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JAY-Z
American Gangster
Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam, 2007
8.0/10, Excellent [scale]

American Gangster

Contributed by Andrew Kahn on 11/27/07

If only Ridley Scott was able to release American Gangster, the film, a year earlier. It likely would’ve had the same impact on Jay-Z then as it did a month or so ago during the rapper’s private screening and, in turn, American Gangster, the album, would’ve been Hov’s glorious comeback album, not Kingdom Come.

Let’s clear a few things up, though. Kingdom Come was not bad. It was actually pretty good and better than most of the rap albums released last year. Relative to Jay’s other works, however, it certainly wasn’t a classic and therefore failed to meet the high expectations fans and critics alike had for Hova’s miraculous return.

That being said, how great would it have been if the king of rap came back with an album reminiscent of his timeless debut? If he dropped a record that made people say “Hov is back!” and actually mean it? Alas, we can’t go back in time. But hey, better late than never, right? Which brings us to American Gangster. From the album’s first song, “Pray,” listeners realize this album has a vibe not present on any Hov album since Reasonable Doubt.

1970’s soul blankets the production from start to finish. The album’s a throwback, yet fresh at the same time. A bulk of the beats were handled by Diddy’s production team, The Hitmen, including the aforementioned “Pray,” in which Hov sets his mental clock back to his earlier days as a hustler. “Fast forward freeze frame on my pistol/ Fist full of dollars ignorance is so blissful/ I didn’t choose this life this life chose me/ Around here it’s the shit that you just do.” And so, in the context of American Gangster, Hov the hustler is born.

The journey shows the ups and downs of dealing drugs, as Jay lets the listener inside his head to reveal his inner conflicts. Musically, he unleashes new rhyme schemes on “No Hook,” putting a refreshing spin on subject matter he’s covered over and over again in the past. “‘Stay out of trouble,’ momma said as momma sighed/ Her fear her youngest son be a victim of homicide/ But I gotta get you out of here momma or I’ma, die, inside.”

And it seems as quickly as Hov gets into the game, he gets rich. That’s evident by “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…),” backed by funky horns, and “Sweet,” also funky, but more laid-back. But nobody can stay on top for long, as evidenced by “Fallin’,” a Jermaine Dupri/No I.D. production in which Jay warns of the price of success: “Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, Casino/ You seen what that last run did to DeNiro/ When he can’t beat the odds, can’t cheat the cards/ Can’t blow too hard, life’s a deck of cards.”

Much like Ridley Scott does for moviegoers, Jay does for his listeners, taking them on a wonderful ride. The tour isn’t without a few bumps in the road, though. “Hello Brooklyn 2.0” is completely out of place, from the uninspiring beat to the nonsensical Lil’ Wayne appearance. “Ignorant Sh**” isn’t exactly sub-par, but it was on the radio nearly a year ago and doesn’t exactly gel with the album’s theme.

The few missteps are easily outweighed by the highlights, however. The content certainly isn’t uncharted territory for Hov, but it’s a refreshing take on his past. And the fact that the entire project was inspired by a movie and that he was able to record the project in such a short time (reportedly in a mere three-week period) is very good news for Jay-Z fans. Here’s to hoping he continues to find inspiration for the next ten years.