Tag: Jay-Z

audio review : Somewhere In America ( song ) … Jay-Z

It’s not the horn loop but the pianos that make the beat special. They carry it along with the ghetto elegance of a Dr Dre production circa 2001. It’s actually produced by Hit-Boy and Mike Dean. The best part is when the drums drop out and are replaced by what sounds like stringed instruments of some kind.

That’s the part rapper Jay-Z, wise enough not to bog the vibe down with one of his lame hooks, has sex doll Miley Cyrus dancing to. “Twerk, Miley,” he commands with a giggle. It’s a random way to end this semi-song and the music seems a bit slow to do that particular dance to, but it’s a cute nod nonetheless.

my rating : 4 of 5

2013

audio review : Magna Carta Holy Grail ( album ) ... Jay-Z

audio review : Magna Carta Holy Grail ( album ) … Jay-Z

audio review : Magna Carta Holy Grail ( album ) ... Jay-Z

The title implies historic importance, but this sounds like just another Jay-Z album to me. That means fans of the rapper, at least the ones who aren’t particularly critical when it comes to hooks, should enjoy it while the rest of us are limited to bobbing our heads to the beats. Picasso Baby, fathered by an Adrian Younge sample loop, captures the grittiness of 1970s funk, but the chorus, or lack of, ruins the song. That’s the problem with most of Jay-Z’s albums and this one is no exception. I’ve been saying he has minimal song talent for years. His albums continue to prove my point.

This Holy Grail is better than Yeezus though, for whatever that’s worth. Kanye West is a better music artist in general, but he lost his imaginary crown on that one. Jay-Z, on the other hand, is no less of a king, or a “God”, than he’s been since his ego got big enough to make him think he is one. Being consistently lackluster, after all, is still being consistent. Not that there aren’t any highlights here. Somewhere In America, which features a clever “Instagram” line and a cute nod to Miley Cyrus, sounds good. Nickels And Dimes is also likable. Too bad it totally rips off a Gonjasufi song.

my rating : 3 of 5

2013

audio review : Watch The Throne ( album ) … Jay-Z + Kanye West

audio review : Watch The Throne ( album ) ... Jay-Z + Kanye West

A lot of rappers claim to be the King, but Jay-Z and Kanye West have the success and popularity to at least provide some evidence for the claim. It’s a ridiculous claim, especially with Eminem still making records, but it’s also a metaphorical one. Bragging and boasting is embedded in the history of rap. If you can’t pay homage to your own skills, you can always focus on your money and the affluent lifestyle it affords you.

“I only like green faces,” West says in response to claims that he’s racist. Listening to such highbrow lines during one of America’s worst economic declines provides some cool dream-chasing escapism, but it’s not all bragging and boasting. There’s also an underlying theme on this album that seems to promote humanitarianism when it comes to the group of people Kanye West once said George Bush doesn’t care about.

Jay-Z hasn’t made a good album in almost a decade, but instead of being pulled up by the monster he created; Kanye West only produces one song on his own; the album comes across as an underwhelming follow-up to his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Too many of the beats rely on familiar samples. Most of the breaks; the hooks and bridges often used to time-stretch songs that have only two verses; are mundane.

Not even Jay-Z’s sexy wife is able to Lift Off on a song in which neither rapper raps. Kanye West sings instead. Or is he crying? Jay-Z provides a mere four bars. Such little contribution makes it sound like a Beyoncé demo song she’s only come-up with the chorus for. What’s out of this world is the ending, where the generic beat changes into something enchanting. If only the whole song sounded like that.

A similar thing happens at the end of Niggas In Paris in which Jay-Z continues to borrow bars from his dead comrade; The Notorious BIG; as a Soulja Boy type of thumper beat is replaced by Kanye West zoning-out to holy chords over a rhythmic static track. It’s innovative moments like that I wish there were more of. Instead we get Swizz Beatz, stupid James Brown samples and the dreaded rebirth of Autotune.

my rating : 3 of 5

2011