I was thumbing through the New York Times and came across news of a new Jay-Z album.
Seems that the story of Frank Lucas, as portrayed in Ridley Scott's upcoming film American Gangster, has inspired Jay-Z to put together another album. The concept album, themed around the movie, would be a throwback to the rapper's days in the Marcy projects, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Coming off the heels of Kingdom Come, he indicates a welcomed return to the harder and rougher side of the genre. Many felt that the previous album strayed far from that, and cast him in a different light upon its release. Interpreted, I'm thinking less showboating and more focused and conscious flows. I'm with that.
Interestingly enough, I've progressively grown a respect for Jay-Z over the years. From his '94 verse with Big Daddy Kane, '95 verse with Big L and now watching the recording of The Black Album on MHD--it's fascinating. They aired his performance at Madison Square Garden, and his crowd control was amazing. He didn't flinch. Musically, everything in the middle was relatively hit or miss with me, but from a completely different perspective, he's got vision and makes all of it a reality. You can't mess with that.
He gets it. That second verse in Moment of Clarity proves it.
Sean Price dropped his hard rappin' LP, KRS has one coming with Duck Down, Buckshot & 9th with the sequel, and now Jay-Z. Whatever is goin' down to cause this resurgence of rough, I'm down with it.
Here's Jay's '95 appearance with Big L, Grand Daddy I.U., Lord Finesse, Microphone Nut, and Party Arty.
Big L - Da Graveyard [Columbia, 1995]
-Fuck Perception, Go With What Makes Sense
Jay-Z, Concepts American Gangster
Posted by admin on Saturday, September 22, 2007
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