"JAY-Z'S AMERICAN GANGSTER ALBUM is CLASSIC!!!"

When Jay-Z recorded his classic debut album, Reasonable Doubt, the world lost its ear and round-about corn on the cob, with free, tasted samples receiving a mouthful of corny and bitter criticism. After critical hatred from music writers everywhere, classic songs like Sunshine featuring Babyface, and The City Is Mine starring Blackstreet, these opuses have claimed to become Jay-Z's rap music of lesser grade. Rap fans became ashamed of liking particular songs from Jay-Z and, if you come back at Mister Shawn Corey one way, he will come back the same with severe karma and theatrical retribution. Thus, after years of poor-ratings we received The Blueprint album, after a money-run from the hard knock life tour. This secondary classic album, showcased Jay-Z, also known as Jiggaman, Hova, Hov, or Hovito, truely indeed he once again became the voice of the young people. Here we are again after Hov's cult-classic Kingdom Come, which was an older generation's personal favorite. Beach Chair was one of my favorite songs, so that as you may have visualized the sunset along the watered shores, daydreaming of success with S. Carter. Might as well enlist to bootcamp on the American Gangster album, which became Hov's third undebatable classic opus. Here is the tracklisting:

01.) Intro: It sounds like a newly fabricated, opening scene to the movie starring Denzel Washington. The introduction to this rap album is a powerful rendition of an outcry of poor, black America.

02.) Pray: It comes across as a lovely duet with his Bonnie in Clyde, 2003, except without your another favorite Jay-Z rendition. Instead, we receive Hov in his earlier Reasonable Doubt hay-days, via La Cosa Nostra without the grime opera in the background soundscape confusing yourself with murder.

03.) American Dreamin': This song gives perspective to the middle-class epidemic in the USA, by hidden implications. It inspires the whole lower middle-classes to reach out and touch somebody, by trying to touch a ribbon in the sky for love, dignity, and liberty.

04.) Hello Brooklyn 2.0, featuring Lil' Wayne: This song proves that Lil' Wayne overnight has become the younger generation's race-horse in gaining critical rap skills. So much so, mister Weezy F. Baby has become the next best rapper in line. He might not be the best rapper alive yet, but on this song he gives Jay-Z a new hustle on trying to out-do this visciously, malicious rhyme-slinger within the bloody veins running through the new and improved D. Carter. Weezy goes so hard lyrically in his verse, this song brings back the effect or affect of a Biggie and old Jiggie Baby rhyme session. In the earlier contests, previously hearing from I Love The Dough, Jay-Z as the new younger and upcoming rapper lyrically out-performed Biggie on his own track by a fair margin. The Notorious B.I.G. came back to regain his footing a bit, out-doing Jigga on Brooklyn's Finest by a smaller margin. This passing on the torch of hip-hop greatness sets itself within a halo between the Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and Biggie Smalls rivals while spitting (rapping) on wax (records). There hasn't been such fierce competition between the older and younger generation of hip-hop since then. Jay-Z wisely adopts his new evolved lyrical prowess, out-doing Wayne with slicker punchlines that would amaze the golden-era hip-hop groups and ciphers worldwide.

05.) No Hook: Jay uses a monologue of famous quotes in this while re-formatting how rappers should choose their lyrical weapons. The man is unstoppable on this rap-track and the album continues to flow smoothly.

06.) Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...): This song is an ingenious single, with intelligent vocals sampled from Kanye West on the hook. This is a type of rap-song that is Grammies could be given away for a single of the year award, the music production and lyricism on it would win the reward alone.

07.) Sweet: This song plays as an articulate view of Jay's life, generally speaking. However, the constant dope lyricism keeps everyone entertained as mixture of a party-track, without the commercial value, plagued by massive underground appeal.

08.) I Know: Hov raps such a sweet and candid love song. Remember the I Know What Girls Like and Girl's Best Friend (Diamonds) days, except visually and lyrically drilled with steroids. Sweet!

09.) Party Life: A very soulful backdrop of 70's pure gangster music, meshed with slow rhyming, detailing his Is That Yo Chick feature on Memphis Bleek's rap-track, but much more laidback for an album's tracklisting. Also, the Jiggaman as always adds his witty commentary to boot.

10.) Ignorant Sh*t, featuring Beanie Sigel: Jay-Z's rap prodigy has morphed into a superthug in his short appearance, yet this song practically belongs to Hov. This song shows vintage Hov, which is often hard to come by these days. Although, Jigga has far mastered his craft almost a decade ago.

11.) Say Hello: This is the type of song I was waiting to hear from Fabolous on his various catch-phrases of him being the bad guy within a distant context. Jay-Z seemed to have regrouped the down-trodden gangster reality young O.G.s go through, except for the rap kingpin, Jiggy Baby, not Jigglin' Baby, has become quite the Rock Star. Yet, he becomes very intricately introspective on this rap-track.

12.) Success, featuring Nas: I might admit previous Nas features have excited the hip-hop community, but this one out-does all of their earlier collaborations. Nas and Jay go extremely hard lyrically in this track, blow for blow. You can not tell who is better on this one, because they both do too much justice all for one rap-song. Although, Jay raps more methodically, Nas' metaphors hold their own.

13.) Fallin': Brilliant rap song is all I have to say. Picture this song as an official storytelling anthem to corporate America's downfall in greed, for example, in the case of Enron.

14.) Blue Magic: One of the most innovative songs on this album, featuring Skateboard P. (Pharrell/For Real) on the singy-song rap vocals. Think of D'Angelo's classic song Devil's Pie and you can visualize the hedonistic but realistic chefs cooking dope, plus that coke in the hallway lobbies of the crack-infested communities inside the late 1980's NY crime-scenes. The Law & Order: CSI background melody has nothing on this song!

15.) American Gangster: Kind of reminds me of Jay's All Around the World on The Blueprint 2. This song has high-energy, thus having a good, comfortable and celebrated vibe to it. Creative lyricism separates this song because Jigga has evolved lyrically to such a degree on this album, Hov with this flawless production on this rap album, has given rap fans everywhere hope that hip-hop still lives. If you ask Weezy though, it would still live in the South. Amen to all of the above! Jay-Z's American Gangster album is that much better than Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint because it shares the benefits of all of Jigga's musical missteps, between trying to find another hip-hop classic, plus all of the vintage material we all miss from the self-proclaimed, but very truthful, Michael Jordan of Rap.