A Review of Jay-Z's "The Black Album"

He was only supposed to be in the game long enough to drop a single album. But when sales of that album featuring appearances from the Notorious B.I.G and Mary J. Blige and production from DJ Premier, among others, failed to meet expectations, he returned the following year. And the year after that. And the year after that. Seven years, seven albums, each better than most other rap releases, a few blowing others out of the water. (Add to that countless guest appearances and nearly half a dozen soundtracks and compilations.) But this peerless record, he announced in 2003 would come to an end with the release of his latest work, The Black Album. He wanted to, he proclaimed, "go out on top."

The album features Jay-Z in top form. From the album opener-the reflective December 4th until the bittersweet closer My First Song (featuring a nostalgia-inducing B.I.G. interview), Jay-Z effortlessly glides over a barrage of beats by his best-known collaborators: The Neptunes, Timbaland-who provides one of the most catchy and eclectic beats of his career, Kanye West-who drops two flat-out dope beats, and Just Blaze. Others assist with notable productions: Eminem, Rick Rubin, The Buchanans, DJ Quik, Aqua and 9th Wonder, but the production, though largely excellent-really isn't the draw here. Jay-Z is, and he wastes no time in illustrating why he is deserving of all of the accolades he has earned, why the rap game needs him, and what his legacy will be. It is a bold and brash statement, bespeaking either extreme confidence or mild to moderate arrogance. It is in other words, typical Jay-Z.

Except this album isn't a typical Jay-Z album. Devoid of guest appearances, the rapper drops some of the most personal and insightful verses of his career. On Moment of Clarity he addresses his reaction to his own father's death and then a minute later dismisses critics by paraphrasing the Pareto principle. On December 4th, he skillfully alternates between first and second person as he recounts his own beginnings and depicts the mindstate of a hustler. And on Allure, he expounds upon his past, describing the allure of "breaking the law" simply, by alluding to movies.

The complex rhymes of earlier work are largely subordinated to flow, but what's most on display here is something from each iteration of Jay-Z we've seen. The paranoid hustler of Reasonable Doubt returns on Allure; the anthem writer of Vols. 2 and 3 on Dirt Off Your Shoulder and Public Service Announcement; the aggressor of The Dynasty on Threat; and the self-aware and mature rapper of The Blueprint on What More Can I Say? and Moment of Clarity. But the tone of the album is none of these: it is at once regal and mournful; (and typically) self-aggrandizing without seeming excessively self-important.

It is a definite high note to go out on, easily ranking up there with his best work. There are however a few misfires: the airy production and superficial subject matter obviate the need for Change Clothes. The plodding beat of Moment of Clarity, better suited for a bellicose Ice Cube, ill-suits Jay-Z's rhymes. DJ Quik's beat for Justify My Thug suffers a similar problem: it needs a West Coast rapper, and a West Coast flow. It also needs to divest the ill-conceived Madonna sample and title. And Allure suffers the same production issue as Change Clothes; sandwiched in between the audacious Lucifer and the resounding My First Song, the power of the song is greatly diminished.

But these are by and large minor concerns, overshadowed by the highlights-99 Problems, which includes a witty retelling of an encounter with law enforcement over a rock beat, What More Can I Say?-a legacy affirming retort to critics of him using B.I.G.'s lines; Encore, a rousing review of his station in rap: Dirt Off Your Shoulder...the list continues.

But while alternately proclaiming himself the "best rapper alive" "the Black Warren Buffet" and "rap's Grateful Dead" among other monikers, he is clearly unconcerned with convincing you that he is all these things. He takes it for granted that you already know and accept these claims. This is an album from someone who truly has nothing to prove. From Public Service Announcement:

"I'm ten years removed, still the vibe is in my veins

I got a hustler spirit, [...] period
Check out my hat yo, peep the way I wear it
Check out my swag, yo, I walk like a ballplayer
No matter where you go, you are what you are player
And you can try to change but that's just the top layer
Man, you was who you was 'fore you got here
Only God can judge me, so I'm gone
Either love me, or leave me alone"

Defining statements came in Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint: regardless of any criticism, he is quite simply one of the best rappers of the past fifteen years. The Black Album is just the snapshot of his legacy as he retires. And it is a magnificent composition.

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Sources

Toure, MUSIC; Superstardom is Boring: Jay-Z Quits (Again), The New York Times