Jay-Z - American Gangster (CD)

All Music Guide

"Y'all nggas got me really confused out there. I make 'Big Pimpin' or 'Give It to Me,' one of those that had me as the greatest writer of the 21st century. I make some thoughtprovoking sht y'all question whether he fallin' off." When you've built up a back catalog of eight studio albums and walk the earth as one of the biggest, most highprofile artists of the '90s and 2000s, you're bound to get some mixed signals from those who pay attention to you. However, the jury did not take long to reach a verdict on 2006's Kingdom Come: the consensus on it (as a major falloff) was as swift and strong as the consensus on Reasonable Doubt (as a classic). Once used copies of Kingdom Come became easily attainable for less than two dollars, it was apparent the next JayZ album might not be so anticipated. He'd need to get some fresh inspiration and make some corrective maneuvers.Fortunately, both came unexpectedly rather than by desperate force after he saw an advance screening of the early'70s pe...riod piece American Gangster, which played a direct role in nine of the songs on this album of the same name. While several tracks connected to specific scenes are also rooted in productions trading in the regal grit that made up so much '70s soul, the album is not a straight narrative, broken up by tracks like the boomclap of "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" (produced by Bigg D) and the glitzedout pair of "I Know" (a halficing Neptunes layer cake) and "Ignorant Shit" (where Just Blaze transforms the Isleys' quiet storm staple "Between the Sheets" into a highgloss anthem). Combined with the tracks laced with '70s soul including six produced by Diddy LV Sean C, one by Toomp, and two by a newly forged partnership between Jermaine Dupri and No I.D. it all adds up to an album that seems nearly out of time, at least when it comes to the years spanning JayZ's career, without resembling a true regression. "Success," for instance, takes its lead from The Black Album's "Public Service Announcement," with blaring organ over heavily weighted drum knocks, yet despite the likeness, it's one of the album's highlights. And while Jay mentions American Gangster and protagonist Frank Lucas directly, and intersperses some tracks with dialogue, the connection does not overshadow the album. It's not like he's yelling "Shaft's Big Score 2K7" or "Leonard Part Six, Part Two" It's all as natural as Scarface riffing off Scarface. Read more Less