The Last Drop

Jay Z, American Gangster – My appetite for hip hop is growing steadily. And look, I’m already on my second Jay Z album. Who knew it would get this far!

Sean Cory Carter was not embellishing when he announced “This is black superhero music” in “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…). Bring out your ’70s samples and get the horns ready to ride out. Blacksploitation is back. Yes, it fits the theme for the movie in which the subject matter is patterned after. But it is thoroughly thick with ’70s references musically and lyrically. If I hear another Marvin Gaye song chopped and cut, I may just be tempted to buy the original Sidenote – American Gangster is also a tribute to General Mills with references to the notoriety of the General Mills chairman and the goodness that is Hamburger Helper. See? Don’t you want to listen to the album right now? Aside from the myriad references that Jay Z usually packs in his albums, the gangster theme helps keep the focus. If not a bit of tried territory, he does his best to come up with a balanced perspective on the triumph and the loss of being a drug dealer. In very human terms that are loosely based on his own life. It seems like all of his latest releases ( The Black Album, Kingdom Come) are all flirting with his introspective nature. Which is exciting for me. Anything that starts to stand clear from the money, cars, women mantra of mainstream hip hop (you know who you are, T-Pain!) almost seems decadent at this point. The standout tracks are clearly the radio friendly hits “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…)” and “I Know”. Still, there are some non-radio friendly gems, namely “Hello Brooklyn” featuring Lil’ Wayne and “Success” featuring Nas. “Hello Brooklyn” is a treat of a minimalist piece with Wayne sounding as weary and weathered as ever. His voice has now embodied the post-Katrina New Orleans and he uses the affect effortlessly. “Success” displays grown-folk braggadocio from two veteran rappers that have earned the right. It’s great when the guest artist and the original artist actually play to each other’s strengths and lift the song to a better realm. It also helps that the music’s eerily sparse arrangement of just an organ sets the mood for grim and gaudy lyrics.

As a whole, the album doesn’t play well for radio play. Beyonce is only on one song (speaking! Not even singing), the samples are either too slow or too funky to speak to the masses and there is even a song with no hook (aptly titled). I find it refreshing as with much of hip hop that is based off of melodies and actual musicians than just beat loops. Others may find it too hard to follow. I say, give it a try.

Oh, and the video for “I Know” is down right artistic. Can you spot Lenny Kravitz’s daughter in the bunch?

See “I Know” video