive F's.  It was a more honest effort then most of his releases.

i agree, i'm just saying it's not totally innocent of buying into the grand scheme of how things are done in hiphop usually

[D-Nice]

I couldn't agree less.kingdom come wasn't great but it showed growth as a man as an artist and the lyrics showed that.the subject matter was exactly what I wanted to hear because it was realistic,it was grown up music.But people hate change so they hated on the album they just wanted the same boring drug talk from him that hasn't been a part of his life for what almost 20 years now?he took a chance with it he took some flack then went back to the same boring subject matter.sure the production was solid but I found the album to be a step back for him.

Couldn't have said it better, altough Kingdom Come did have 2 or 3 crappy tracks.

Where was the subject matter that went over peoples heads?
A sloppy short attempt to comment on katrina
A song telling the world with being in your mid thirty's is a blessing and that he runs rings around younger ones
A really weak Dre beat
Dig A Hole, Oh My God, Beach Chair, are the only songs which stand out at all in my opinion

None of his album went over anyones head (of if they did, god help those people) it was just very poor but as is the case with any of this, opinions differ wildly.

I don't think the subject matter is something that reinvented the wheel, I just think what he was talking about people were not interested in what he was saying on KC. In that sense some of the songs came and went but in the same breath you have alot of fair weather peeps that listen to the music (ie the ones that need god's help) that do not want to hear some different Jay. But at the same time I feel like KC just was not executed as well as his previous efforts.

[dubsmith_nz]

the fact that henamed it american gangster and that movie was commin out round the same time just came of as cheezy to me. i get he was tryin to bank off the success of the movie but i thot it just seemed lame.

exactly, purely a marketing ploy to make some $$$.  And what was that other shit that was a Budweiser commercial?  Damn that song was fuckin horrible. 

He made it cos the movie inspired him to go back and create a concept album with a hustler character, something he doesnt do in his regular life anymore. Album was dope though no doubt!

[dubsmith_nz]

i dont get how this was any more of a concept album than reasonable doubt? (garbage album btw, but def not as bad as kingdom come)

Because when making Reasonable Doubt he was living that life, American Gangster he wasnt

[Chamillitary Click]

i dont get how this was any more of a concept album than reasonable doubt? (garbage album btw, but def not as bad as kingdom come)

he was living that life, American Gangster he wasnt

but that doesnt take away from the album.

i mean at least Jay lived that life at one time.

most of the dudes out now, didnt live that life & still rap about it.

Jay is a legend!

[dubsmith_nz]

i dont get how this was any more of a concept album than reasonable doubt? (garbage album btw, but def not as bad as kingdom come)

he was living that life, American Gangster he wasnt

but that doesnt take away from the album.

i mean at least Jay lived that life at one time.

most of the dudes out now, didnt live that life & still rap about it.

Jay is a legend!

Oh no doubt I wasnt dissing the dude, I was saying thats why it's a concept album, and reasonable doubt isnt