I've heard extreme amounts of hate towards this album. I get it hate what you ain't, hate his talk of power, how he talks about women, hate what you perceive to be his religion or lack of. Talk about his wife like you know her go ahead. Whatever all I know is out all the albums that have released, by my count 16 albums releases that can be considered as great hip hop albums. Artists like Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Papoose, Talib Kweil, Tyga, even Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y did a joint album. However Jay got all of the out of our iPods, playlists, and how ever else you listen to music bumping Magna Carter Holy Grail. When Justin Timberlake come in on the first track singing, "You take the clothes off my back, and Id let you'd steal the food right out of my mouth" with the mic letting out a high pitched whine as he hits a high octave. You know you are in for a high stakes ride for a tale that is about one man's unprecedented success. When JayZ admits that he is mad at the melodrama that comes with fame but he loves it at the same time by saying, "Goddamn i like it bright lights enticing look what that did to Tyson"
This is one of those albums that everyone will have a different track they really like, my track is "Picasso Baby", this Timbaland produced song is the introduction to the high art life that is being mixed with the Brooklyn born drug dealer. When Jay stats "I just want a Picasso in my cassa, no my castle I'm a hassa no I'm a asshole", you get the feeling that if he doesn't own a Picasso painting he will. It's this drive for the ultimate expression of utter success that is the engine for the album. There are more tracks I could break down but that would be facetious, I want to get into why I picked this album
J. Cole could have got my first mid annual best of the year award but he got lazy towards the end of his album. Wale turned in a good album but it wasn't great. Kanye might have the creativity and innovation but it didn't compare to the meteor crater that JayZ's album left on me and all my family and friends.
"Sleeping every night next to Mona Lisa the modern day version with better features yellow Basquiat in the kitchen corner go head blue lean on that shit you on it"
Indeed Jay..... Indeed tell Blue to lean on it. You just don't own priceless art you own Hip Hop again as well. -thegqlife