Whether boasting about his longevity (“There’s never been a n*gga this good for this long”), firing back at critics of his liberal borrowing from Biggie’s rhyme book (“I say a B.I.G. From Russell Crowe’s Gladiator speech to the sample of Tracey Lee’s “Keep Your Hands High” featuring the Notorious B.I.G., The Buchanans gave him the ball and he ran with it. “What More Can I Say”Īlright, this is the Jay Z I was waiting for. With lines like “They say ‘They never really miss you ’til you dead or you gone’/ So on that note, I’m leaving after the song,” it seems like “December 4th” could’ve originally been recorded as his final goodbye. We’re getting an introspective Jay Z who’s looking back on his life - from being abandoned by his father to hustling in the streets, and then leaving for the rap game. “December 4th”Īfter hearing Gloria Carter reminisce about her famous son throughout the track, the introduction begins to make more sense. It’s thought-provoking, but not exactly the way I’d expect Jay Z to kick off his “final” album. Instead of Jay Z rhyming about playing “in the key of life on my mental piano” over a sped up ‘80s sample, the former in-house Roc-a-Fella producer gives an introspective speech influenced by A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Just like the classic intro to The Dynasty, the opening track to The Black Album is produced by Just Blaze, but that’s where similarities end. Let’s go track by track like I’m listening for the first time: 1. Does nostalgia cloud my better judgment or does it still hold up? Dot’s “retirement” album as an all-time favorite, I had to give it another listen. Since Jay Z is Jay Z, his name inevitably came up and with it, the question of The Black Album’s classic status.Īs someone who used to consider S. Just the other day, The Crew was discussing albums considered as classics and whether they were worthy of the reputation. Whatever the reason, quality music is still quality music and it’s always worth checking out - even if it means veering from your usual tastes. Each author is writing from their experience based off a fresh listen - whether they missed the record in the first place or haven’t touched the record in a while. This month, we’re publishing one throwback album review per day for releases ranging from one month to a decade old. Welcome to our new series, Run That Back.

Jay z the black album cartook