Should Jay Z Return to Rap?

Undoubtedly the best rapper alive, Jay-Z also known as Hov, Jigga, S. Carter has given the hip-hop world an impressive catalog of chart topping hits and street anthems such as, Hard Knock Life, Money Cash Hoes, Encore, Dirt off Ya Shoulder and the list can go on for days. His first album, Reasonable Doubt, was a 5 Mic classic according to the source magazine and nothing after that has been less than 4 Mics. His stats continue with selling out Madison Square Garden in a day on his last tour and producing 7 multi-platinum albums (rarely done by a rapper) launching a footwear line through Reebok (being the first non athlete to do so) and clothing line with all assets making him worth an estimated 300 million dollars. Jay Z says his last album, The Black Album, was a prequel to his Reasonable Doubt album and admittedly was the best way to walk away from the game and retire. With songs like, Moment of Clarity, Encore, 99 Problems and Threat, The Black Album was the perfect exit for the best rapper alive that was almost three years ago. Announced only a month ago, Jay Z will return to rap with a new album slated to be released on November 19th entitled, There is only One.

With this return the hip-hop community is has mixed feelings about Jigga's choice to return. I miss Jay Z as much as the next hip-hop head but with such a well executed exit album and sell-out world tour I don't think Jay Z should return to rap. I can see why Jay may think the game needs him because there is a lot of trash taking over the air waves especially all the southern music but other than that why should he? He's broken sales records and no one breathing can hold a candle to him in terms of talent, delivery, wordplay or the savvy business expertise that he possesses. Jay Z has nothing to prove to anyone, he is a walking business and he knows it, in a song he boasts, "I'm not a business man I'm a business man, let me handle my business damn." So why return? The self proclaimed Michael Jordan of rap would be basically putting his place in rap history in jeopardy. Why? Because of the expectations the rap world has for the President of Def Jam. If Jay Z doesn't meet the exactions that not only the music industry has for him but the expectations that the streets have he can kill his reputation has a hip-hop legend. Even though Hova has nothing to more to prove no more barriers to overcome, in some strange way the bar has been raised for him and he has to do something that has never been attempted before, not to mention being successful doing it.

By associating himself with Michael Jordan by calling himself the "Mike Jordan of Rap" he has to take in account the history with Michael Jordan when he came out of his retirement. It took Jordan almost a year and half to play the way he did before his retirement, sure he won 3 more NBA titles once he got back into the swing of things, his last two years in the league with the Wizards were unspectacular dropping his legacy as a player. The same thing can very well happen to Jay Z; the only difference between rap and basketball is that in rap you don't have a year and a half to get back on your game. If this album is anything less than The Black Album it can be lights out for Jay Z and his definite exit will be a horrible one, one less memorable for the rap superstar. My predictions for the new album There is Only One is it will be ok and Lord knows I pray I am wrong but with Jay's new single Show me what you got suggests that the album will be disappointing. I predict his sales to reach the platinum status because Jay Z has what I call Michael Jackson fans, they will buy it just because it's him regardless of how it sounds because Jay Z fans are that loyal. His name alone turns everything to gold. However if the album is less than stellar his second album out of his retirement will reflect that the first one really wasn't that great but with it being Jay Z and all the excitement about his return I think the rap community will tolerate one bad album, definitely not two. I wish Jay Z luck and I do have my copy on reserve at FYE as I wait to hear what Hov has to offer us.

Still I think it is a bad idea for him to return. His retirement couldn't have been done at a better time and executed more perfectly. The game doesn't need Jay Z, the game wants him and what the game needs is for the next generation, Lil' Wayne, Saigon, Papoose, Juelz and T.I to step up and take control of the game. Jay Z needs to fall back from rapping and recruit and develop the superstars for tomorrow. A man with the type of talent he has needs to pass it on and not be selfish and keep it all to himself.