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Jay-Z - The Black Album
Reviewed By: NOTORIOUS
Album Rate: 4.75 out of 5 Stars



Jay-Z returns with his last album, the much anticipated "Black Album." While his legacy is already cemented in the eyes of hip hop fans worldwide, Jay-Z wants to go against all norms by having no guest appearances. Will this indeed be his last album? Hip hop fans hope not.

1. Interlude - Basic introduction with production by Just Blaze. This one sets it all up for this historic album.

2. December 4 - This track features a guest appearance by Jay-Z's mom. Once again, Just Blaze laces the joint. This track is nothing but lyricism and shows why Jay-Z is one of the most respected emcees . . . ever.

3. What More Can I Say - One thing I can say about this track is - whoa. This is one tight ass track. Rookie producers, The Buchanans, kill the beat. Too lazy to make up shit/They crazy/They don't paint pictures/They just trace me . . . spits Jay taking all the biters. This is one tight ass song. I hope this becomes a single.

4. Encore - Pretty tight song with a beat that you would kinda expect Outkast to flow over. Very lounge act-sounding. Nonetheless, the song fits pretty well after "What More Can I Say."

5. Change Clothes - Let's see . . . the Neptunes produced it so . . . uh, let's make it the first single. The Neptunes sound is starting to sound a little stale to me so I'm just not feeling this one but you do have to put a single out there for the masses to cop the album.

6. Dirt Off Your Shoulder - First off, Timbaland produced this. I know he is as saturated as the Neptunes but this track is finely crafted for the Jay-Z flow. Another club and street banger under Jay-Z's belt. This song is straight fire. I already know this beat is gonna get jacked and put on mixtapes coast to coast. Once again . . . straight fire.

7. Threat - This track contains a sample of R. Kelly's "A Woman's Threat." This track also is tight as hell. You've just to hear the track. It's very good. 9th Wonder of North Carolina's up-and-coming rap group Little Brother produced it, and he should be praised.

8. A Moment Of Clarity - This track was produced by Eminem. First off, Em shows some growth on this beat. He perfectly molded this one for Hova. If skills sold/Truth be told/I'd probably be - lyrically - Talib Kweli/Truthfully, I want to rhyme like Common Sense/But I did 5 mil/And I haven't been rappin' like Common since . . . - I'm gonna say that's one of the greatest bars I've ever heard. This song is just tight. Great effort from Jay and Em.

9. 99 Problems - This track was produced by Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin. The beat has a rock type feel to it which is what Rubin has mostly been involved with in his career. With that being said, the song is pretty cool. 99 problems but a bitch ain't one . . . - Hell of a hook. Pretty good track.

10. Public Service Announcement (Interlude) - Jay lets people know his history for those who already didn't know. All the struggles, the hustling, everything. If you didn't know his biographical info already, listen to this track. Pretty tight song.

11. Justify My Thug - This song samples Madonna's "Justify My Love" and Jay actually was gonna have her sing the vocals for this track but time conflicts prevented that. Producer and left coast emcee DJ Quik laced this joint. I'm not a big fan of samples like this one so I'm not feeling it too much. Lyrics - tight. Beat - tight. Hook - not so much . . .

12. Lucifer - If you've heard any Kanye West beats, you will immediately know that he produced this one. Some peeps may be tired of his beats and the way he uses samples on his beats but I am feeling this one. Not too much to say about this one except Jay is flowing as you'd expect.

13. Allure - Neptunes make their second and thankfully last appearance on The Black Album. Even by Neptunes standards, this beat is wack. Hova can't even save this one. Needless to say, not feeling it at all.

14. My 1st Song - Hova's flowing like he's got Twista on the track too and he's trying to hold his own with the Tung Twista. There are, of course, no guest appearances so the flow is bringing back to, as the title says - his first song. Some may be surprised that when Jay was coming up, he did tongue twist in the same style made famous by Twista, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and Do Or Die. Pretty tight ass song in my opinion. Nice way to wrap up another classic.

If this is indeed Jay-Z's final album, he did it right. Great idea to not have guest appearances on it. In the day and age when all rap albums have numerous guest appearances, it is refreshing to see a big time hip hop star to have none. By not having any guest appearances, Jay shows his true prowess on the mic because when it's all said and done - success or failure - it's all on his back. Something tells me he wouldn't have had it any other way. This one will go down as a classic, peoples . . . a CLASSIC but I cannot give it my highest rating because of those two Neptunes produced tracks. They've worked for Hova in the past, but on this album, they did not. All things considered, it was still a super super effort by all those involved. Needless to say, I recommend this to all true hip hop fans.