In addition to having high album sales, Jay-Z has also won five Grammy awards, including Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance. A majority of Jay-Z's skills can be attributed to his complex wordplay, his super-tight flow and his amazing crossover capabilities. In 2004, he went from being a platinum artist to running Roc-A-Fella Records, the label he co-founded in 1996, to becoming CEO and president of the illustrious Def Jam Recordings.
Amidst making several great albums and running two major labels, Jay-Z decided to extend his industrial domain into the demanding world of fashion. In 1999, he co-founded Rocawear, an urban fashion line that mirrored the grown and sexy attitude of the progressive Mr. Carter himself. Today, at the measly cost of $30 million, Jay-Z is sole owner of Rocawear. Eager for a ride on the lucrative Carter bandwagon, Reebok teamed up with Jay-Z in 2003 to create the signature sneaker line The S. Carter Collection, Reebok's fastest selling sneaker to date.
As if all of that weren't enough, Jay-Z co-owns his own nightclub, The 40/40 Club, through which he has developed a successful chain. He also bought the New Jersey Nets basketball team in hopes of relocating it to Brooklyn, his hometown. Of course, the cherry on top would definitely be having the international pop star Beyoncé Knowles, or as Jay-Z affectionately calls her, B, as arm candy.
From an early age, Jay realized that although his skills would not grant him instant access to celebrity and fame, they would be his ticket out of the Marcy House projects and a baby step towards attaining the hip-hop holy trinity: money, power and respect.
At last, in 2004 Jay decided that the time had come to put the mic down. Rap had propelled him to the top and established his foundation; however, the time had come for 33-year old Mr. Carter to step out on his own like a true businessman.
When Jay announced his retirement, we all started a pool on when he would come back, because although Jay-Z is not just hip-hop anymore, we just couldn't imagine East Coast rap without him. Unsurprisingly, when rumors began circulating this summer about Jay-Z coming out of retirement and making another album, we nodded our heads disparagingly as if to say, "Duh!" and awaited the seasoned material that he assured to be life-changing.
At the time of his announcement to retirement, hip-hop music had already begun its steady decline as a result of the music buyer's supply and demand for overly produced, yet vapid, songs. Long gone are the days of artists possessing a tight flow coupled with great lyricism. Find a popular hit-maker such as Scott Storch to make you an infectious beat, pay a ghostwriter to deliver some hot lines, devise a dance move that will induce your listener to shake their ass, snap their fingers or lean with it and you're guaranteed a hit.
Furthermore, although hip-hop has suffered a scarcity of new or fresh talent, it has also left New York City, its birthplace, and taken refuge in the South, and you can believe that the South has welcomed it with open arms. Embarrassed at having been abandoned by hip-hop, East Coast rappers, such as 50 Cent, Nas and Busta Rhymes, have recently been scrambling to bring their beloved back to her hometown. Who better to officially save the state of hip-hop then Hova, the savior, himself?
On Nov. 21, Jay-Z dropped the highly anticipated (and highly bootlegged) "Kingdom Come." With a profound title such as that, surely Jay-Z had plans to resuscitate hip-hop for the masses, and most importantly, for New York. Should we expect no less than greatness from Hova or should we simply appreciate the fact that he's fighting the good fight? First and foremost, we should expect greatness from an adept artist such as Jay-Z. Being the seasoned MC that he is, Jay should have freshness overflowing from each hook and complexities spiraling out of control. The man had two years to cook up something to nourish the starving hip-hop heads. For Jay, who was known for churning out platinum rap every year, two years is equivalent to about five years for the average artist.
Despite everything pointing in his favor, "Kingdom Come" is proof that the tenacious hip-hop beast within Shawn Carter has finally become dormant. As a result of Jay-Z's increasing age (he's already 36!), growth and clout, the rawness with which he once spit has naturally become more polished and less fervent. Without a doubt, there are shining moments in "Kingdom" that validate Jay's skills and will leave Jay's fans pining for the return of the old Jay-Z. However, on the whole, the complacent album seems to serve as a half-hearted victory lap for Jay-Z.
Most of the thanks, in regards to production, should go to Just Blaze, who produced "Show Me What You Got," the single with the contagious drum loop sampled from the title track of the "Shaft in Africa" soundtrack.
At the end of the last verse, Jay-Z sends a warning to all his rap contenders: "Tell these other dudes it's a wrap, get the fuck out the throne you clone, the King's back! Y'all got less than two months to get y'all thing together, good luck!" By the fifth track, "Kingdom Come," which contains a sample of Rick James' "Superfreak," Jay-Z repetitively urges his listeners to brace themselves for his single-handed resurrection of hip-hop: "After this flow you may owe me a favor, when kingdom come, you're ready?" Yes, we are! At this point, all of the first five tracks in "Kingdom" are like a breath of fresh air amongst the now stale environment of hip-hop. Yes, we're ready Jay! Lead us till kingdom come!
Unfortunately, "Kingdom Come" proved to be all hype on Jay-Z's part. Instead of the rebirth of hip-hop music, the next five tracks exhibit prime examples of glossy production gone awry. Featured on "Do You Wanna Ride," Grammy winner John Legend plays the piano over the beat while singing in the swaggering, yet melodious, nature for which he's famous. Unfortunately, the lyricism on this track does not attest to Jay-Z's ill wordplay. "Hollywood," featuring Beyoncé, should have been on her album "B'Day" instead of on "Kingdom." The only remarkable aspect of "Hollywood" is the chorus in which Beyoncé demonstrates her consistent ability to have even the most thugged-out fan singing along with her.
In "30 something," an aging Jay-Z raps about his extensive knowledge of button up shirts, his good credit, his new-found love for R&B music and other grown-up things that allegedly only "30 something" year-olds possess. Quite possibly the most disappointing track of the album, "Anything" is a first for Jay-Z. In this track, Jay-Z raps about "making it rain" at the strip club. Usher reinforces Jay-Z's interest in a particular stripper by promising her "anything she wants" and engaging her to "bounce, bounce," while Pharrell provides the signature Neptune beats and his usual, unnecessary two cents worth. The two most forgettable tracks "Trouble" and "I Made It" are not even noteworthy.
Despite an uninspiring middle section, "Kingdom" ends on three good notes. In "Dig A Hole," listeners get a brief glimpse of the same Jay-Z who made "The Blueprint." Upon attacking his many haters and challengers, presumably Jim Jones and Cam'ron, both who have recently began beef with him, Jay-Z spits line after line of belittling rhymes: "It's like the disciples/Dissing Jesus becoming his rivals/Shunning the one thing that they owe their life to/You let that man hype you to go against your idol/Knowing good and God damn well this what I do/Think I'm in the office and I lost my grind/That's how kids become orphans/You lost your mind?!"
On a more introspective note, Jay speaks about Hurricane Katrina in the touching "Minority Report," a track featuring Ne-Yo, and confesses his shame at having simply thrown a million dollars at the problem: "Sure I ponied up a mill, but I didn't give my time/So in reality I didn't give a dime, or a damn/I just put my monies in the hands of the same people that left my people stranded." Throughout the track, clips of media coverage on the hurricane and helicopters reverberate while a steady rain pours continuously in the background.
To our dismay (or maybe to our benefit), Jay-Z has saved one of "Kingdom Come"'s breakthrough tracks for last with the innovative "Beach Chair." Produced by Coldplay's lead man Chris Martin, "Beach Chair" boasts the finest production on the album. Jay-Z's renowned flow becomes most apparent on this track as he effortlessly reveals his fear for his future daughter paying for his sins and his plans for well-being once he's gone. Always one to counsel his listeners, Jay-Z informs them that they must live life to the fullest in spite of difficult challenges and even death: "I'm not afraid of dying/I'm afraid of not trying/Everyday hit every wave/Like I'm Hawaiian."
So both one hour and 14 tracks have passed only for one to find herself hopeful for and disappointed with Jay-Z. While "Kingdom Come" contains enough substantial material to breathe a few vital breaths into hip-hop, Jay-Z has proved himself to be anything far from its savior. "Kingdom" does not fair well in Jay's illustrious discography; it should be placed best under "Vol. 2" but on top of "The Blueprint 2." Unless you are from Brooklyn, a die-hard Jay fan or a mindless consumer, then you'll agree that although "Kingdom" was worth the bootleg it was not worth the high anticipation.
On the other hand, Jay-Z was correct when he stated, "Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don't lie," because in its first week "Kingdom" sold 680,000 copies (a far throw from Jay-Z's predicted 1 million.) Regardless of the multitudes of negative reviews and disappointed critics, Jay-Z the Great has once again hustled us all.