A Rave Review of Jay-Z's Return Album Kingdom Come

The much acclaimed Hip Hop King Jay-Z had exited concerts and interviews notifying everyone that he was done with rapping. Most true Jay-Z fans would dismiss any real attempt at retiring and would say that those actions would just sell more "Black Albums." Even I thought to myself that he would come back and be featured on everyone else's songs which came true, but I never assumed he would be back so soon. We all know the "love for the game" has kept many superstars from retiring from their respective careers. The greatest example of this is Michael Jordan who would come back twice before finally calling it quits after a dismal season with the Washington Wizards. Jordan's retirement would also be one of the focal points of Jay-Z's comparison as he calls himself the Michael Jordan of recording. Even the first song of Kingdom Come states that he couldn't leave because he loves her (Hip Hop). But even though there are countless comparisons of Kingdom Come to Jordan on the Wizards, Jay-Z's album was much more successful from a fan perspective. Fans of Jay-Z scattered to find copies of kingdom Come while Jordan fans say that coming back to the Wizards was one of the worst mistakes of his career and that he should have just retired on top.

As for the Album it does not differentiate in sound from most of his other recent classics such as the Blueprint, Roc La Familia, and the Black Album. It has sounds produced by some of his former hit making friends like Just Blaze, Kanye West, and a surprisingly high number of songs from West Coast Legend Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre produced the recently released single "Lost Ones" that includes Jay-Z's discussion about giving his queen in the Kingdom, Beyonce Knowles space for her career as she also recently has had chart topping success with her new album B-Day. Kingdom Come continues Jay-Z's tradition of staying true to himself. Many other rappers dish out CD after CD about their life and times of being on the street even long after they have successfully endured in the music industry. Jay-Z makes it easily noticeable that he has moved on from life on the street as he raps about his new hustle and life as a multimillion dollar mogul in the Hip Hop industry taking roles as Def Jam's President, Owner of a the successful urban clothing line known as Rocawear, and owner of an NBA basketball team. Any fan can hear these life trends being emphasized in songs such as 30 Something, The Prelude, and Hollywood.

If I were to rate the album I would give it a 4.5 out 5 because I love the lyrics and his underlying theme of not selling out like other rappers, however I thought the production was better on some of the previous albums. Jay-Z has set atop the throne of Hip Hop for some time now and his once competition in "Hip Hop Beef" Nas has worked by his side and it seems nothing can slow the King down.