American Gangster/Jay-Z
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
So what are people thinking about this, now that it's leaked?
mannybolone
Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
Comments
Ha yeah - take that album's inconsistencies and reduce it down to an uneven single disc and voila! "American Gangster." I hope the movie's better. I haven't really sat with the Jay CD in depth yet but my first casual listen through was not exactly inspiring.
I think many people have wildly unrealistic expectations for this... if you look at Jay's history, he's always had records with tracks that some would say are inconsistent... Blueprint being the only real exception... and maybe Reasonable Doubt
I think this is better than the Black Album, Blueprint 2, and Life & Times vol. 1... Jay hasn't been this focused lyrically since Blueprint. The tracks at times sound tinny, but I can't tell if that's just the leak. They sounded great on stage. Maybe more like those silver records, S. Carter Vol 1 and Life & Times Vol 3 or whatever.
I'm admittedly a Jay-Z stan but this hasn't left my car at all yet.
:FEELINGIT:
With AG, a lot of the pre-chatter was about how "soulful" it was and right now, I'm not hearing that. Yeah, there's definitely a few songs built on that sound but not all of them...and there are more than a few beats here I don't ever need to hear again (as beats): "No Hook," "Pray," and god forgive me but despite the use of Marvin, I didn't find "American Dream" very interesting. ("Success" is the shit though).
As for people having unrealistic expectations...I think people hold Jay in high regard and expect him to live up to that. Nothing unrealistic about that.
No, it's a real Jay album--it's not a soundtrack and has no real connection to the movie other than sharing a title.
^^^^^^KNOWN NOT TO BE A REAL JAY FAN
please Jay, just stick to the HP commercials
the movie leaked too... saw it last night. it's a-ight.
Pretty sure it's the leak... I was at the studio where Duro's been mixing this the other night, and I think he's still putting the finishing touches on it.
These three records are pretty much the epitome of where he's going lyrically and substantively on the album so if you're not finding them very interesting I question where you're coming at it from.
"American Dream" has some of his best lyrics in years... "Pray" is tense as hell... I think you really need to sit down and examine the record with the depth you claim Jay-Z demands before writing (son). Sounds like you heard it on computer speakers once or twice.
If you are looking for mind-melting beats on every track then you are totally missing the point of the record, and I'd venture you're not too familiar with Jay's catalog. The majority of it is made special not by his beat choices, which are often sub-standard or at best average - but by what he does with them.
This is true. But can he do it at age 37?
If jay-z holds onto the "this is one story" thing, then he should have made the lp more consistant. I'm tempted to skip all the time. Beats dont fit, Okay we have some nice stuff on there like the no id or the roc boys tracks, but apart from what has been leaked so far, only the success track caught my attention. The rest is pretty much
I don't get this dude, it seemed to be so easy for him to put great albums together before he started going downhill...
Anybody else seen it?
Peace,
Dress
I heartily disagree that Jay-Z is known for beat-mediocrity - I've never felt that way about his music and I've been listening to his catalog as long as anyone here. "Rhyming hot over average beats" doesn't really sound like a reputation he'd stake for himself and as a fan, I've always though he's displayed a gift for good lines AND - at times at least - choosing some good shit to rhyme over. It's not for nothing that cats like Just Blaze and Kanye were able to launch careers thanks to producing for Jay.
Regardless, like I said, I'm about to sit with AG properly so we'll see how good/bad this really is.
I'm said to hear the movie is just "a'ight."
Dude - are you familiar with his pre-Blueprint albums?
You think "Money Cash Hoes" is a great beat? "Can I Get A..."? I mean sure, you've got "Streets Is Watching" and "Dead Presidents" and "Where I'm From" but do you think "D'Evils" would be a classic with anyone else over it? Imagine "Friend Or Foe" with Jeru - or fuck it, Guru - over it. It's all about what Jay-Z did with a pretty average Primo track. Even on The Blueprint, listen to "Jigga That N*gga", "Renegade", hell even "Lyrical Exercise" and imagine those tracks without Jay-Z. Very average.
Wait - you thought "Can I Get A..." was wack, beat-wise? I loved that track and wasn't mad at that style of production (even if it wasn't my bread and butter). Dude, if you think I'm only riding for Ski/Preme beats in that era, you're very, very wrong. "Jigga, My Nigga," "Who You Wit," "Money Ain't a Thing" - I wasn't mad at none of those.
So yeah, "Cash Money Hoes" >>> "Pray" or "No Hook" as far as beats go.
I'd also add that "Hello Brooklyn" isn't remotely "soulful" but it knocks something stooopid on nothing more than a drum box track. I do wish Wayne was singing less on it though.
I'm still stunned at what's being implied here.
Indeed.
It's possible I was merely unaware of your closeted love for jiggy-hop, but when those records came out you were absolutely NOT riding for shit like "Money Ain't A Thing" or "Money Cash Hoes".
Let us try to be serious for a moment.
HA. #67?
finally got a chance to listen to these tracks...and yeah, the lyrics are much more on point than Kingdom Come. Not sure if I would place these songs above his best Black Album-era material, but I'm prepared to wait until the actual release date and listen to a non-jankified before casting final judgment. Especially feeling the title track, success, sweet, and the winner..., & pray.
^^^ BRONX-BROOKLYN BIAS ^^^
Dude, don't let my URB years fool you. True, I wouldn't have played "Money Cash Hoes" out but I was all into "Money Ain't a Thing" and "Can I Get A..." I admit - I was initially disappointed that "Vol 1" didn't sound like "Reasonable Doubt, The Sequel" but once I got past that, I was open to many of Jay's big hits in the era.