Having spent the past few days working in a radio station, I haven't had any time at all to write anything on this review blog that I'm trying to maintain. Fear not, though, as my time in the station is finished now, which means back to the regular reviews. Let's go!
After proving to everyone his massive influence on the mainstream by releasing a single ridiculously entitled "Big Pimpin'" that ended up becoming one of the biggest tracks of 2000, and simultaneously finishing off the "Volume" series that he had been working on, Jay-Z (who now more frequently than ever before was referring to himself by a million different self-inflicted nicknames, including "Hova" and "Jigga", among others) decided that it was time to really get to promoting the rappers that he had signed to his label, Roc-a-Fella Records. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek and Amil weren't exactly what you could call lyrical masterminds or dynamic performers, but Jay clearly saw something in them, as by the middle of 2000 they had all managed to get out solo records via his own imprint, and sold fairly decently with them as well, which quite probably shows that hip-hop heads at the time were so into Jay that they would even pick up the projects by his sub-par sidekicks, perhaps just for a Hov guest feature or two. The guy really had got the hip-hop world on lock. Of course, people may also have picked up these albums because they thought Jay, one of the greatest rappers of the time, would know how to sign other good MCs too.
Alas, not.
So, yes: I don't really like any of the artists who were signed to Roc-a-Fella very much - in fact, I think outside of Beanie (who is an OK lyricist I suppose) they are rather weak and uninspired MCs who had no business getting major label support, especially when you had guys like Tech N9ne and MF DOOM making incredible music in the underground, with almost no recognition on them (at the time, at least). However, being a massive Jay-Z fan, I did of course have to pick up the Roc-a-Fella compilation album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, a project released at the tail end of the solid year 2000 (which saw multiple classics, and multiple disappointing efforts, *cough* Anarchy *cough*). Well, I say "compilation album", but while it was initially promoted as such, it ended up being released as an official solo studio album from Hov, making it his fifth, and continuing his one album per year streak. The album had a couple of big name features on it, with Scarface, Snoop Dogg and R. Kelly (yuck) all making appearances, but this was at heart an average rapper record label compilation that features the host on damned near every song, even though it's supposed to be showcasing the other artists. We already KNOW you, Jay - we're supposed to be being introduced to new people! Still, the point is that the guest spots from Beanie and Bleek (not Amil, though - she only showed up once) littered this project, which already was leaving a bad taste in my mouth before I even threw the disc in.
As would be expected of a Jay project at this stage, the album was a commercial hit, and sold platinum, as well as spawned the successful single "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)". The album was also instrumental in starting up the career of producer Just Blaze, who did about a quarter of this thing, I believe. It also had the first official production credit from a certain Kanye West, a producer who quickly faded into irrelevancy after... oh - wait a minute. We also had beats from Rick Rock, Rockwilder, Bink! and Pharrell, among others, so at least it was stacked on that front. However, it is difficult to ignore the multitude of inevitably awful Memphis Bleek verses.
So, would this album be as bad as I thought, or would it be surprisingly enjoyable? Let's have a see.
1. Intro (Jay-Z) (prod. Just Blaze)
Fear not - Jay hasn't given in to the industry pressures of putting in a pretentious intro skit quite yet. No, this "Intro" is actually a song, and a pretty damn good one at that, even though it's not one of his absolute best tracks like some people claim. Over a very anthemic Just Blaze instrumental that reminds me of something (what that something is, I'm unsure of), Jay spends about a minute and a half introducing the album, a monologue that goes on for too long, but then he proceeds to spit arguably the best verse he will over this entire damned LP. "This is food for thought - you do the dishes". Starting the album on what is decidedly a rather negative tone was an odd idea, but I applaud it, as this song is great.
2. Change The Game (Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek) (prod. Rick Rock)
3. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) (Jay-Z) (prod. Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo)
4. Streets Is Talking (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) (prod. Just Blaze)
This stupidly titled song serves as a sort of sequel to the excellent "Streets Is Watching" song off of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, a song so good Jay named a film after it only a couple months after its release. I was therefore a bit disappointed when I first heard this one, as I found the instrumental too loud and headache inducing, and I wasn't a fan of the structure of the song either for some reason. Upon listening back, however, this is actually pretty good. Jay-Z throws threats around on here as if they were dollar bills to the peasants, but he sounds genuine at least, and Beanie is solid as well, even though I still don't really like his voice personally. I still think the beat would be better suited to a mixtape, but nonetheless I will admit that I was sleeping on this.
5. This Can't Be Life (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel feat. Scarface) (prod. Kanye West)
This one right here is best remembered for containing the first Kanye West beat ever heard on wax, undoubtedly a pivotal moment for all the dickriders the man seems to have (look, I like Kanye's music as much as the next guy, but can we stop acting like he's a top 5 rapper, please? He's not!). The track is quite incredible, with the somber beat providing backing for the three to drop tales about the hard times they faced growing up. Jay and Beanie do this well, but my God Scarface's verse on this is powerful. I won't say what the verse is about, but I will say that it's deeply saddening to hear. "I could've rapped about my hard times on this song. But heaven knows I woulda been wrong". I think a fadeout at the end would have worked better than just cutting it off, but that's just a nitpick. This is a fantastic song.
6. Get Your Mind Right Mami (Jay-Z & Memphis Bleek feat. Snoop Dogg) (prod. Rick Rock)
And then he follows that up with this audible bin juice. Jay, Bleek and Snoop take Rick Rock's decent backdrop and proceed to shit all over it with terribly inane sex bars and stupid logic that's bound to make every girl within a mile of the song run screaming into the distance. I did kind of enjoy Rell's singing on the hook, but everything else here was unapologetic filler. And who the hell let that godawful Snoop verse on here?
7. Stick 2 the Script (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) (prod. Just Blaze)
What exactly the fuck DJ Clue does here except scream in the background pointlessly is lost on me. Seriously, this ain't a mixtape, Jay - that stuff doesn't sound good. Anyway, at least they put him on a weaker track - while Just Blaze's beat is pretty intriguing, Jay and Beanie do it no favours, both delivering verses about the streets that don't intrigue me whatsoever, with a hook in the middle that does feature a nice bit of scratching (provided by Just Blaze too), so there's that. Still, this was the first song here that's worse than I remember it being.
8. You, Me, Him and Her (Dynasty) (prod. Bink)
"Dynasty" refers to the foursome of Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel and Amil, the latter of which is conspicuous by her absence throughout this project. Of course, the same could be said about this song, as she only pops up at the end for like 6 bars, way less than the other three. I would assume she was sick during the recording of the album if she wasn't right there in the booklet, staring provocatively at me. Still, it's a good thing she was left off - her voice is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. Anyway, the song. Well, Jay and Beanie both deliver, and Bleek delivers one of his best verses yet, and even the instrumental is triumphant and fun. Still, I don't really see reason to return to this - I'm beginning to remember why I was never a fan of this album.
9. Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Jay-Z feat. R. Kelly) (prod. Rockwilder)
Of course, my enjoyment of the song can only go so far when I remember that this was a key catalyst leading into the two dreadful Jay-Z & R. Kelly collaborative albums. Shit.
10. Parking Lot Pimpin' (Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek) (prod. Rick Rock)
Contains possibly the worst song title in the history of rap music, up there with "Stapleton Sex" and "Jellysickle", and said title pretty much sets the tone for this dismal track that glorifies, of all things, pimping. Rick Rock's instrumental starts off promising, but quickly becomes a dull and annoying backdrop for the terribly uninteresting verses and hook (provided by Lil' Mo), all of which blend together to form one of the most uninteresting songs of the evening. The best bit was the intro, where Jay recycles bars from the older posse cut "Reservoir Dogs" - I guess that served as a short reminder that, yes he can make good music: here he's just choosing not to.
11. Holla (Memphis Bleek) (prod. B-High & Memphis Bleek)
The only song on this entire thing that features absolutely no vocal contributions from Hova - this isn't a main reason as to why this is the worst track here, but it's probably a factor. Memphis Bleek is as horrible as you'd expect and then some on this dull as hell song, and he sneaks multiple bars in here that should never have made it onto a shiny disc - "That's why I eat, sleep, shit with my gat, bag up, take a piss, fuck a bitch with my gat" - is it me, or is this line completely lacking in originality? This instrumental is absolute cack as well. Let's quickly move on from this one.
12. 1-900-Hustler (Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek feat. Freeway) (prod. Bink)
Although he's credited in the booklet as a feature (rather than a lead as Jay, Bleek, Beanie and Amil always are), Freeway does not get a credit on the back cover as Snoop, Scarface and R. Kelly do. I guess Jay-Z didn't think that would help him sell any more records, and he would be right, as no-one knew who Free was back in 2000 - he didn't even sign with the Roc until after this album's release, hence why he's a feature here rather than a lead. Interestingly, Freeway is frequently remembered as the best of the early 2000s Roc-a-Fella camp, and I could agree there - he's definitely far more unique than the others, even if his flow at the start of his verse here borders on annoying. This track itself unique as hell, as the four (well, three: Beans only speaks in between the verses) MCs give advise on hustling to various callers over a great Bink! beat that is triumphant and catchy. This was a refreshingly great track.
13. The R.O.C. (Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek) (prod. Just Blaze)
Looking at the liner notes, this and "Holla" are the only tracks without Jay-Z contributions, but on this track Hov does actually appear for background vocals, meaning it's still worth my time - it also has another Just Blaze beat, so that's good. This instrumental in particular sounds rather similar to the track "Hola Hovito" of the next album The Blueprint - is that just me? Anyway, Beanie starts things off with a solid verse, and the hook's catchy too, but both Bleek's and then Beanie's final verse sound like they were freestyled after a night of smoking crack and drinking whisky - in other words, they're awful. A shame, as this beat was promising, but unfortunately the MCs decided to just piss all over it, kind of paralleling what Eminem did on his album Encore. Damn!
14. Soon You'll Understand (Jay-Z) (prod. Just Blaze)
After that hot mess, Jay finally decided it was time to get back to the solo cuts, the first of which is this somber apology to an ex-girlfriend of Jay's who just so happened to be his best friend's sister. This track is one of the most moving of Jay's catalogue - he sounds incredibly remorseful and ashamed of his actions, and Just Blaze's haunting instrumental is definitely the perfect backdrop for the saddened tale. The third verse likens his relationship with his mother to his lack of ability to remain in a romantic relationship, which was also pretty sad to hear. This is definitely one of my favourite cuts on the album - who was it that said Jay only went insightful on 4:44?
15. Squeeze 1st (Jay-Z) (prod. Rick Rock)
This one is notorious for swiping some Biggie lines from his track "Hypnotise" for the hook, making it the 12 billionth time Jay had done this on record. Seriously, did no-one tell him to cut that shit out? Anyway, I still very much enjoy the bouncy instrumental on this one, and the reference to DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot was appreciated, but Jay repeating the same three different lines over and over in the middle for some reason does stunt this one more than a little bit.
16. Where Have You Been (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) (prod. T.T.)
"But I ain't mad at you dad, holla at your lad!" - Jay-Z, "Streets Is Talking", from The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, 2000
To quote Ant from NFR Podcast: "that is absolutely fucking false".
So, this track is Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel's infamous letter of disapproval sent towards their deadbeat dads, and it's quite something. The instrumental, produced surprisingly by an unknown, is the most haunting on any Jay track, ever, and let me just say the lyrics are worthy of it too. Beanie Sigel actually does a slightly better job than Jay of bringing out the feels in the listener on here, as he appears to repeatedly descend into tears on his verse, before checking himself again, but then eventually falling apart at the very end. Jay-Z sounds slightly less miserable, but that's like saying Star Wars: Revenge Of the Sith is slightly less miserable than Anne Frank - they're still both pretty fucking miserable. This track is incredibly powerful, and would be a contender for a top 10 Jay-Z song if it didn't have that godawful children's voice in the hook - that shit is hateful. Nonetheless, a strong, strong way to end things off.
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia is actually a lot more entertaining than I remember it being, but even so I still find myself ranking it in the bottom half of Jay's catalogue. While the first five and last five tracks are all very good (that's not including "The R.O.C."), the middle section of the album is straight up whack, with only one salvageable song appearing in there, and I'm willing to bet I won't be bumping that R. Kelly joint anyway, given what came up in recent years about the man. Still, I will say that Jay-Z really does shine throughout this album, as on most of his verses he sounds very excited to be in the booth, and speaks with a confident swagger that is just perfect for these bouncy instrumentals. Unfortunately, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel almost consistently prove themselves to be nothing more than average rappers on here, with the former also letting us know that he would never be able to carry solo work on his own with the awful "Holla" - I'm willing to bet that those who picked up this before Bleek's solo work immediately put the idea of checking his catalogue out right to the back of their minds. Beanie fairs better, and on "Where Have You Been" he's truly excellent, but most of the time he sounds like a bland MC without many interesting vocal characteristics or lyrical content, an opinion I'm sure most people will disagree with me on. Production-wise, this thing is mostly good, though, and there aren't any straight up garbage instrumentals here (besides "Holla"), so there's that. If this had been a bit shorter, then, I would probably have recommended a full listen, but as it stands the thing is too long and inconsistent to justify that to any casual Jay listener - this is the least essential project by the man anyway, and a lot of songs on here can be thrown straight away like so many plastic cups. Definitely check the best tracks listed below, though, as there's a lot of great gems to be found on here - it's unfortunate that Jay let his sluggish counterparts get in the way of making a truly great album.
Best Tracks: Intro, Change the Game, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), Streets Is Talking, This Can't Be Life, 1-900-Hustler, Soon You'll Understand, Where Have You Been
Worst Tracks: Get Your Mind Right Mami, Parking Lot Pimpin', Holla
If you're a Jay-Z fan, there's a lot more to read about here, but unfortunately I haven't yet written up about the other chaps present on here yet. In time, my good readers, in time.
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