I am a Jay-Z fan. I am… The difference between me and others is that I’m not a Jay-Z dick rider. I happen to be a bigger fan of MUSIC. In fact… my being a fan of music is what made me love Jay-Z. And… I LOVE Jay-Z. Seriously. Ask anyone. I will quote Jay-Z quicker than the Bible. Turn on “1-900-HUSTLER” and I BECOME Jay-Z. So. This isn’t on some off-the-bandwagon, now-I’m-a-Jay-hater shit. No sir.
“What We Talkin’ About” – I think this one is gonna have to grow on me. I don’t really like the production. In terms of album openers, he’s done better.
“Thank You” – Jay-Z’s “I’m normal, but then again I’m not bc I’m great” song. Point well taken. I like the song. I think it suits him. This reflects where he is and that he recognizes exactly how he got there (by being great and by us recognizing that, of course). I appreciate it.
“D.O.A.” – I wrote an entire post about this damn song. Go find it.
“Run This Town” – The only thing I like about this song is Kanye’s verse. I don’t like Rihanna on the song. I don’t think I like the way her voice sounds. Anyway… for a while, I couldn’t listen to the song because I couldn’t get past her singing. When I did let it play, I didn’t really pay attention again until Kanye started.
“Empire State of Mind” – I like this song despite Alicia Keys seeming to channel Estelle on the hook. Idk. She didn’t sound like herself at first. Aside from that, I think the song is solid. Nothing to write home about. Could be a single. I still prefer “Brooklyn (We Go Hard).”
“Real as it Gets” – Young Jeezy always makes me laugh. It’s his voice. But I think he sucks. The ONLY time he doesn’t is when he’s on a song with somebody great. The song is ok.
“On to the Next One” – So… you might find yourself bouncing on this one, but that’s only because it’s a Swizz Beats song. Like… it sounds like EVERY Swizz song you’ve ever heard before. Jay says some shit about go buy his old stuff if that’s what we want to hear, but he’s not saying ANYthing he hasn’t already said. And, that would be fine if it was on a beat that we hadn’t heard already. Plus… I found myself saying after a minute… “Is this song still on?”
“Off That” – I don’t like the production on the song. Drake is blah to me right now. He’s not new to me and I’m kind of over him. Not knocking his talent, but the only reason this song is notable is because it’s him and Jay. Eh. Ok. The whole concept that Jay is off anything that we’re on because he’s so far ahead of his time is an old one. Hell… he SHOULD be. This wasn’t really the right song for his political “it’s 2010, not 1864” line. It just didn't fit.
“A Star is Born” – I’ve been saying that Jay should be trying to build new talent if he thinks what’s out now is so wack. J Cole is cool. Jay’s verses are ok. It’s a flat song with a cool message. I HATE the beat. I hate the clapping and extra stuff.
“Venus vs. Mars” – This song is like “Girls Girls Girls” meets “I Know” and that’s not really a good thing. It’s kind of lame. “Shawty get it in” is not Jay-Z. It’s kinda wack. Some stuff he says is funny to me. “Thought she was with the Takeover, caught her bumping Ether” HA! But then he turns around and throws in some shit about Madoff… Yeah. That's kinda icky.
“Already Home” – I like this song. Kanye did a great job on the beat. I tend to zone out on the words though. I don’t really know what he’s saying. But that’s ok. I’m gonna say I like it and give him points.
“Hate” – I love this song. Again, I like Kanye’s short verses. This suits Kanye. The format does too.
“Reminder” – I can do without this song. By this point in the album, we’ve heard all this before. We’ve already had our reminder… Hell… you thanked us, reminded us who runs this town, told us who the realest is, showed how you off what we on, AND talked to your haters. What are you reminding us for NOW?
“So Ambitious” – This song doesn’t sound like it belongs on this album. Like… I like the song. Love the message. Like the beat and all that. But… I’m hearing “Allure.” I mean… I know it’s NOT the same. The songs are about different shit, but still. It’s like how Swizz sounds like Swizz. Pharrell sounds like Pharrell. It’s cool, though. *shrugs*
“Young Forever” –We’ve heard this before too… Can you say “Beach Chair?” Yeah… I’ve over simplified it, but come on. British dude singing while Jay reflects and it’s the last song. Sigh… idk. I usually skip it. I know he’s saying some deep shit; I just don’t care to hear it AGAIN.
In all, it’s not a bad album. But you’re JAY-Z. Want to be Greatest of All Time. ALL TIME. You can’t be putting out mediocre shit. As a fan I don’t want my assessment of your album to be, “Well… it doesn’t suck…” NO! I want to be excited. I want to feel like I felt when I had “The Black Album” in my hand. I’m not saying I want you to make the same music; I want the music you make now to be just as great. Look at Kanye. His albums have gotten progressively better. They’re ALL good. They all reflect his current place in life. “808s and Heartbreak” was all autotune and the shit was GREAT. I want to feel the excitement I feel for “Till the Casket Drops” for “Blueprint 3.” I REALLY do. But I don’t. The album is nothing to write home about. He doesn’t sound ahead of his time. He’s not saying anything particularly stunning. It’s time to bow out. You’ve already made it to the Hall of Fame. Go ahead and sit back and have fun but stop releasing albums. Breed new talent. I like that he has J Cole on "A Star is Born." That's what Jay-Z should be doing now. That and knockin up Beyonce. Sigh... I missed him when I thought he was gonna retire. Now... I WANT to miss him. I want to put on his music and "remember when." Alright... I'm done ranting for now. Bottom line... I'm not spending my money on it. There.
*UPDATED*
I'm still not buying it. But I still love Jay-Z. Watch Toure's Fuse interview here.
“What We Talkin’ About” – I think this one is gonna have to grow on me. I don’t really like the production. In terms of album openers, he’s done better.
“Thank You” – Jay-Z’s “I’m normal, but then again I’m not bc I’m great” song. Point well taken. I like the song. I think it suits him. This reflects where he is and that he recognizes exactly how he got there (by being great and by us recognizing that, of course). I appreciate it.
“D.O.A.” – I wrote an entire post about this damn song. Go find it.
“Run This Town” – The only thing I like about this song is Kanye’s verse. I don’t like Rihanna on the song. I don’t think I like the way her voice sounds. Anyway… for a while, I couldn’t listen to the song because I couldn’t get past her singing. When I did let it play, I didn’t really pay attention again until Kanye started.
“Empire State of Mind” – I like this song despite Alicia Keys seeming to channel Estelle on the hook. Idk. She didn’t sound like herself at first. Aside from that, I think the song is solid. Nothing to write home about. Could be a single. I still prefer “Brooklyn (We Go Hard).”
“Real as it Gets” – Young Jeezy always makes me laugh. It’s his voice. But I think he sucks. The ONLY time he doesn’t is when he’s on a song with somebody great. The song is ok.
“On to the Next One” – So… you might find yourself bouncing on this one, but that’s only because it’s a Swizz Beats song. Like… it sounds like EVERY Swizz song you’ve ever heard before. Jay says some shit about go buy his old stuff if that’s what we want to hear, but he’s not saying ANYthing he hasn’t already said. And, that would be fine if it was on a beat that we hadn’t heard already. Plus… I found myself saying after a minute… “Is this song still on?”
“Off That” – I don’t like the production on the song. Drake is blah to me right now. He’s not new to me and I’m kind of over him. Not knocking his talent, but the only reason this song is notable is because it’s him and Jay. Eh. Ok. The whole concept that Jay is off anything that we’re on because he’s so far ahead of his time is an old one. Hell… he SHOULD be. This wasn’t really the right song for his political “it’s 2010, not 1864” line. It just didn't fit.
“A Star is Born” – I’ve been saying that Jay should be trying to build new talent if he thinks what’s out now is so wack. J Cole is cool. Jay’s verses are ok. It’s a flat song with a cool message. I HATE the beat. I hate the clapping and extra stuff.
“Venus vs. Mars” – This song is like “Girls Girls Girls” meets “I Know” and that’s not really a good thing. It’s kind of lame. “Shawty get it in” is not Jay-Z. It’s kinda wack. Some stuff he says is funny to me. “Thought she was with the Takeover, caught her bumping Ether” HA! But then he turns around and throws in some shit about Madoff… Yeah. That's kinda icky.
“Already Home” – I like this song. Kanye did a great job on the beat. I tend to zone out on the words though. I don’t really know what he’s saying. But that’s ok. I’m gonna say I like it and give him points.
“Hate” – I love this song. Again, I like Kanye’s short verses. This suits Kanye. The format does too.
“Reminder” – I can do without this song. By this point in the album, we’ve heard all this before. We’ve already had our reminder… Hell… you thanked us, reminded us who runs this town, told us who the realest is, showed how you off what we on, AND talked to your haters. What are you reminding us for NOW?
“So Ambitious” – This song doesn’t sound like it belongs on this album. Like… I like the song. Love the message. Like the beat and all that. But… I’m hearing “Allure.” I mean… I know it’s NOT the same. The songs are about different shit, but still. It’s like how Swizz sounds like Swizz. Pharrell sounds like Pharrell. It’s cool, though. *shrugs*
“Young Forever” –We’ve heard this before too… Can you say “Beach Chair?” Yeah… I’ve over simplified it, but come on. British dude singing while Jay reflects and it’s the last song. Sigh… idk. I usually skip it. I know he’s saying some deep shit; I just don’t care to hear it AGAIN.
In all, it’s not a bad album. But you’re JAY-Z. Want to be Greatest of All Time. ALL TIME. You can’t be putting out mediocre shit. As a fan I don’t want my assessment of your album to be, “Well… it doesn’t suck…” NO! I want to be excited. I want to feel like I felt when I had “The Black Album” in my hand. I’m not saying I want you to make the same music; I want the music you make now to be just as great. Look at Kanye. His albums have gotten progressively better. They’re ALL good. They all reflect his current place in life. “808s and Heartbreak” was all autotune and the shit was GREAT. I want to feel the excitement I feel for “Till the Casket Drops” for “Blueprint 3.” I REALLY do. But I don’t. The album is nothing to write home about. He doesn’t sound ahead of his time. He’s not saying anything particularly stunning. It’s time to bow out. You’ve already made it to the Hall of Fame. Go ahead and sit back and have fun but stop releasing albums. Breed new talent. I like that he has J Cole on "A Star is Born." That's what Jay-Z should be doing now. That and knockin up Beyonce. Sigh... I missed him when I thought he was gonna retire. Now... I WANT to miss him. I want to put on his music and "remember when." Alright... I'm done ranting for now. Bottom line... I'm not spending my money on it. There.
*UPDATED*
I'm still not buying it. But I still love Jay-Z. Watch Toure's Fuse interview here.
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