Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt

Given that Jay-Z will be headlining John Paul Jones Arena in a few days, it seems appropriate to revisit the career of one of mainstream rap’s most ubiquitous talents. These days, Billboard chart toppers such as “99 Problems” and “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” are the cornerstones of Jay-Z’s reputation. However, it was 1996’s Reasonable Doubt that served as the stone-cold classic debut upon which Jay-Z built his initial reputation. A world away from his later work, Reasonable Doubt showcases a young Jay-Z supremely confident in his skills even before he burst into our society’s collective consciousness.

Before he earned his name as one of hip-hop’s most notorious businessmen, Jay-Z was a hustler on the streets of New York. He rapped about what he knew — drugs, crime, law, poverty — and he was very, very good at it. Despite his talent, major labels were uninterested in signing such a little-known artist. In an early example of his entrepreneurial flair, Jay-Z responded by founding Roc-A-Fella Records with friends Dame Dash and Kareem Biggs. He proceeded to round up some of the most notable East Coast producers to work on his beats and even scored a guest verse from fellow New Yorker Notorious B.I.G. The resulting album was a hip-hop landmark and perhaps the finest of Jay-Z’s career.

In many ways, Jay-Z’s first album showcases the same traits we’ve grown to love from him — his cool confidence, his wittiness and wordplay, his sense of class and character, his raw ambition and disarming honesty. Nevertheless, the street-wise subject matter and emotional gravitas of Reasonable Doubt is worlds away from the plush money raps that would characterize his later work. Reasonable Doubt is an engaging portrayal of Jay-Z’s life in the Marcy housing projects of New York. The music is a mess of his complex sentiments — dark yet celebratory, playful yet somber, gritty yet luxurious. “Dead Presidents II” and “Regrets” are among the most affecting songs he has ever recorded, yet “22 Two’s” and “Friend or Foe” have a playful, tongue-in-cheek vibe.


Jay-Z - "Dead Presidents"
Jay-Z’s observations of the drug trade are sharp and clever. He is constantly aware of the dangers and complications inherent to his line of work, yet his desire to live large presents him with no other options. As he proclaims on the triumphant “Can I Live,” “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.” Ultimately, Jay-Z’s ruminations on the drug biz are less enthusiastic or arrogant than they are nuanced and analytical.

As mentioned earlier, production was handled by some of the best East Coast’s finest beatsmiths at the time – notably, the roster included such talents as Ski, DJ Premier and Clark Kent. The overall sound is one heavily influenced by soul, funk and jazz, creating a vibe of both indulgence and relaxation. Particularly notable are the beats for “Dead Presidents II” and “Regrets,” somber tracks that greatly heighten the emotional content of Jay-Z’s lyrics.

Reasonable Doubt may be the lowest-charting Jay-Z album to date, but it’s his most influential and perhaps his greatest — only 2001’s fantastic The Blueprint can rival his debut. Before seeing Jay-Z Saturday, it’s definitely worth doing your homework and giving this classic a close listen.

Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/oct/23/beyond-a-reasonable-doubt/

T.I.'s "Swagga Like Us" leaks to internet.

Over the weekend, T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us” leaked onto the Internet, and the minds of bloggers everywhere imploded. The credits for “Swagger Like Us” read like a who’s who of mainstream rap — T.I. brings along Kanye West (who produced the song as well), Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne for guest verses. As if the song wasn’t marketable enough, “Swagger Like Us” also samples M.I.A’s red-hot Pineapple Express anthem, “Paper Planes.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up its promise — Kanye’s beat is mediocre at best, and none of the four verses are particularly memorable. Still, putting all that talent on one track makes for a great marketing strategy.

T.I. - "Swagga Like Us" (feat. Kanye West, Lil' Wayne & Jay-Z): (from Paper Trail; 2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiS9-yPvBnY

Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/28/the-pulse-4/

Jay-Z - "Jockin' Jay-Z" (prod. Kanye West)

A couple days ago, Jay-Z debuted a verse from "Jockin' Jay-Z" at Kanye's MSG show. Everybody lost their shit – it sounded like American Gangster really had revitalized the rap legend, and another great album was in the works.

But the studio cut, featuring notably less enthusiastic vocals than Hova's inaugural live performance, isn't quite as thrilling. Jay-Z has done much better with minimal beats before – check American Gangster's "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" for evidence – and his wordplay isn't nearly as clever as we saw on his last advance single, "Blue Magic." And let's be honest, that "'cause I like money bitch!" line is embarrassingly terrible (as is his awkward revival of the Oasis feud). His flow is decent, but Jay's performance lacks presence and energy (maybe his voice is simply too low in the mix). In any case, I hope this isn't an indicator of what to expect for The Blueprint 3.

Kanye fares a little better. While I do miss the sped-up soul of The College Dropout and Late Registration, the loose grind of "Jockin' Jay-Z" shows Kanye trying his hand at a new style of beat and, for the most part, succeeding. "Jockin' Jay-Z" is vaguely reminiscent of Black Star's "Definition", propelled by a frenetic, repetitive guitar hook and a stark drum beat. It's an exciting production, sure to get your blood pumping and your hands in the air. And, as we saw last Wednesday, it certainly packs a punch in an arena setting.

Still, I'm skeptical about the recent direction of Kanye's production. Kanye's strength has never been rhythm – he's much better with texture and layering. Lately, we've seen Kanye stripping down the layers of his music and going for a simpler approach, focusing less on sampling and more on synths. While I applaud his decision to branch out, I also wonder if he is compromising his greatest strengths. Sure, Graduation had a handful of jaw-dropping moments ("Flashing Lights", "I Wonder"), but those songs don't quite chalk up to his past masterpieces ("Slow Jamz", "The New Workout Plan", "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", "Gone", etc.).

All in all, "Jockin' Jay-Z" is fun but kind of soulless, which is disappointing when considering the incredible collaborations that Mr. West and Mr. Carter had on the original Blueprint. It's a decent song, to be sure, but hardly anything special. I really hope that the duo have another "Heart of the City" or "Izzo" up their sleeves, but after hearing "Jockin' Jay-Z", I wouldn't put money on it.


Live debut of "Jockin' Jay-Z" at MSG; 8/6/2008

Jay-Z - American Gangster

Let's not split hairs – Jay-Z's Kingdom Come was bad. No, it wasn't awful, and yes, it did have a handful of redeeming qualities. All the same, it was bad, and as a comeback album from one of hip-hop's biggest and most talented figures, it was a huge letdown.

In large part, the album failed because Jay-Z was too comfortable. Chock full of uninspired rhymes about expensive brands, it lacked any sense of urgency and utterly failed to engage listeners. Kingdom Come may have triumphantly announced the return of one of hip-hop's most celebrated figures, but Jay-Z didn't seem to have much else to say.

Can we really hold it against him, though? His finest work has always revolved around conflict or aspiration. But with Kingdom Come, Jay-Z was totally content. Maybe he just didn't want to fake intensity where there wasn't any. Right or wrong, it's simply what he was feeling at the time.

It's no surprise, then, that American Gangster is an entirely different animal. Inspired by Ridley Scott's film of the same name, Jay-Z's latest is a concept album that loosely details the rise and fall of his fictional drug-dealing alter ego. Far from the comfy, secure themes of Kingdom Come, it sees a return to ruminations on crime and inner-city life that Jay-Z hadn't thoroughly explored since his classic 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt. Tapping into an old vein of creativity revitalizes him, lending him a legitimate, sincere reason to return to the intensity and passion that made his seminal work so compelling.


Jay-Z - "Roc Boys (And the Winner is)..."
Jigga Man's newfound vigor is evident from the get-go with the stunning album opener, "Pray." Perhaps the most emotionally resonant track on the album, it follows the childhood of Jay-Z's protagonist in the New York City projects. The song's observations are disarming in their simplicity and specificity, ranging from used needles on his classroom floor to his father leaving the house in search of his uncle's killer. When Jay-Z proclaims, "I didn't choose this life/ This life chose me," it's strangely easy to empathize with alter-Jay's decision to pursue a life of crime.

To complement his gift for vibrant imagery, Jay-Z employs some of his most vibrant, flexible rhymes to date. Jaw-dropping tracks such as "No Hook," "Ignorant Shit" and the advance single "Blue Magic" all stand among Hova's finest, effortlessly pounding out complex internal rhyme schemes and clever puns. Similarly stunning is the production work, largely handled by Diddy and the Hitmen. The samples are focused on 1970s soul, a fitting touch for an album inspired by Frank Lucas' life.

All these elements congeal into what may well be Jay-Z's best album in half a decade, which makes all the talk of corporate synergy surrounding this release frustrating. True, the fact that Universal is putting out both Jay-Z's album and the related film raises some good questions – is all this just another corporate media scheme to earn some more money?

Maybe, but let's not get caught up in the media politics of the release lest we miss out on some great music. American Gangster may not reach the same heights as his greatest work (Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint), but it rests comfortably next to The Black Album and In My Lifetime as one of Jay-Z's great second-tier albums, and one of the most resonant, accomplished hip-hop albums of 2007.

Originally written for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/nov/15/jigga-man-resurrects-his-gangster-appeal/