My Review of Jay-Z's, Kingdom Come

I knew that retirement thing was a sham and wouldn't last long. Jordan pulled our leg on that one, one many times and now the term retirement seems to really mean "give me a year or two". So when Jay announced his, I rolled my eyes up in my head. He was leaving the game at the top, just having released The Black Album, which was hailed as one of his best. The streets begged him to stay and people took bets on how long this was going to last. He was then made president of Def Jam and with the beautiful, talented Beyonce on his arm, he seemed to truly have it all. Not bad for man who started off as a drug dealer living in the infamous Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, NY. So many young rappers tried to call him out and I guess Jigga had enough. He stepped out the office and into the booth and gave us Kingdom Come, one of the best hip-hop albums on his resume, if not the best.

This album brings to mind grown-ups, suits, elegant cars and cigars. It's an adult album and those not mature enough will not be able to appreciate it. Jay tells a story of a man who has exchanged his baggy Roc-a-Wear jeans for Ermenegildo Zegna suits. He reminds us why he's at the top and just how hard he worked to get there. He weaves a story of success and maturity yet still has that swagger that makes him young H.O. He taunts and lyrically embarrasses all on-comers who tried to get a rise out of Hova. He never comes hard about it though. He stays calm, teasing and taunting with enough bite to make his threats very real.

What I really enjoyed hearing in this album was the lack of misogyny. For once we have a hot, hip-hop album where females are called nice girls and even when rapping about strippers, he manages to do it in a way that's not offensive. I don't think I ever hear him use the term b*tch to describe a woman and that is refreshing. He instead uses the terms 'lil mama' and 'pretty lady' and that puts a smile on my face every time.

Show Me what You Got, produced by Just Blaze, is one of the sexiest songs on the album with horns and a drum beat that you can't help but move to. Before the video was released, it reminded me of long, summer days in Monaco where everyone is bronzed and money is abundant. Other stand-out tracks include Lost One, which describes some of the struggles Jay has been through including a verse in which he could be describing Beyonce. Let's Ride guest-starring John Legend, is my favorite. He reaches out to his cousin in prison, promising him hope for when he's released to a guitar background which reminds you of a old western. Dig a Hole is a club-banger with a beat that dares you not to move and it's in this track that he really gets at those who have a problem with him. Minority Report featuring Ne-Yo left me in tears as he describes the horror that so many went through in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. He raps sorrowfully how bad he felt that although he gave money, he, like many of us, didn't do enough. The sound of pouring rain and a piano helps Jay weave a story that leaves you touched with sadness, if you're human. This is one of the best hip-hop albums I have ever heard and I would suggest it to anyone. This is real hip-hop which gets forgotten listening to the garbage that's out there now.