Jay-Z - The Black Album
Review by vanilla coek
The Black Album is supposedly Jay-Z's last work. What did he do
to commemorate his final album? He went out and gathered up several of the top
producers in the rap industry to produce for him. The Black Album has
some very sweet tracks, which makes this a respectable swansong from Jay-Z, but
a few duds keep it from being elite.
After a brief interlude opens things up, the album kicks off with a bang in
'December 4'. This song, titled after Jay-Z's birthday, features some
passages from none other than his mother. She tells a few stories about Jay-Z's
past, including how he was born 10 pounds and 8 ounces and yet didn't give her
any pain during birth. Jay-Z proceeds to give us an oral autobiography of his
life. The beat in this song gives the impression that listening to this album
is going to be a grand occasion. It's an excellent opener.
'What More Can I Say' is next, and it's a solid song with a phat beat.
The chorus is particularly catchy. 'What more can I sayyyyyyy? What more
can I doooooo?' Jay's rapping is what makes this song though. The ending
is particularly memorable when Jay is rapping without any beat at all:
But the real shit you get when you bust down my lines
Add that to the fact i went plat a bunch of times
Times that by my influence
On pop culture
I supposed to be number one on everybody's list
We'll see what happens when i no longer exist
Fuck this
'Encore' is another great song. I love the beat, it kind of reminds me
of a game show. The lyrics are pretty self-praising, but they never become
annoying. Good shit.
The album's first single is next, 'Change Clothes'. The Neptunes
produced this track, and it shows. Many consider this song to be a weak point
on the album, and I agree with 'em. I've never been a big fan of Pharrell.
Pharrell's singing in the chorus, 'Change clothes and go. Sexy, sexy, oh
oh.', gets annoying after a while. Jay's rapping is pretty weak here, too.
The song is catchy as hell, however. I had it stuck in my head for days after
just listening to it once. I don't think the song is terrible, but it is
nowhere near as good as the rest of the album.
'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' picks up the slack that 'Change Clothes' left
behind. This is a Timbaland-produced track, and let me just say that it is
friggin' awesome! The beat is dope and Jay-Z's flow here is sweet. Some people
despise this song, but I love it. Very nice.
'Threat' is a great song. Good beat, strong rapping from Jay-Z. I love
the chorus:
'I make 'em wait for you 'til five in the mornin
Put your smarts on the side of your garment
Nigga stop fuckin with me
R. -- I. -- P.'
'Moment of Clarity' is one of the album's standout tracks. Eminem
produced this track and it is downright brilliant. The lyrics are particularly
impressive; Jay-Z dishes out some honest lines in it about his talent. I really
like these few lines especially:
If skills sold
Truth be told
I'd probably be
Lyricly
Talib Kweli
Truthfully
'99 Problems' is probably my favorite track off this album. Rick Rubin
(Beastie Boys, Run DMC) produced this shit and it's sweet. Jay rapping over the
hard rockin' beat is fuckin' tight. 'Having girl problems, I feel bad for
you son, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one!' I absolutely love the
verse where Jay-Z has a discussion with a cop when he gets pulled over. Damn I
love that song. I would have loved to see a Jay-Z album produced entirely by
Rick Rubin.
'Public Service Announcement' samples Russell Crowe's speech from
Gladiator while Jay-Z raps a bit about himself. It's labeled as an interlude,
but it's actually a song. I like it. Nice beat, good rapping, etc.
'Justify My Thug' is an admittedly weak song. It's just boring, and the
Madonna sample of 'Justify My Love' in the chorus is annoying. The beat's not
bad, but it can't save the track. Skippable. 'Lucifer' starts off hot. It
has a funky beat, and the lyrics deal with battling the devil. The constant
'Lucifer, Lucifer' sampling gets old after a while, but the song is still very
good.
'Allure' is another Neptunes-produced song. Luckily, while still
nothing overly brilliant, this song is better than 'Change Clothes'. It's a bit
weak compared to some of the album's other songs, but it's still decent.
'My 1st Song' is the album's closer, and it's one of the best.
Impressive beat, great lyrics. It's pretty much a reflection on his rather
impressive career. At the end of the track he gives shoutouts to his buds and
'Rest In Peace' to his fallen friends/family members. A brilliant end to a
great final album.
I gotta give Jay-Z mad props for busting out some badass songs on his final
album. If there weren't a few duds, this would have been one hell of a CD, a
top runner for album of the year. As it stands, however, The Black Album
is still a wonderful album from one of rap's greatest. You've had one hell of a
career, jigga. Way to go out on top.
Song Ratings:
01. Interlude - N/A
02. December 4 - 8
03. What More Can I Say? - 8
04. Encore - 8
05. Change Clothes - 5
06. Dirt Off Your Shoulder - 9
07. Threat - 8
08. Moment of Clarity - 9
09. 99 Problems - 10
10. Public Service Announcement - 7
11. Justify My Thug - 5
12. Lucifer - 7
13. Allure - 6
14. My 1st Song - 9
to commemorate his final album? He went out and gathered up several of the top
producers in the rap industry to produce for him. The Black Album has
some very sweet tracks, which makes this a respectable swansong from Jay-Z, but
a few duds keep it from being elite.
After a brief interlude opens things up, the album kicks off with a bang in
'December 4'. This song, titled after Jay-Z's birthday, features some
passages from none other than his mother. She tells a few stories about Jay-Z's
past, including how he was born 10 pounds and 8 ounces and yet didn't give her
any pain during birth. Jay-Z proceeds to give us an oral autobiography of his
life. The beat in this song gives the impression that listening to this album
is going to be a grand occasion. It's an excellent opener.
'What More Can I Say' is next, and it's a solid song with a phat beat.
The chorus is particularly catchy. 'What more can I sayyyyyyy? What more
can I doooooo?' Jay's rapping is what makes this song though. The ending
is particularly memorable when Jay is rapping without any beat at all:
But the real shit you get when you bust down my lines
Add that to the fact i went plat a bunch of times
Times that by my influence
On pop culture
I supposed to be number one on everybody's list
We'll see what happens when i no longer exist
Fuck this
'Encore' is another great song. I love the beat, it kind of reminds me
of a game show. The lyrics are pretty self-praising, but they never become
annoying. Good shit.
The album's first single is next, 'Change Clothes'. The Neptunes
produced this track, and it shows. Many consider this song to be a weak point
on the album, and I agree with 'em. I've never been a big fan of Pharrell.
Pharrell's singing in the chorus, 'Change clothes and go. Sexy, sexy, oh
oh.', gets annoying after a while. Jay's rapping is pretty weak here, too.
The song is catchy as hell, however. I had it stuck in my head for days after
just listening to it once. I don't think the song is terrible, but it is
nowhere near as good as the rest of the album.
'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' picks up the slack that 'Change Clothes' left
behind. This is a Timbaland-produced track, and let me just say that it is
friggin' awesome! The beat is dope and Jay-Z's flow here is sweet. Some people
despise this song, but I love it. Very nice.
'Threat' is a great song. Good beat, strong rapping from Jay-Z. I love
the chorus:
'I make 'em wait for you 'til five in the mornin
Put your smarts on the side of your garment
Nigga stop fuckin with me
R. -- I. -- P.'
'Moment of Clarity' is one of the album's standout tracks. Eminem
produced this track and it is downright brilliant. The lyrics are particularly
impressive; Jay-Z dishes out some honest lines in it about his talent. I really
like these few lines especially:
If skills sold
Truth be told
I'd probably be
Lyricly
Talib Kweli
Truthfully
'99 Problems' is probably my favorite track off this album. Rick Rubin
(Beastie Boys, Run DMC) produced this shit and it's sweet. Jay rapping over the
hard rockin' beat is fuckin' tight. 'Having girl problems, I feel bad for
you son, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one!' I absolutely love the
verse where Jay-Z has a discussion with a cop when he gets pulled over. Damn I
love that song. I would have loved to see a Jay-Z album produced entirely by
Rick Rubin.
'Public Service Announcement' samples Russell Crowe's speech from
Gladiator while Jay-Z raps a bit about himself. It's labeled as an interlude,
but it's actually a song. I like it. Nice beat, good rapping, etc.
'Justify My Thug' is an admittedly weak song. It's just boring, and the
Madonna sample of 'Justify My Love' in the chorus is annoying. The beat's not
bad, but it can't save the track. Skippable. 'Lucifer' starts off hot. It
has a funky beat, and the lyrics deal with battling the devil. The constant
'Lucifer, Lucifer' sampling gets old after a while, but the song is still very
good.
'Allure' is another Neptunes-produced song. Luckily, while still
nothing overly brilliant, this song is better than 'Change Clothes'. It's a bit
weak compared to some of the album's other songs, but it's still decent.
'My 1st Song' is the album's closer, and it's one of the best.
Impressive beat, great lyrics. It's pretty much a reflection on his rather
impressive career. At the end of the track he gives shoutouts to his buds and
'Rest In Peace' to his fallen friends/family members. A brilliant end to a
great final album.
I gotta give Jay-Z mad props for busting out some badass songs on his final
album. If there weren't a few duds, this would have been one hell of a CD, a
top runner for album of the year. As it stands, however, The Black Album
is still a wonderful album from one of rap's greatest. You've had one hell of a
career, jigga. Way to go out on top.
Song Ratings:
01. Interlude - N/A
02. December 4 - 8
03. What More Can I Say? - 8
04. Encore - 8
05. Change Clothes - 5
06. Dirt Off Your Shoulder - 9
07. Threat - 8
08. Moment of Clarity - 9
09. 99 Problems - 10
10. Public Service Announcement - 7
11. Justify My Thug - 5
12. Lucifer - 7
13. Allure - 6
14. My 1st Song - 9
| Final Score - 8/10 |