Jay-Z - The Black Album

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• JAY Z THE BLACK ALBUM

Music reviews of The Black Album

Music Review: Jay-Z holds nothing back
Rating: 5 Stars

Intro - It's a short intro talking about how all good things must come to an end.

December 4th - This is an incredible track, Jay has his mother Gloria Carter on it describing how when she gave birth to Jay, he didn't give her any pain. This track is very personal. Jay talks about how after his mother and father broke up, that's when his life took a turn. He took to the streets. Ms. Carter talks about how Jay used to beat on the kitchen table and rhyme, then she bought him a boombox to keep him out of trouble. This track goes pretty deep, most other rapper never get this personal on a track. Just Blaze does the production by the way.

What More Can I Say - A dope beat by the Buchanans. I love this whole track. Jay talks about how after all the great stuff he's done in hip-hop, there's still a lot of people who don't give him the credit he deserves. When you hear this song I guarantee you'll love it. The way it ends is great after the beat stops Jay says "The real * you get when you break down my lines/add that with the fact I went plat a bunch of times/times that my influence on pop culture, I'm supposed to be number one on everybody list/we'll see what happens when I no longer exist"

Encore - The beat for this track is just incredible. It's none other than Kanye West of course. The horns and the jazzy sound of this track will make you love it. On this Jay talks about how he came in the game and took over, and that people will truly miss him once he's gone. This track is really soulful, any real hip-hop fan will enjoy it.

Change Clothes - By now I'm guessing that most of you have already heard this track. This beat is done by the Neptunes and it kinda reminds you of Excuse Me Miss. I didn't like this song at first but it grew on me. Some songs take more time than others for you to like. Jay of course comes correct with his incredible flow.

Dirt Off Your Shoulder - Produced by Timbaland. This in my opinion is the only weak track on the album. It's not that Jay is weak on it, but the bad production takes away from Jay's superb flow. Some of you may like it but it just doesn't grab me. Jay talks about what he's done that makes him so great.

Threat - Produced by 9th Wonder. 9th Wonder is an up and coming producer from North Carolina, if you haven't heard any of his stuff you should try and find some. This beat samples R. Kelly's - A Woman's Threat and is straight fire. Jay talks about how the haters couldn't stop him from making great music no matter how hard they tried. He also talks about how if you attack him, then there will be consequences. Another great track.

Moment of Clarity - Produced by Eminem. You can tell this an Eminem beat because it sounds shockingly similar to a lot of his other beats. It's still a good beat though. Pay close attention to Jay's lyrics on this track and you might understand him. Check out this
"I dumbed down for my audience and doubled my dollas/They criticize me for it yet they all yell holla"/If skills sold truth be told, lyrically I'd be Talib Kweli/Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense, (I Did 5 Mil), I ain't been rhyming like Common since/When your sense got that much in common and you been hustling since/your inception for perception go with with what makes sense/since I know what I'm up against, we as rappers must decide what's most important ten/And I can't help the poor if I'm one of them/So I got rich and gave back to me, that's the win-win". What Jay is saying in those lines is how he wishes rappers sold off skill but that's not the case. He says that he stepped down his lyrics after he sold 5 mil (Vol. 2) and then once he got rich, he started stepping his game back up (The Blueprint). He we as rappers and fans have to make it so that lyrics are important in order to sell but that will probably never be the case.

99 Problems - Produced by the legendary Rick Ruben. I'm really feeling this track. Only the more open-minded hip-hop fans will like this one. Rick Ruben is the guy who produced for Johnny Cash. On this one Jay talks about a situation back in '94 when he was stopped by a police officer because he was black. He then talks about how he has a lot more important problems than women.

Public Service Announcement(Interlude) - A nice beat by Roc-a-fella producer Just Blaze. Jay talks about how he doesn't care what you think of him now, but 5,10, or 20 years later you'll truly miss him. A great track.

Justify My Thug - Production by DJ Quik. This track has a kinda Dr. Dre feel to it. On this song Jay talks about how he's always been honest in his music. He never snitched on anyone and how his pride kept him going through all these years. He also talks about how was shot at back before Reasonable Doubt but luckily none of those 3 shots hit him. A great song indeed.

Lucifer - Another track by Kanye West. On this song Jay talks about what the Devil does to all of us. He talks about how he has to get his life right and stop doing all the bad things he does. At the end of the song Jay asks that his father be forgiven for all the bad stuff that he's done and that he be let into heaven.

Allure - One of the Neptunes better beats. Jay talks about how where he grew up most of the young black men were caught up in hustling and other illegal things. He talks about how back in the day he wanted to stop selling crack and messing with so many women but the game kept calling him back.

My First Song - Produced by Aqua. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. At the beginning Jay has an old Biggie interview where he talks about how you have to treat everything like it's your first time in order to stay on top. Jay rips the whole song. At the end of the song Jay recalls all the good times he and the people around him had throughout his career. He'll mention all the people who helped him get where he is now. After hearing this song you'll understand why so many people consider Jay one of the best.

Overall The Black Album does live up to the hype. Jay goes through and talks about the things that went through his mind during his career. It's very deep and personal and is an excellent way to go out. Even the biggest of Jay-Z haters will love this album. It's definitely bound to be a hip-hop classic. After hearing this album you'll know why Jay is the best rapper alive and deserves respect from all hip-hop fans.

Description of The Black Album

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• Music > Styles
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