The Bottom Line on American Gangster (contd...)
Honestly, the few missteps do little to bug down the album as a whole. The concept, however, flutters every now and then. Jay finds himself occasionally distracted -- though genuinely concerned -- by issues that have nary a thing to do with American Gangster. For instance, "Ignorant Sh*t" is remarkable until Jay veers off topic at the end: "I missed the part when it stopped being 'bout Imus...Are you saying that what I'm spittin' is worse than these 'celebutantes' showing they kitten?"
Still, he sounds more compelling on American Gangster than he did on last year's Kingdom Come, which, in hindsight, wasn't as creatively tepid as it was made out to be.
Jay has always distinguished himself from the bevy of trap rappers by steering away from direct glorification of drug dealing. Instead, he evaluates its causes, blessings, and perils. He has enough heart to identify with the struggle of others, but enough intelligence to recognize that a drug dealer's lifestyle is transient. He was smart enough to have traded in his old hustle for a legit hustle. He just thought he'd remind us...
Top Tracks:
- "American Dreamin'"
- "Roc Boys"
- "Fallin'" (ft. Bilal)
- "Success" (ft. Nas)
