No mere album, this is a ‘conceptual body of genius work’ inspired by the upcoming movie ‘American Gangster’. The concept is a 21st century blaxploitation soundtrack, and having THE Super Ego of hip hop mastermind an updating of that classic period, and embellish it with autobiographical detail, is a pretty damn mouth-watering prospect. And he has a point to prove; his last venture back from retirement Kingdom Come received a lukewarm response, at best.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Sean Corey Carter’s storied Rap career should be immortalized in Hip-Hop’s hall of fame. The man effortlessly killed the game for eight straight years and “bowed out” as one of the greatest to touch the mic. Jay-Z would eventually return from his much hyped hiatus—no one believed him—only to have his skills and motivation questioned with the lukewarm reception of Kingdom Come. Now refocused, he returns with American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam). A conceptual piece based on specific scenes from the movie of the same name, the album is deceptively one of his best and most personal.
Preview and download American Gangster
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Originally from Marcy Houses housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, Jay-Z was abandoned by his father Adnes Reeves when he was twelve years old. Jay-Z attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with rapper AZ, until it was closed down. After that he attended George Westinghouse Information Technology High School in Downtown Brooklyn, with fellow rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, but did not graduate. He claims to have been caught up in selling drugs, to which he refers in his music.
According to his mother Gloria Carter, a young Jay-Z used to wake his siblings up at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him a boom box for his birthday and thus sparked his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing rhymes, and followed the music of many artists popular at the time. It is stated that he beat Busta Rhymes in a rap battle, but also has lost to DMX.
In his neighborhood, Carter was known as “Jazzy”, a nickname that eventually developed into his stage name, “Jay-Z”. The moniker is also a homage to his musical mentor Jaz-O (a.k.a. Jaz, Big Jaz) as well as to the J/Z subway lines that have a stop at Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn.
Jay-Z can be heard on several of Jaz-O’s early recordings in the late 80s and early 90s, including “The Originators” and “Hawaiian Sophie”. He also collaborated with Inglewood, California producer Three-1-Zero. His career had a jump start when he battled a rapper by the name of Zai. The battle caught the eye of many record labels, as Jay-Z was able to hold his own against Zai. He also made an appearance on a popular song by Big L, “Da Graveyard”, and on Mic Geronimo’s “Time to Build”, which also featured early appearances by DMX and Ja Rule and Shazim Hasan in 1995.
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