"American Gangster" Review by Basshead

Before I get started let me say this, Jay-Z is cold. By cold I mean a monster in this rap game. Before we knew Jay-Z the business man we knew the slick talking, ex-dope dealing, metaphorical phenom from the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, New York. On his first cd Reasonable Doubt he introduced us to that world with his Reaganomics inspired, upstate dope boy rap lyrics. On his latest offering American Gangster, he goes in depth and puts you in the shoes of Shawn Corey Carter, and takes you on a soulful walk as the corporate hustler. This album is very creative, it's a focused work of art. (P.S. I can't quote too much off this album, because every Jay-Z verse is a quotable).

1. Intro- He doesn't rap on the intro, a woman narrating gets you ready for this amazing album. She describes "Americas Gangsters," she even puts Democrats and Republicans in the category, forreal. Lol. The cd is unpredictable and the intro sets the tone. Produced by Chris Flames, co-produced by Idris "Driis" Elba

2. Pray- This track is the beginning of the story. He describes some child hood instances. Like encountering street hustlers as a child, seeing his father leave the house for retaliation purposes, you know the typical gangster shit. This is the great "product of my environment" track. Beyonce' adds some vocals on the track. Produced by Diddy, LV & Sean C

3. American Dreamin'- Opens with the beautiful, silky smoothe voice of Marvin Gaye creating a breezy, undescribable feeling. The "American Dream" in this case is getting what he needs and wants. The last four bars of the first verse is crazy, I need the book for the actual lyrics, but the last bar is "Life's a bitch I hope I don't make her a widow." This song is amazing...Produced by Diddy, LV & Sean C, co-produced by Mario Winans

4. Hello Brooklyn 2.0 ft. Lil Wayne-Crank dat Weezy Wee handles the hook with a unique in and out delivery. Jay approaches this track similar to the way the Louis Voiutton Teddy Bear did "Homecoming" on Graduation, simply talking to his city and . He spits, "Hello Brooklyn if we had a daughter/guess what I'd call her? Brooklyn Carter." Wayne does his thing, halfway singing throughout his verse. Produced by Bigg D

5. No Hook- Tambo told me to put a ice grill (translation for non American Gangsters: ice grill=mean face) on before I listen to this track. Comes in withoug a Denzel excerpt from American Gangster the film, saying "don't forget where you come from." This track is just the scrambled thoughts of a hustler. The only repitition in this song is Jay saying after 16 bars, "I don't need a hook for this shit," sound familiar?? "This is not for commercial usage/please don't categorize this as music/please don't compare me to other rappers /compare me to trappers i'm more Frank Lucas than Ludacris/and Luda's my dude i ain't tryna' diss/ like Frank Lucas is cool but i ain't tryna snitch." Produced by Diddy, LV & Sean C

6. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...)- This is the dope boys celebration. It has a real jazzy feel to it, you can picture a group of dealers putting their drinks in the air and celebrating life. Produced by Diddy, LV & Sean C

7. Sweet- "I'm even better I'm eating better/best thing about it my niggas eating together." This is another real jazzy beat, lots of congas and instruments. Enjoying the good life record. Produced by Diddy, LV & Sean C

8. I Know-Ok, each track on this cd is based upon a scene from the actual movie, but in Jay's narration of his own journey as an AG. So I have to go to get the bootleg out of my brothers room lol. It's a female inspired record though, and The Neptunes showed their ass on it. The Neptunes

9. Party Life- SOULFUL! "This is the kind of shit you roll a tight j (joint)to, sip a lil' wine. Whatever your vice is you know? Whatever you like to do. Get into your comfort zone, get into your comfort zone baby." Produced by Diddy, LV & Sean C

10. Ignorant Shit ft.Beanie Sigel-The cockiness of a hustler, they say whatever the hell they want. Who does he call for assistance, the Broad Street Bully. I'm going to quote Beans on this one, "See if I care if this verse get aired/Even if you mute it the curse is there." Ewww... Jay also gets at ol' Don Imus too. Produced by Just Blaze

11. Say Hello- Like I said, i'm about to watch the bootleg so I can fully understand the album, i'm about to Another soulful sample, but from an unlikely producer. He has words towards Al Sharpton, "Tell him I'll remove the curses if you tell me our schools gonna be perfect/when Jena 6 don't exist that's when I'll stop saying bitch." Produced by DJ Toomp

12. Success featuring Nas-"I used to give a fuck now I give a fuck less/what do I think of success it sucks too much stress." Then this guy says, "I used to give a shit now i don't give a shit more/truth be told I had more fun when I was piss poor/ I'm pissed off...Then Nas, ewwww...this cd is disgusting. The production is organ fueled, like a live rap session at church. The pitfalls of success, we go so far for what...Produced by No I.D., co-produced by Jermaine Dupri

13. Fallin'-The fall of a hustler...Bilal handles the hook. Dramatic outro Produced by Jermaine Dupri, co-produced by No I.D. & ChicagoInfamous

Bonus Tracks*Blue Magic: Produced by The Neptunes*American Gangster: Produced by Just Blaze

Straight up and down, this album is a classic. This album provides a fresh, soulful memorable listening experience from beginning to end. It is the first conceptual record by Jay-Z, but he does it right the first time around. Sticking to the original idea while still testing the boundaries of the content, creating a his own audio memoir of being a hustler. His delivery matches every beat on point. The bulk of production is handled by The Hitmen (Diddy, LV & Sean C, and Mario Winans), Biggie's old production crew. With American Gangster Jay-Z adds another amazing, thought provoking album alongside classics Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint. Best rap album of 07' to date. This cd is way more soulful than Blueprint and is a must have for any Jay fan...CLASSIC/5 STARS