The Kingpin of Rap Returns

Yes, it’s true: Jay-Z is back with American Gangster, and he’s better than ever.

It’s a brilliant idea really - a concept album from a rapper. What better way to tell a story of struggle than through the poetics of rap? And who better to tell that story than Jay - possibly the best rapper to ever try his hand at the storytelling craft that is hip hop?

This isn’t Kingdom Come, this isn’t commercially driven. This has meaning. The only way to purchase the album is in one piece; no individual tracks are being sold digitally on iTunes. As Jay told XXL Magazine, “as movies are not sold scene by scene, this collection will not be sold as individual singles.” In fact, the only single released so far is “Blue Magic”, a bonus track unrelated to the overall story. Though it may impact the album’s chart status from lack of digital singles sales, the end result is a stunningly intelligent album that is not only well-written but perfectly crafted. Don’t think Black Album or Blueprint 2; think of the lyrical depth of Reasonable Doubt with better samples and a storyline.

Inspired by the Ridley Scott film “An American Gangster”, Jay uses a mix of his real-life experiences and those of Frank Lucas (the movie’s main character) to tell the story of a drug kingpin from start to finish, using 13 tracks acting as scenes which are then broken down into three acts. Jay hits you right away with the intro track. It isn’t about the rapper; it’s about the story’s main character, a character that is part Jay before he rapped, part Lucas, and part anonymous dope-dealing narrator. You learn about what makes up the “American Gangster” and the different aspects of the drug trade.

The first track, “Pray”, is the precursor to the dope game. “This is the genesis of a nemesis… this is a tale of lost innocence,” Jay rhymes over a Hank Marvin sample. Thoughts are starting to creep in about a life selling drugs, aided by the realization in “American Dreaming” that the only way out of the projects is through the drug trade (“Seems as our plans to get a grant then go off to college didn’t pan or even out… Ain’t nothing wrong with aim, just gotta change the target.”). "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" is a track featuring a Beastie Boys sample and a verse by Lil’ Wayne that is more Blueprint than Reasonable Doubt- a song that features the sample as much as the rhymes. It lacks the lyrical depth of many of the other songs on the disc, but the catchy sample and an impressive verse by Lil’ Wayne still makes the track stand out. It serves as the introduction to the market; "Hello Brooklyn, time to open up shop." Finally, on “No Hook”, Jay rhymes “Stay out of trouble momma said as momma sighs/ Her fear her youngest son being a victim of homicide/ But I gotta get you out of here momma or I’m a die inside” as the picture of a mother sending her son off into the real world for the first time enters your mind.

From there we move to the climax of the story, which consists of a four song set that features three tracks over a soul-beat sample produced by Diddy and the Hitmen (who also produced “Pray” and “No Hook”). The soul-beats give the feeling of living the high-life; care-free samples with horns blasting away as if it were a Miami Vice soundtrack. This is the dope game: buying, selling, and making money. “Roc Boys (And the Winner is…)" kicks off the second act with flashy horns that screams triumph. The successful kingpin raps, “Let your hair down baby, I just hit a score/pick any place on the planet, pick a shore/take what Forbes figured and then figure more.” He is, after all, the winner of the dope game. “Sweet” follows when the kingpin finds acceptance in his trade: “I could walk down a hall of mirrors and be so satisfied when I look myself in the eyes/ no shame, no sir.” This acceptance is met with “I Know”, a song produced by Pharrell and the Neptunes, which runs brilliantly through the junkie’s mind by using a beat and lyrics that would normally be considered for a solid song of a love affair (think “Allure” off of The Black Album). It sounds like a good times song, but underneath the track is the story of a drug addict who experiences the intensity of an addiction - the pleasure of the high and the battle of breaking away from the drug - written from the viewpoint of the heroin: “she likes me, she fiends for me nightly, she leans for me/ morning she rush for my touch, this is about lust.” The second act ends with “Party Life”, a self-explanatory track of living the high life that comes with the riches. It turns out to be as good as it gets.

Things change with “Ignorant Shit”, the opening track of the final act. Now the kingpin has become the hunted; smaller players begin nipping at his heels. The song features a verse by Beanie Siegel that fits with the track but is out of place when considering the overall theme of the album. It makes the listener feel as if Jay put him on the track to simply promote his own guy. “Say Hello” follows, and the downfall of the kingpin’s empire is evident. The scene has an obvious connection to the pivotal restaurant scene in Scarface where Tony Montana’s empire begins to crumble - the chorus is almost a direct lift from Montana’s monologue. That same moment is hitting the main character of the album. A life once glorified has become troublesome, and suddenly a man with no cares in the world has become the bad guy. “Success” carries the same notion; it’s lonely at the top, and all of a sudden business is more trouble than fun. “Truth be told I had more fun when I was piss poor” Jay raps over a track produced by No I.D. and Jermaine Dupri (who combined to produce the final two tracks to the album).

"Fallin’” is the end, where the addiction turns from a problem for the junkie to a problem for the kingpin. “Niggas never learn ‘til they end up in the newsclip/ I guess the irony of selling drugs is sort of like I’m using it/Guess its two sides to what ‘substance abuse’ is” raps the regretful kingpin after finally being defeated by the game. Going big has put the kingpin on the map, and with everyone trying to get the crown the king is bound to fall. “When your chances are nil, damn gravity’s ill”.

So how does the owner of a rap label, clothing line, nightclub, and NBA team make an album about selling drugs and still make it believable? By removing himself from the story. American Gangster marks Jay’s most realistic album since his debut with Reasonable Doubt. It brings the listener to the realization that, if lyrics sold, Jay would have a catalog full of albums at the upper-echelon level of Reasonable Doubt. For now he will just have to settle for album of the year.