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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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by morgan henley freefunk322@aol.com
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3 stars out of 5
Artist: Jay-Z
Title: Kingdom Come
Release Date: 11.21.2006
Label: Roc-a-Fella
With eight previous albums, Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come is exactly what a ninth album would be. No reinventing of Jay-Z’s sound or style, Kingdom Come is a solid addition to anyone’s Jay-Z collection. It’s got a Kayne West inspired sound to it, which is ironic considering Jay-Z was already a staple in hip hop music when West was still far from a household name.
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After taking some time off from his last release, The Black Album, in 2003, Jay-Z has become quite the philanthropist in a clean water project for the United Nations. He also became CEO of the major corporation, Def Jam. His humanitarian multi millionaire position makes his lyrics more meaningful and evocative. Compared to the majority of rap albums out in the popular music spectrum, Jay-Z will miss some by not relying on the crunk themed lyrics.
His new humanitarian position is most obviously seen in his song, ‘Minority Report’ featuring Ne-Yo. Jay-Z’s position on the current state of American affairs is clearly stated in this commentary on Hurricane Katrina. It’s almost a little too vengeful; its political message stands strong. Mixing politics with hip hop, he mentions names like Nelson Mandela and George Bush.
The duet with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, “Beach Chair” is a pleasant contrast between the two artists. The chorus supplied by Martin is a nice harmony next to Jay-Z’s rough voice. The duet with girlfriend, Beyonce, ‘Hollywood’ isn’t nearly as good as their previous track, ‘Crazy in Love’, a gripe about the tantalizing world of the show biz. Their different sounds compliment each other.
The album’s first single, “Show Me What You Got” has gotten some radio play. It’s got a catchy beat and is very similar to many of Jay-Z’s earlier works. A few of the tracks have single potential, but I doubt we’ll see many. There are no big club hits, rap anthems, or memorable pop songs.
A few of the songs sound like they could have come straight off a Kayne West album such as ‘Lost Ones’ with Chrisette Michelle, or ‘I Made It’, a tribute to the rapper’s mother. Somewhat disappointing to any of Jay-Z’s previous work, this eclectic-West style isn’t true to what we’ve come to respect from him.
His track, ‘30 Something’ is a great reminder that Jay-Z isn’t in his prime anymore. It’s about his experience and reminds everyone that “30’s the new 20, I’m so hot still”. He isn’t really convincing anyone that he has ‘aged to perfection’. Unfortunately, Jay-Z and his music are no longer anything new or special. We’ve heard it before and we’ve heard it better before.
Kingdom Come probably won’t appeal to many but Jay-Z fans, and maybe the light rap connoisseur. For a true hip hop fan, they might fare better with Nas’ new release Hip Hop is Dead. Kingdom Come lacks the true street or thug credentials, or the radio friendly universal rap appeal. The lack of Kingdom Come’s radio popularity will probably come from lack of catchy trademark terms or dances that many of the new young one-hit rappers fill their songs with.
Sadly, even though Kingdom Come does not come with a dance to show off to all of your friends, it does provide pretty good for driving or just hanging out. Not too many systems will get blown out blaring such tracks as ‘Beach Chair’ or ‘Hollywood’, but they will suffice for averagely good hip hop.
I’d advise to check the album out on i-Tunes, and listen to a few of the tracks and make sure this addition to your music library will prove beneficial.
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