Bernell DorroughJay-Z
The Black Album
Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records
For fans of: the Notorious B.I.G. and Beani Sigel
Grade: A
Final Word: A seriously dope ending to a historic career.
Master P retired, then came back to pimp out his son for a few more album scans. Too $hort retired, then came back basically out of boredom. Jay-Z says he will retire after “The Black Album,” but based on rap precedents, should we believe him?
This album, his ninth, has a sense of closure. On “Encore,” he calls it a “victory lap;” indeed, the album does come off as a celebratory recap of his career. From the early hustling days of his first album, we get a banger from 9th Wonder, “Threat.” In the style of “Big Pimpin,” Timbaland laces “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and Jigga spits smooth. Roc-A-Fella labelmates Kanye West and Just Blaze put in work on more than a few tracks, recalling the recent release “Blueprint” and it’s sequel.
Even though his lyrics sometimes lapse into the same old street dreams, like Jay-Z’s career, everything on “The Black Album” is at least worth checking a few times. Even “Justify My Thug,” despite mercilessly ripping off Madonna for the hook, has some of the best rhymes on the album. At times, “The Black Album” even seems to recap hip-hop up to the current date. Super old school producer Rick Rubin (best known for work on early Run-DMC albums) hooks up “99 Problems” and Jay-Z rips it front to back, going over problems legal and social. And he gets extra props for name checking Common and Talib Kweli on “Moment of Clarity,” almost as if to pass on the torch.
The inclusion of a beat by 9th Wonder, who runs with indie-rap favorites Little Brother, is an unexpected nod to the underground. Perhaps the only down side to this solid album is his exclusion of DJ Premier and Ski, two producers responsible for a number of his classics, and whose contributions were greatly anticipated by legions of rap nerds.
There is no question the “The Black Album” is very good, on par with his classic debut, “Reasonable Doubt” or “The Blueprint,” which earned a prestigous five-mic rating in The Source magazine. Rather than fading away like Emmitt Smith, Shawn Carter has chosen to go out on top, with Beyonce Knowles on his right arm and his own line of Reeboks on his feet.