Jay-Z’s latest effort, American Gangster, not only marks a return to greatness for the legendary emcee, it marks the the return of quality hip-hop to the mainstream.
According to Jay-Z, Gangster chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional larger-than-life crime figure loosely based on Frank Lucas, Denzel Washington’s character in the film of the same title, and on his own experiences.
The hip-hop icon was reportedly so inspired by an advance screening of the film, he wrote and recorded this “unofficial soundtrack” in only 5 weeks.
Not taking into account how incredibly quickly Jay-Z was able to create such quality music, this album is triumph by every stretch of the imagination, and whiles not perfect, it comes as close to perfection as the rapper/music mogul has achieved since the 2001 classic The Blueprint.
Lyrically, Jay-Z is as poignant as he is confident with lines like “Please don’t categorize this as music/Please don’t compare me to other rappers/Compare me to trappers, I’m more Frank Lucas than Ludacris,” helping to restore whatever street cred his 2006 flop Kingdom Come may have cost him.
The arrangement of the track list appears to more thought out than the construction of an actual plot line, as the album would be better served with an intricate storytelling song a la “Meet The Parents” off of his 2002 Blueprint 2 release in order to add depth to its concept.
However, each song has a purpose and any rearranging of the album’s track list would severely detract from the album’s meaning. So while not as intricate as classic concept albums like Masta Ace’s “Disposable Arts” or The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ready to Die”, Gangster presents a decent story line, though far too easy too follow.
Although the album’s story is that of every rags-to-riches story told by countless rappers and black filmmakers, its superb execution makes up for its recycled plot. By gathering top-notch production primarily from Diddy’s production crew, The Hitmen, Gangster successfully captures a 70’s vibe highlighted by the horn-laden “Roc Boys” and the blissfully grimy “No Hook.”
Gangster is ultimately a great album with minor flaws that do not take away from its overall brilliance. To think, if not for Jay-Z becoming so inspired by the film, the hip-hop community would be without its album of the year.
Overall Grade: A-