Yeah some good producers on this one but 2 much mainstream for me. Maybe for you 2! =)

Jay-Z's american gangster really prove that he still has the fire inside to make a great album . I had picked up kingdom come and was very dissapointed in it but this effort appears to put J back as one of the top men in the rap game while many gush over lil Wayne he does'nt not compare to Jay-Z . I think Jwent back to his roots to deliever this powerful album .

I am a very harsh critic of Hip Hop, but I will have to say Jigga came through with this one. I just love this album. Its like you can never get tired of listening to it. Once again Jay-Z continues to prove why he is the Greatest rapper of all-time...ever to do it..

every album after the black album jay loses respect. he doesnt do it for the love he does it for the money. dont get me wrong thats what were here for. but after you make your deal the buisness is done and you get back in the kitchen to cook up that new masterpiece. if jay didnt have fans before this album would he get any honestly? its time to retire.

this 2 me is a grown man cd. music for tha grown folks. i like it. its something that you can be laid back to and chill with yo girl

Its a okay cd. Not jay's best by any means. I think it was rushed. I wouldnt buy this over again.

Before I start with the review I have to plug the review by Scipio Africanus, Vanquisher of Hannibal "The Holy of Holies".

If you are looking for entertainment check out this guys review. He went and bought a rap CD called American Gangster hoping to hear "a rapper who didn't disparage blacks and women or abuse profanity.....lol" Then go check out his profile....is he for real?

On with the review: On his last CD, Kingdom Come, Jay-Z became a victim of his own success. Most people did not feel the album because they could not relate to the Hollywood persona. A product of his own success. This meant Jay-Z could no longer draw from his usual well of inspiration i.e. his own life. For most artists this would have spelt the end but Jay has been here before. At the turn of the century Jay-Z's relevance in the game started to decline and his heir(s) apparent, Bleek & Beans, could not carry the mantle. That's when Jay-Z came back with "The Blueprint". To make it Jay-Z went out of his comfort zone, from bringing in, little known but soon to blow, producers Just Blaze & Kanye West, to borrowing from KRS One to even going public with his beefs. It became an instant classic.

Fast forward to 2007 and Jay-Z faces extinction once again, his role as president of Def Jam is met with mixed feelings, Roc-a-fella is on life support (Kanye carrying it), his last album flopped and most fans feel he should have stayed retired.

So what does he do? He finds inspiration in a movie and makes his own soundtrack to it. The move is a smart one because firstly, it allows him to ignore all the negativity surrounding him and focus on the theme of the album. Secondly it allows to reconnect with his lost audience without losing face for rapping about things he doesn't experience himself anymore. And finally the move takes away the pressure of making a big radio single to promote the CD as the movie acts as his promotional vehicle.

The album plays out in three acts like a classic gangster flick, the come up, the triumph and the fall. Jay-Z gives us the background story on `Pray', showing that he is a product of his poverty stricken, drug infested, crime riddled, corrupt environment. The parallels to the movie are striking although the story is different. On the second act (triumph) he reincarnates the soul of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye on `Roc Boys' & `Party Life'. Jay-Z is at his best here with a billionaire's swagger, dropping metaphors like they don't matter. The mood switches on the final act as things take a dark turn as Jay-Z deals with the trappings of `Success' and the ultimate downfall.

For the music Jay-Z taps another comeback king in the form of Diddy and his new production team of Sean C & L.V. The trio expertly handle the majority of the production and provide the most meaningful moments in the album. The beats on `Pray', `No Hook' and `American Dreamin' are dark but soulful. They are not mind blowing but they fit the theme to a tee. The biggest surprise, production wise, is Jermaine Dupri's contributions. Mr "You know what this is" helms the gloomiest portion of the CD and admittedly pulls it off, see `Success'. In another surprise move Jay-Z shows love to the dirty south by giving Lil' Wayne a guest spot and including two cuts from Bigg D and DJ Toomp. The latter is responsible for beat on my favourite song `Say Hello'

Overall, this is another classic CD from Jay-Z (That makes it 4 by my count). He seems to be able to produce his best every time his back is against the wall.

Although a countless amount of reviewers have been calling this the second coming of Reasonable Doubt, I'd prefer to think of American Gangster as its own album. Sure, they share more than a few resemblances to each other - a mafioso theme being the major one - but American Gangster deserves to be viewed as it's own record, especially since it's such a creative effort.

Lyrically, this is not Jigga's best effort - but he did an excellent job of trying to keep it mainstream friendly while appealing to the hardcore hip-hop fans at the same time. Most of the lyrics are entertaining enough though, and the entire idea - a concept album based off the smash hit movie of the same title - makes it feel very fresh compared to the rest of his catalog.

The real star of the show is in the superb production. Having a mafioso theme (though different from 'Reasonable Doubt', as this one feels produced to perfection compared to the more raw feel of Jay-Z's classic debut). American Gangster also frequently samples from old-school soul artists, although it either works well ('Party Life') or it doesn't ('Fallin'').

Although 'American Gangster' is definitely not Jay-Z's greatest release to date, it does prove that Jay-Z is still relevant to the rap game. Who would have thought that a mainstream hip-hop album in this day and age could be of quality this high?

Standout tracks: 'Party Life', 'Sweet', and 'Ignorant ****(featuring Beanie Sigel).'

It's Jay, fo I really need to elaborate. It's Jay, best to ever do it, second to nobody.

Jay-Z with a real soulful album takin back to that blueprint, reasonable doubt sound. Fallin, Ignorant sht and Blue Magic are my favorite tracks.

It's amazing how this album has received an overall 4.5-star rating on Amazon when obviously this album is the epitome of lackluster. This album is chock-full of "skippable" songs and it disgusts me how certain rappers get automatic points on the strength of their name alone whereas other rappers receive automatic deductions based simply on their region of origin or because they don't have that "brand name" recognition. This album is not great, it's good and it's barely even that.

Infamous rapper Jay-z returns with American Gangster which is based on the Denzel Washington film of the same name. Jay-z has slippery and menacing motives for making American Gangster: he's confessed he was IMPRESSED with the Denzel character in American Gangster because, as Jay-z rationalizes, a black guy's never ascended that "high" in a movie before. To recap, the Denzel character's a villainous devil who was a heroin kingpin who smuggled the drug into the US on returning American military planes during Vietnam!!!! Subhumans don't get much lower than the Denzel character, yet to Jay-z, this apparently is flattering for black portrayals in films; as a Caucasian, this offended my bleeding-heart sensibilities to the bone.

I must proudly declare that Bill O'Reilly's my unquestioned guru when it comes to determining which rapper I consider vile, merely degenerate or barely palatable!!!! If you've watched his informative Factor program--and who as a rap fan hasn't?--you know O'Reilly's scorn of late was reserved for Nas because of his sadistic insensitivity to the parents and students of Virginia Tech. Therefore, I actually wasted money on this Jay-z album hoping he wouldn't be another Nas (defined as someone who preaches violence, anti-police venom, profanity and maltreatment of women in his anti-social toxicity disguised as music).

However and morosely, after buying American Gangster and hoping for a rapper who didn't disparage blacks and women or abuse profanity, I must sentence Jay-z as being as bad if not worse than some of the most infamous, foul-mouthed rappers like Naz and Fiddy Cent. This is based on an impartial, independent, and fair and balanced analysis of Jay-z's lyricizing on American Gangster.

The moral relativists who comprise the critics of the entertainment world have wickedly praised Jay-z's album as not glorifying the Frank Lucas story but rather only "exploring" the lure of a gangster's life...BS!!!! Jay-z's lyrics clearly fete the gangster lifestyle since in the context of his lyrics, he's usually "rapping" about all the materialistic appreciation and power a dealer acquires. To the average teen or young man listener, this sounds tempting, not dissuasive, and Jay-z could've and should've included cautionary tales of consequence in his "songs" (such as the fact that dealers end up dead or in prison), or straightforward warnings against such behavior if he was serious about not glorifying the drug dealer/criminal lifestyle.

I base my condemnation of Jay-z on the content and lyrics of just his introduction where he abuses the word ni**er TEN TIMES!!!! Like all violent and depraved rappers, Jay-z uses such inflammatory slurs with liberal abandon and--here's the worst trespass--without ANY RELATION TO THE GIST OF his little rap song. To get the "message" of his introduction out (still don't know what it is due to his illiterate "grammar"), Jay-z surely could've banished the word ni**er. If a white man would "create" a "song" like this, he'd be lynched by Sharpton, Jackson, the ACLU, college professors and the NAACP. I find it very despairing that no one in the black community, or the reviewers here, protests against this self-destructive abuse of slurs.

Moving right along, the poetically titled "Ignorant S*it" has no purpose other than to be purely destructive. The "song" glorifies gang-banging by explicitly describing blacks murdering other blacks (whom he always refers to as ni**ers), celebrates drug-dealing by intimating about details of a drug deal, and glorifies explicit sex by using terms such as c*m, spreading legs, and giving head. Women in this song are referred to as h*es and bit*hes, and the swearing is virulently off the charts: the chorus consists of nothing but "fu*k" or "s*it!!!!"

Yet another equally infamous "song" is "Say Hello." This showpiece of healthy and intelligent social commentary actually encourages already wayward, black disaffection by brainwashing blacks to think they have it so hard, using all kinds of class warfare cliches!!!! He then abuses excuses like poverty et al to justify crime and gang-banging. At the end, Jay-z even has the nerve to aggressively defy people who want rappers like him to stop using the words ni**er and bit*h, instead extorting that he'll only desist if blacks get more handouts or politically correct misconceptions of social "justice."

I'll only cover the aforementioned, three songs to spare the decent reader from being bombarded with the low-minded foulness that infests Jay-z's album; the intelligent reviewer will deduce that the content of these three songs is widespread on American Gangster.

The sacrilege to our society is when American Gangster debuted in early November, it actually did so at number one, total validation of the conviction that our society's ill!!!! Consolidating the unwholesomeness that I've exposed, this album also has the usual flaws of rap: illiterate attempts at grammar, ebonics all over the place, and a reinforcement of slanderous, black stereotypes!!!! I order people who are contemplating purchasing this baseness to perish the thought; if you misguidedly assume this "music's" worthy, I'll pray for you in church on Sundays.

if you love Jay Z, check out his homie Devin the Dude Smoke Sessions, Vol. 1- track 3 getting high is something to smoke to - whoah - this is the first album since Rapalot Days and the first album of Devin's to hit the Billboard Charts - Congrats.......and congrats to the newly married husband and wife team

If you are feeling this ALBUM then check out Smoke Sessions, Vol. 1 - Devin the Dude it is off tha Chayne his whole album is bangin Agreed with other reviewer Devin is HOT!!!!

If you like American Gangster then you will LOVE.. Smoke Sessions by Devin the Dude. This is one of the best of 2008.

True Jay Z fans are gonna love this - should also check out the mixtape version International Gangsta - if ur a fan also check out Devin the Dude, Smoke Sessions Vol 1, jus hit billboard first time for Devin and first album since leaving Rapalot.

This concept album is loaded with good songs that showcase Jay-Z sill at the top of his game. If you want to hear three amazing verses laid down with a distinct purpose, listen to "Ignorant Sh**." Jay-Z just kills on that song. You don't get that kind of performance anywhere else. "Roc Boys" might have been the best rap song of 2007, combining the horns and Jay's talents. "I Know" is a soulful song that proves once again that Pharrell and Jay make a great combination. "Pray," which features Beyonce and a haunting beat, is another good effort. And the Marvin Gaye sample in "American Dreamin" makes that song a great listen.

There is a little bit of dead weight on the CD, but not much. A very fine CD by the king of the rap game.

He just gets better with age. I absolutely love this CD. The greatest thing about it is its versatility. You can listen to it to chill out in your car, in the bedroom, or at a party. You won't be disappointed!

I really dont even know why im even doing this review because i think people should already know just by looking at the album cover that if its JAY-Z aka "THE BOSS" its oviously 100% going to be a HISTORICAL item that you just NEED to have.So what are you waiting for;go on and get the cd of the living LEGAND.

Jay-Z's (A.K.A. Sean Carter) tenth album (first concept album) is "American Gangster" (2007) a thirteen track release (+ 2 Bonus) which features guest appearances from Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne & Nas. Production comes from Chris Flame, Idris "Driis" Elba, Diddy, LV & Sean C for The Hitmen, Mario Winans, Bigg D, The Neptunes, Just Blaze, DJ Toomp, No I.D., Jermaine Dupri, & Just Blaze. I enjoyed the movie, thought everyone did a good job and it was interesting to see music artist's like Common, T.I., Anthony Hamilton & RZA playing small roles. People reading this review should know that in in recent year's I have become tired of a lot of Jay-Z's music, maybe to much overexposure, to much montonous (uninspired) lyrics or to many retirements. I still have Reasonable Doubt in my collection though, and over the year's have enjoyed some of Hov's contributions to the Rap Game. After the intro Jay-Z gets things going on "Pray" backed by some tight production from Diddy, LV & Sean C, and additional vocals from Beyonce & Cherri Dennis. Next up is "American Dreamin" which samples Marvin Gaye's "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again" and features additional backgrounds from Keon Bryce - Gaye's vocals are outstanding as always. "Hello Brooklyn 2.0." is an average track featuring Lil Wayne. "No Hook" opens with Denzel Washington dialogue from the movie, and has Hov talking about what it was like growing up and his parents. Jay-Z then drops a mediocre track to represent the "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)...", the now second single features background vocals from Kayne West, Beyonce & Cassie. "Sweet" never really gets off the ground, while third single "I Know" is one of the most laidback track's on this release, Jay-Z rhymes about a special woman backed by some production from the Neptunes and background vocals from Pharell. Hov continues to talk to the ladies on "Party Life", then rhymes over the first of two Just Blaze contributions "Ignorant ****" Feat. Beanie Sigel. DJ Toomp "Say Hello" follows, this track was also remixed by rapper Fabulous. Nas & Jay-Z team up for another collaboration on "Success" with Nas dropping in at the end of the cut. No I.D./Jermaine Dupri produced "Fallin" is a track that bumps, Bilal provides some background vocals in a track which uses a sample of The Dramatic's of "Fell For You". The album's first single is the solid Neptunes produced "Blue Magic". My favourite track on this release is the closer and title track "American Gangster", Just Blaze samples Curtis Mayfield's "Short Eyes" which Jay-Z rhymes with confidence over some upbeat production. Stellar production can be found throughout this release, it is nice to see today's producer's bringing back another era of music and integrating it with their own, I enjoy the past sampling from artists like Marvin Gaye, The Dramatics & Curtis Mayfield. Jay-Z generally holds his own on this release though it an all to familiar routine for this reviewer. That said dedicated Hov fan's will throughly enjoy "American Gangster". 3.5.

BOTTOM LINE:

Not his best; not his worst. Fits right in the middle of his incredible catalogue - which is STILL hotter than 90% of other rappers. Can't really go wrong with Jigga.

I wish I was Jay Z! Amazing album, I love every song...except Hello Brooklyn. I am a little Wayne fan, but uh nope just didn't fell that song, except the part about Jay Z naming his daughter Brooklyn Carter, I loved it when he said that.

In my opinion, Jay-Z is one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. I have every album of his except Kingdom come. I was a little skeptical about his come back but he really stepped it up with this album. His clever lyrics draw you into the 80's world of drugs, money, and the fast life it brings you. If you take the time to listen to the lyrics and not just the beat, you'll find that the album is intelligent and proves that Jay-Z is a lyricists not just a rapper. Only Jay-Z can write a song about Heroine and you feel what the fiend is going through with their addiction. Best songs on the album are: Fallen, Party Life, American Dreaming, Say Hello and I Know. He has mastered his skill and I will be a fan for life.

"Blue Magic" & America Dreaming" "No Hooks" "I Know" 'Say Hello" Is Whats Up On The Sound Track. The Rest Of The Songs Are Pretty Cool Too. Keep Doing Yo Thang Jigga!!!!!

Jay-Z Album Review: AMERICAN GANGSTER
By Benz0


"On that Diamonds remix I swore I spazzzed but then my Big Brother (Jay-Z) came through and kicked my a$$....My Big Brother is who I always tried to be" - Kanye West - "Big Brother".

So Kanye West and 50 Cent got all the hype this year. But quiet as it's kept T.I.'s album is so far the best album of the year. But hold up. When the hell did Jay-Z drop? I ain't even know dude was coming back out to tell you the truth. When we last left Jay-Z, Benz0 was commenting on how he didn't know if Jay-Z's comeback album KINGDOME COME was the last breath of a dying man or the first few breaths of a resuscitated man rising from the shadows of death. Lo and behold this dude Hov is hard-headed and he done dropped again with ZERO hype and fanfare. Had my manz Princeton not text messaged me I wouldn't even have had a clue dude was out. I finally did see an advertisement on the TNT halftime NBA show but seriously...No major buzz at all preceded the drop of this album. So you know Benz0 was mad skeptical after he had to bash Hova's last album despite Hova being the best rapper to ever live in Benz0's eyes. But come wack and I'm gonna tell the people the truth and I had to let the public know that Jay'z last comeback album was mostly B.S. Interestingly enough I compared Jay-Z's last comeback album to Michael Jordan's 2nd comeback to the NBA with the Washington Wizards. A comeback that would see a fatter Jordan sitting mostly on the bench icing those old knees instead of dazzling us with 50 point plus works of art. But remember Michael Jordan came back out of retirement the first time and was a bit rusty the first year but the following year he would win 3 more championships back to back to back. So could it be that Jay-Z was also just a little "rusty" during the first year of his comeback attempt? Well after a superb cameo on Nas' 2006 album on the song "Black Republican" you could see that the "rust" was starting to disappear and the best rapper not named Tupac or Biggie was headed back towards the top of his game. But doing good on a cameo is one thing. What about carrying an entire album? Well my friends I'm happy to report that Jay's comeback from retirement is starting to parallel Jordan's FIRST comeback and not Jordan's 2nd comeback. Specifically this 2nd offering, AMERICAN GANGSTER, since Jay-Z un-retired is CHAMPIONSHIP MATERIAL. As unlikely as it seems this dude has crafted a masterpiece OUT OF NO WHERE. On Jay's BLACK ALBUM he mentioned "Truth be told I'd rather rap like Common Sense, But I sold 5 Million and I ain't been rhyming like Common Since..". See the truth is Jay-Z was CARRYING his whole record label on his shoulders and thus was forced to focus on putting out songs that would satisfy the simple minded masses that mostly represent the group of people that buy rap. Deep down inside he was suffering as he knew that the cookie cutter club songs were a far cry from the artistic hiphop of the GOLDEN AGE that happened in the late 80's and early to mid 90's. Jay-Z HAS ALWAYS been a disciple of old school rap where lyrics really mattered and artistic integrity was akin to the code of the ancient Japanese samurai. Well now that Jay's made his millions he felt he could then retire "Jay-Z" and introduce the world to "Sean Carter". Sean Carter represents Jay-Z's true soul. His true passions. His true dreams. Jay envisioned being able to come out with an album that was more about artistry than an album crafted strictly for club play and record sales. Well now he's gone and done just that this time around as he shelves the mindless club bangers and gives us an album 100% devoted to Sean Carter's desires of artistic freedom and the results are BREATHTAKING!!!

So what made Jay-Z the "Big Brother" that Kanye West always wanted to emulate? It's Jay's penchant to be great at every aspect of hiphop. You want club bangers? Jay gave us them with little effort. You want Tupac like emotion and sincerity? He bared his soul on every album though not as much as he would have liked. You want old school raw battle lyrics? Yeah he definitely covered that every time out. But perhaps his greatest talent was his ability to paint us vivid pictures through his lyrics to the point where you felt you were right there as the main character in his story. On this album Jay is up to his old tricks as he paints us more pictures on "Pray", "American Dreamin'", and "Fallin". "Pray" is classic Jay as he basically raps a "motion picture" for us in like three verses as a young Sean Carter goes from being a little boy who girls said was "too small" to one of the most feared and ruthless drug dealers in the game trapped in a life of hedonism and materialism. Peep the genius: "Mindstate from a gangsta from the 40's, meet the business mind of Motown's Barry Gordy, turned crack rock into a chain of 40/40's..America meet the gangsta Sean Corey, Close your eyes and you can pretend you're me, This is the genesis of a NEMESIS, Mother America is not witnessing it, The Harlem Renaissance birthed black businesses, this is the tale of lost innocence...as the incense burns and turntables turn and that Al Green plays, I see my mother's afro, as Mama taps her toes as she rolls her J's (joints), and my papa just left the house in search of the killer of my Uncle Ray, and she's trying to calm my nerves as I observe this is just ONE DAY..and what tomorrow has in store we just can't be sure so all we can do is just PRAY....". I mean this dude has literally set up the intro to a motion picture in a few words. All I can say is Jesus H Christ, the King is back. Big Brother was just showing off on this one. Flowing almost seamlessly after "Pray" is "American Dreamin" that takes things back to the soulful Marvin Gaye days that finds Jay reclining in his "lazy boy" in a haze of smoke reflecting on his dreams and aspirations. The sulky smooth track is to "die for". Seriously. That phrase is about the only way I can explain the smoothness of the track. This song hits you harder than any club banger out there. But now we came to the payoff. Trumping almost any song on the album is "Fallin". This song is one of the best songs Jay has EVER made in his life. First of all yes the track is a headbanger. But people people people. What makes Jay one of the best rappers to ever live is his LYRICS. His ability to paint street life with a few broad strokes of his tongue. Once again I gotta let y'all peep more lyrics from the lyrical street genius known as Jay Hova: "I said when I got to one brick then the GAME I would depart, but got to one brick and then I looked to the sky, Like sorry God but give me just one more try, got to TWO bricks, NEW CARS NEW WHIPS!, but nig$^z never learn till they wind up in the NEWS clips, THE IRONY OF SELLING DRUGS IS THAT IT'S SORT OF LIKE YOU'RE USING IT, GUESS IT'S TWO SIDES TO WHAT SUBSTANCE ABUSE IS....CAN'T STOP, won't stop ADDICTED to this new s$$$, BRAND NEW CONVERTIBLES..I'm so ruthless!!!..". OK STOP....stop stop stop stop........Please reread that line and ask yourself. Who the F%$# can paint such a vivid street picture so effortlessly? JESUS H CHRIST!!!...Game, set, match man. All those phone calls you hear are the young wannabe street lyricists trying to hire a hit man to take that old a$$ man Jay-Z out cause he's putting too much artistry into street anarchy. Hands down "Fallin" is one of the best songs Jay-Z has EVER made. Last but not least is "No Hook". A song I could display at least 3 more entire verses of that exhibit great picture painting but I think y'all got the point "Leave that boy Hov alone why don't cha?, You don't have to if you don't want to, but don't say I didn't warn ya....Oh...AND I DON'T NEED NO HOOK FOR THIS S^%$!!!!!...".

So yeah Jay painting us them GRIZZLY, GORY, DISTURBIN', masterpiece pictures but y'all old school heads wonder if he's gonna give us more of them raw uncut lyrical offerings. Have no fear. Just skip to "Ignorant S&^$" and you'll see Jay and Beanie Siegel "spazzing out" as they put the haters in their place. Call it a 2007 "Cuss Words" as Jay-Z brings Too Short back to life with a classic chorus: "This is that ignorant s%^$ you like, N$%$#a, F%$#, S&^%, A$$, B&^%$^, S&^%$,..."....Well the chorus kind of speaks for itself....."Cuss words just let `em roll..." (Big up to Too Short!!..Hiphop Hall of Fame Member). Jay gives it to the critics on this song PERFECTLY as at the end of this song he points out what I constantly bring up to the "holier than though" Quentin Tarantino type fans who bash gangsta rappers. That point is that WAY MORE DAMAGE TO KIDS' PSYCHE IS DONE THROUGH THE VISUAL (MOVIES) THAN IN MUSIC. As a former drug dealer, Jay sums it up best with this verse "SCARFACE THE MOVIE DID WAY MORE TO ME THAN SCARFACE THE RAPPER DID TO ME SO LET'S STOP THE BULLS%$^^ING...TILL WE ALL WITHOUT SIN LET'S QUIT THE PULPITTING..". As great as that song is it can't hold a candle to the Pharell collaboration on "Blue Magic". P hits dude up with one of his sickest tracks ever. Once again I gotta let Jay's lyrics do the talking "Can't you tell that I came from the dope game?, Blame Reagan for making me into a MONSTER, Blame Oliver North when I ran CONTRA, I RAN CONTRABAND THAT THEY SPONSORED, before this rhyming stuff we was in concert....". Damn!!! Clipse and Mobb Deep eat your heart out. Y'all my boyz but NO ONE can make crime sound so poetic. They should outlaw Jay's lyrics in like 50 states cause he makes crime sound so good even though he's just reflecting on what he used to do. Thank god music is not as influential as the critics make it out to be or I'd be on the street corner RIGHT F&^%$# NOW!!! Nah just buggin out. Continuing on with Jay's ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIOP is "Say Hello" that has Jay spitting more biting social commentary: "We ain't thugs for the sake of being thugs...We ain't doing crime for the sake of doing crime, We moving dimes CAUSE WE AIN'T DOING FINE, 1 out of 3 of us is locked up doing time, You know what that type of s$$$ can do to a nig%$z mind...Y'all ain't give me my 40 acres and a mule, so I got my Glock 9 now and I'm cool....Tell them I'll remove the curses, if you tell me our schools gonna be perfect, when JENA SIX DON'T EXIST, THAT'S WHEN I'LL STOP SAYING B$$$$...B&^%$#!!!!". Whoa!!!!!! Damn Jay!! You coming back hard!! Say what though? Nas got a cameo on here too? I almost forgot!!! Nas repays the favor that Jay gave him and reps on the album too!! The bases are loaded and the Red Sox are ready to win the World Series and here comes Nas delivering an out of the park homerun on "Success". This song is straight grimy, underground as the beat is something DJ Premiere would make and Jay and Nas just give us that nasty, car grease, toxin filled fluid flow that has Jay having bowel movements on the song and Nas spewing out classic descriptions as he calls himself the "GHETTO ORTHELLO'. Now that's nice Nas!! Capping off the lyrical assault is a masterpiece Jay saved as his last song on the album, "AMERICAN GANGSTER". This song lies to rest any doubt who the best MC in the game is. The only way to describe this song is to just imagine yourself skating while simultaneously holding two AK-47's in your hands and rhyming lyrics that are just tearing your competition a new backside....This song thankfully gives us more of that patented Jay-Z rapid fire flow that defined Jay before people even knew who he was. Thank you Jay for bringing back that rapid-fire flow!!

Now there's TWO things Jay-Z can never leave you without. That's an ode to Brooklyn and of course some smooth s$%^ that even your grandma can vibe to. First let's address two classic smooth joints that Jay now proudly trots out in front of us in lieu of the tired, cookie-cutter club bangers. "I Know" and "Party Life" gets the house party started RIGHT!! "Party Life" is some more Al Green like smoothness that you just sit back and zone out to. "I Know" is the ode to the ladies that you know Jay had to give the ladies as he's an expert at that type of stuff. But don't confuse this for a corny R&B song. This is a soulful artistic offering that EVEN hardcore Benz0 can jam to without feelin' like a sucka. Fueled by a slick mid-tempo beat Jay let's the ladies know what they SHOULD like. Again I'm not against smoothness, Benz0 is all for genuine funkiness that's more than just the cookie-cutter "baby I love you" BS that permeates today's R&B climate. I dig the old school R&B sound. It's the BS new school, "I love you baby", BS with no artistic merit that I'm against. Jay gets it right by using nothing but the smooth O'Jay's type music to be the background of his ode to the ladies. Again Jay can't leave us without an ode to Brooklyn. Kanye West tried to collab with Lil' Wayne on "Barry Bonds" with less than stellar results. Enter Big Brother to get the Lil Wayne Collabo right. "Hello Brooklyn" is PURE GENIUS as Lil Wayne comes off lovely as he sings the chorus like only Lil Wayne can do as Jay brings up the rear with poignant praises to BROOKLYN!!!...The place that made him into one of the best artists of the twenty first century.

This album is EVERYTHING that Kanye West's new album SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Yes Kanye once again showed off his genius on his newest album that contained 4 or 5 songs that were just out of this world but it was INCOMPLETE at best. BIG BROTHER JAY-Z comes in and LITERALLY KICKS KANYE'S A$$ ON THIS ALBUM. It's a NO CONTEST on which album is better and in fact Jay-Z has just given us ALBUM OF THE YEAR hands down. I have not heard an album better than this one in 2007. Sorry T.I. Sorry Kanye. Sorry 50. But Jay-Z has just reminded us of why he's the best rapper not named Tupac or Biggie. Big Brother done came through and kicked EVERYONE'S a$$!!!!!!!!!! Not only that. This album is one of the best he's EVER done. It'll take more than this article for us to debate if this album is his greatest ever but let's just say it's easily one of his top three albums he's EVER made. Even more beautiful is that it came out of nowhere. Usually the best albums are those that come out of no where like E-40's album last year. Thank you Jay for somehow, some way dipping back into more of that `Blue Magic" of yours. The best rapper alive has just served notice....

Benz0: BenzWritings@hotmail.com

This is an amazing album. "Fallin'" in particular stands out as a tremendous, tremendous song. Very highly recommended. I purchased the downloadable version of the album, which loaded perfectly into iTunes.

He will never be the same as he was. The popularity and money has changed this man along with his music. It's not a bad CD but it's not close to being one of his best.

SPEECHLESS! This is an undeniable classic. American Gangster is by far the best album of 2007, hands down. I would say this a great New york City album, and lyrically heavy. In my opinion it is an instant classic.I'm not a big fan of many Hip Hop albums, but this will definitely go down as one of Hip Hop's best. At this point Jay-Z is too advanced for Hip Hop. He plays with words effortlessly on this album, easily solidifying his GOAT status. Listening to this album is just like watching the movie of Jay's life. This truly defines another perspective into the life and times of Shawn Carter. Hov spits some of the illest and profound rhymes up to date. The introduction is great, as it depicts him taking the oath of a gangsta, while pray shows you why. I honestly haven't heard anybody who can say this isn't one of Hov's best work. The song "Pray" is well put together with great insight into the mind of a young man looking into the life of poverty, crime and drugs. Then he takes you into the "American Dreamin" where he begins to fantasize about living the lavish life and taking a risk to achieve his dreams, based on the influence of his peers. The smooth sound of Marvin Gaye sample was incredible. Then continues his rise to the top by handling the price of the game on "No hook". Dealing with his family and hatred, and jealousy of the game. Then theres the height of his success "Roc boys",probably the best Jay-Z single we have heard in years, since H to the Izzo. Jay-Z pretty much murdered this record with a fierce firepower flow. But the album continues to capivate you with "Sweet" which is one of Jay's most creative records, very soulful and lyrically compelling. Then we move into the sexy seductive"I Know" , the soul-groove of Party Life" and Ignorant Sh**T and the gangsta-anthem "Say Hello" . All these heavy-hitting songs are what left me speechless, and I'ma leave it at that. I can't stop playing this album. Theres is so much to say about American Gangster, that you can't possibly say everything. The album speaks for itself. It's self-explanatory. Another great song is the regretful "Fallin" which proves once again that nobody in Hip Hop is on his level lyrically right now. Jay killed this year like it or not, i liked Kanye's album, but Hov smashed the game in 2007. And then the bonus tracks are standout streetbangers "Blue Magic and the title track. This album will soon be debated with his previous classics of Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. This shows the Jay-Z has gained more credible for having the most classic albums than any great emcee. For anybody who wants a classic hip hop album on their shelves, this album is for you, fan or not. Jigga proves that in the Hip Hop game, the Jordan Sydrome doesn't exist.

My son asked for this CD for christmas. I do not care for hip hop but my son loves it and really likes this CD. If you or someone you know likes hip hop/rap then you will like this CD.

Jay-Z's companion CD to the 2007 theatrical hit 'American Gangster' can only be described as surpising. Coming off mediocre success from his post-retirement album 'Kingdom Come,' the rap mogul captures some of his earlier flare in this new album, with several up-beat hits that keep you listening again and again.

With commerical hits such as 'Blue Magic' and 'Roc Boys,' Hova adds some other catchy tracks like 'I Know,' 'Say Hello,' and 'American Gangster' which are definitely worth the price of the album. Bottom line..... Jay-Z is back!

This CD is fresh ta def!!! I play this in the shower on my way to work and it gets me hyped!I would have given it 5 stars but I still think the Black Album was better.

My Faves
1. Hello
2. Ingnorant Sh**
3. Party Life
4. Roc Boys
5. Blue Magic

Jay-Z really stepped it up with this one. He sounds like he did on Reasonable Doubt

Sorry Jay-Z but this album is weak. I love Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint & The Black Album but now the bad are outweighing the good. I thought Kingdom Come was a slump to be recovered from, but I guess not. Being that Jay-Z was one of my favorite artist it's hard to type this but it needs to be said "retirement might have been a good idea".

As much as I love the album, to me, it would be the perfect story if Hello Brooklyn and Ignorant **** were bonus tracks at the end of the album. I've actually changed it to play like this on my iPod. The rest of the songs flow together like nothing I've ever heard. Brilliance!

Lyrically, Jay-Z is still untouchable. He probably always will be. BTW, I saw Jay-Z in Baltimore in November. If you've never been to a Jay-Z concert, I feel sorry for you. Your life is incomplete. ;)

Top Tracks:

Pray
American Dreamin
No Hook
Roc Boys
I Know
**PARTY LIFE** (My FAV!)
Success
Fallin'

oh man, here we go again a rapper who can't help but to identify his roots with gangster culture...wow. (Are you surprised?) Not wholly original considering he is probably one of a hundred other hip hop artists who were inspired by the same gang life. Common give me a break...your not a gangster and your certainly not living the gang life when your sitting on millions and own probably a quarter of the New Jersey Nets franchise. To be honest, who really cares if Jay Z was emotionally touched by American Gangster, so what?? I'm so tired of hip hip artists trying to be so hard by saying there "gangsters" or they live for the mob or the gang life because they wear a fitted hat and sold a couple of drugs in a economically challenged neighborhood. In reality, more than half of all the hip hop artists could not be successful in organized crime. They are just too retarded and selfish for their own greed. Everyone just copies and copies, nothing is original in hip/hop its just a matter of who's more gangster and who's more retarded. I mean when I see Jay z in like a 20 thousand dollar suit with a Cuban cigar hanging out his enormous lips and a ridiculous NY fitted..wow what a poser. I am sorry you guys are not convincing...just straight retarded...