Between 1996 and 2002, Jay-Z made a dizzying ascent to the top of the rap game, going from emerging boom-bapper to pioneer of the jiggy movement, to the man that bought the Dirty South to the forefront of the genre, to veteran and legend by the time The Blueprint was released in 2001. He proved his cemented status in hip-hop in 2002 when a collaborative album with newly-exposed-as-a-paedophile R. Kelly and a bloated mess of a double album both had his name on, and he still was considered one of the greatest active MCs in the game. Even being on the receiving end of one of the best and most brutal diss tracks in history couldn't stop him. By the time 2003 came around, Jay-Z realised that the only man who could realistically end his career was he himself, and since he was getting a bit long in the tooth for this rap shit by then, he decided it was time to retire. Therefore, he announced his final album, a project which would return to a humble one disc format (thank God), and have the interesting concept of different producers for every track (which was almost the case, although not entirely). The Black Album.
This was the first Jay-Z album to have no featured rappers whatsoever, and was also one of his most successful projects to date - hell, my geography teacher made reference to the track "99 Problems" a few weeks ago, and that wasn't even the lead single. I myself didn't really like this disc on first listen, though. I can't really remember why, as this was a long ass time ago, but I think I just didn't feel it's vibe. In all fairness Jay's was the third hip-hop discography I listened through after Eminem and 50 Cent, so I wasn't exactly ready for a lot of his work at the time, but even so the only track I remember enjoying on that first listen was the last track. However, the album grew on me overtime, and nowadays I think I can safely say that this is my absolute favourite Jay-Z album. Yes, above The Blueprint, and yes, above Reasonable Doubt. Maybe it's the thought that this was his final album, and the epic connotations that come with that. Maybe it's the diversity of producers, or the array of classic Jay-Z songs that are in more abundance than ever before. Whatever it is, this one edges it to the top of my list every time.
And now I get to review it! I realise it's been a while since I've done a Jay album on here, partly due to the heinous allegations levelled at him a few months ago, partly due to me trying to not review too much in case I run out of albums. But since he seems to have been cleared, and since I really, truly believe he is innocent in this, I figure it's time to bring his name back to the blog. Let's get into this one, then.
L'album, noire. The Black Album.
1. Interlude (prod. Just Blaze)
Given that this was supposed to be his last album, Jay-Z decided that he may as well get the one thing he'd never done before out of the way while he still could - a rap album intro, complete with spoken word and a great instrumental that will sadly never be rapped over. Still, the instrumental really is "great", so this is enjoyable enough.
2. December 4th (prod. Just Blaze)
The first song on this album serves as an autobiographical cut that aims to explain Jay's younger days as a drug dealer, why he got into that profession, and also how he managed to get out through hip-hop. Just Blaze's triumphant instrumental is fitting and poignant, and I absolutely love the interludes from Hov's mother - but it's Jay himself who makes this opening song as brilliant as it is. Aside from one or two cuts, I don't think the man has ever been as lyrically invigorating and engaging with his storytelling as he is here, and he uses his unique delivery to full effect too in order to give the audience as many quotables as possible. The track also introduces a common theme on The Black Album, referencing classic hip-hop tracks Jay grew up listening to - here it's Cypress Hill's "Insane In the Membrane". The verses are brilliant, but perhaps the best moment of this song is the outro, with Jay's echoes of "maybe you'll love me when I fade to black", leaving the listener sad, but also proud for this man who has had such a successful career despite humble beginnings. This track really makes you root for Jay-Z, and not only that, it sounds great too. I'm a massive fan of this one.
3. What More Can I Say (prod. The Buchannans)
Over more horn-filled, triumphant production, Jay gets into explaining exactly why he deserves to retire - he's a brilliant rapper and he's made his fortune, so what else is left to do? This track is really just another classic Jay joint, filled with line after line of quotables - "I'm not a biter, I'm a writer for myself and others / I say a Big verse I'm only biggin' up my brother" - was there a better way to address those accusations? The line about Busta Rhymes is also pretty interesting, as is the subliminal to 50 Cent, and there's a bunch of others I could name too. This isn't my favourite on the album, as I'm not the biggest fan of the sung chorus from "Hum-V", but Jay's verses and the brilliant instrumental are quite enough for me to name this a great track.
4. Encore (prod. Kanye West)
Yet another anthemic, brass-fueled instrumental accompanies Jay on this one, only now it's produced by a young Kanye West, and feels faster paced than the previous two as a result. This track is one of the more creatively structured on the album, what with it's live setting, amalgamation of backing vocals and an interlude which portrays an actual encore - but this is just one of the reasons why it's so brilliant. Not that it's short of those: the instrumental from Kanye is as fantastic as you might expect from him in 2003, and Jay's lyrics are motivational and exude masses of confidence, which is exactly the intention. This is simply a brilliant song.
5. Change Clothes (prod. The Neptunes)
6. Dirt Off Your Shoulder (prod. Timbaland)
7. Threat (prod. 9th Wonder)
Arguably the most underrated track on here in my opinion, this one is actually produced by 9th Wonder, who I've covered on here many times before thanks to his frequent work with one of my favourite underground rappers Murs. Don't ask me how this collaboration with Jay-Z came about though - it wasn't like 9th was a hugely sought after producer back in '03, and it wasn't til '04 and '05 when he made a name alongside Murs and Little Brother. Still, he shows a lot of promise on here, with an aggressive and, well, threatening instrumental with a great melody and nice female vocal sample. Jay-Z's rapping is also arguably the best it has been on this entire album so far, with the aggressive lyrics and silky smooth flow complementing the beat perfectly. This is top tier stuff. Also, Cedric the Entertainer is pretty funny on here.
8. Moment Of Clarity (prod. Eminem, add-prod. Luis Resto)
I guess Jay-Z didn't like that Eminem produced a record on Nas' 2002 album God's Son without rapping on it, so for The Black Album he decided to get the same thing, regardless of the fact that Eminem isn't actually a very good producer - outside of his own albums his beats are all a bit drab and plodding for my tastes. This one is solid though, I guess, with a nice pounding bassline, even though it still drags on a bit - Jay-Z is left to make something out of it, and somehow he enhances this instrumental a million times with one of his best performances on the entire album. The chorus utilises the names of all of his studio efforts up to that point, which is absolute heaven for nerds like me - one of my pet peeves is when artists ignore the existence of their past albums. And on top of that, every verse is incredible too, painting a picture of Jay's realisation of his status in the rap game, and how exactly he rose to that point. The infamous lines about Common and Talib Kweli also appear on here, and to me those are definitely compliments - he's basically saying that he sold out, unlike them. As I said, the beat on this track isn't brilliant, but everything else about it certainly is.
9. 99 Problems (prod. Rick Rubin)
10. Public Service Announcement (Interlude) (prod. Just Blaze)
Notable for its recent appearance in a Google advert that popped up all over TV recently. Also, because it's one of the greatest "interludes" of all time. I use quotation marks because this isn't really an interlude at all - instead, it's a two verse wonder (yes I just made that up) from Hov spit over one of the most iconically brilliant Just Blaze instrumentals of all time, and with one of the best opening lines in hip-hop history just for it's legendary status - "allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hov!". The tension built before this entrance is also perfect, and the line deserved every bit of that. Matter of fact, so did the song. This is unbelievably good.
11. Justify My Thug (prod. DJ Quik)
Probably the only song on here that seems to be divisive in Jay's fan base, which I kind of understand given the dodgy Madonna interpolation on the hook - but still, can you really argue with that beat? DJ Quik's instrumental on this one absolutely bangs, with incredible synths and bass, and a perfectly placed Run-DMC sample that adds an almost creepy vibe to the track. And while Jay's opening lines are weirdly repetitive and completely irrelevant, he flows over the beat pretty well afterwards, and has some nice lines within his verses too - especially the second one, for sure the best here. Even if the hook probably should have been re-written, I'd say this is a decent attempt at a West Coast banger - and is certainly a hell of a lot better than "Get Your Mind Right Mami", his last Westside collaboration.
12. Lucifer (prod. Kanye West)
Kanye's second effort on here certainly isn't quite good as the first in my opinion (which I appreciate will rile people up, and I understand), but it's still decent - I just think the samples and main instruments are a little... weird? They just don't feel like they fit the vibe of the album. However, I think that Jay-Z helps the track's case by dropping three incredible verses and a surprisingly catchy bridge that keeps this short track's quality in line with everything else on the album. I especially love the last verse, and specifically the last line poking fun at the belief that a Christian's wrongdoings are the Devil's, not theirs. As I said, I don't love the beat personally, but I do really enjoy Hov's performance - it's for sure one of the best here.
13. Allure (prod. The Neptunes)
Alongside Kanye, The Neptunes are the only production outfit to get more than one credit on this LP, and I'm happy with that, as their contribution to this track is absolutely bloody lovely. I remember that when I was first listening to Jay-Z's music, this was actually my least favourite song on the album, but I can only imagine the reason was that I never payed enough attention to it and kept forgetting it - because now it's comfortably one of my favourites. Not only is the instrumental beautiful, but the rapping from Jay-Z is perfect, with a lot of reminiscent and regretful lyrics about drug dealing - and his delivery of the chorus is simply perfect. If this isn't Jay-Z at his finest, then I don't know what is. It's an absolute classic.
14. My 1st Song (prod. Aqua & Joe "3H" Weinberger)
Ironically intended to be the very final song Jay-Z ever released - when you listen to the chorus and realise that fact you'll get goosebumps whether you like it or not, trust me. In contrast to the last song, this was my favourite track on the album on first listen, but since then it's ever so slightly grown off me, even if I still enjoy it. I mean, Jay's double time flows may have worked for him when he was young and hungry for a deal, but here he often doesn't sound entirely comfortable, and on top of that the extended outro where Jay announces he's going "golfing", before acting like ordering a cheap coffee is a massive treat, makes me not want to play this song as much outside the context of the full album. Still, the negatives don't outweigh the positives to any extent here - this beat is incredible, Jay's falsetto in the hook is surprisingly not awful, and the lyrics and chorus are compelling no matter how they're delivered. This is not only a great song, but a fitting way to close out Jay's impressive eight year run. Although maybe it would hold more weight still, had the retirement lasted for more than three guest-appearance filled years...
It's no wonder that this project is frequently mentioned among some of the best hip-hop projects of the 2000s. The Black Album is incredibly diverse both musically and lyrically, meanwhile being equally consistent in its quality throughout the runtime, and ending exactly when it needed to around the 55 minute mark. This project contains probably the best track run in the Jay-Z catalogue from "Encore" to "Public Service Announcement", and even either side of that there's very little in the way of faults to be found. Oh, the choruses on "What More Can I Say" and "Justify My Thug" are kind of annoying. Oh, the beat on "Lucifer" is out of place. Oh, Jay-Z admitted to being a sellout. These are tiny nitpicks that are ants when put next to the monstrous levels of quality presented elsewhere in this album. You'd think a song like "99 Problems" would be an easy standout on whatever album it appeared on, but for me there's an argument for it not even making the top three of this LP - I mean it is competing with "Encore", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Threat", "Allure" - I could keep going. And I also love the layout of this project, with (almost) every song with a different producer behind the boards - it allows Hov to both revel in what he's used to with Timbaland, Just Blaze, Kanye and The Neptunes, as well as experiment and work joys with the sounds of new producers to him, like 9th Wonder, Rick Rubin and DJ Quik. And for my money, this is the best Jay-Z has rapped ever. He sounded ever so slightly more comfortable on his first two albums, sure, but here he masters the swagger and confidence that has defined much of the man's music up to this point in his career. This isn't just one of the best Jay-Z albums, and a personal favourite for me - it's one of the best artistic statements in the genre full stop, and when it came to send offs, it couldn't possibly have got much better than this. There was only one problem...
Enter: Kingdom Come
Best Tracks: hmm... let me think about that...
Worst Tracks: Oh, come on. Are you kidding??
Catch up on quite a few more Jay-Z reviews I've written here.
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