Jay Z - American Gangster (8.25/10)
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01 Intro
02 Pray
03 American Dreamin'
04 Hello Brooklyn 2.0 featuring Lil Wayne
05 No Hook
06 Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)...
07 Sweet
08 I Know (
09 Party Life
10 Ignorant Sh*t featuring Beanie Sigel
11 Say Hello
12 Success featuring Nas
13 Fallin'
9/10: B-Easy / Nappy Afro
Is this album classic? No, there are a few missteps on this album. But the album as a whole works and it’s much better than his last outing. With American Gangster, Jay-Z once again proves he still one of the greatest.
9/10: Martin A. Berrios / All Hip Hop
A conceptual piece based on specific scenes from the movie of the same name, the album [American Gangster] is deceptively one of his best and most personal... There is no definitive radio smash hit present but that’s what keeps the project fresh. Jay goes from running the block to cornering the market without forcing the issue, leaving no need to question his G file.
9/10: Nathan S. / DJ Booth
With the release of American Gangster Jay-Z is on a mission to prove he’s still the best rapper alive. He succeeds. The album has the kind of intensity and craftsmanship we haven’t seen from Jay in years, maybe ever.
8.6/10: Tom Breihan / Pitchfork Media
Musically, American Gangster is lush and spacious. The sampled voices of Al Green and Marvin Gaye float through the record like ghosts of Jay's past, sweetly offering encouragement like benevolent angels. Jay's handpicked lineup of producers keep his voice grounded in thick, organic globs of 1970s soul.
8.5/10 (B+): Neil Drumming / Entertainment Weekly
There are also sparse, programmed beats from the Neptunes and lesser-knowns like No I.D., with Jay-Z fixing his flow accordingly. What unites the collection more than a specific sound is a narrative arc... ultimately, Jay-Z fends off disillusionment and knuckleheaded usurpers, only to emerge cockier than ever on the next track.
8/10: Nathan Ley / The Daily Iowan
Critics bashed his first break from retirement (Kingdom Come) for being too soft or more about his wealth and fame than his struggle. With this album, he returns to his roots, filling in gaps about his father, money laundering, and how he feels about the success.
8/10: Mike Schiller / Pop Matters
What American Gangster truly gives us is Jay-Z through and through. Sure he’s a gangster, but mostly he’s a human being with loves and likes and pet peeves and needs and a natural predilection for camaraderie. It’s superhero music in that Jay’s supremacy is never questioned, but it’s superhero music that insists on showing off more than just that hero’s immense power.
8/10: Samir Siddiqui / Real Talk NY
American Gangster provides a throwback feel in more ways than one, as the album not only maintains a correlation with the 70’s backdrop of the film musically, but also has Jay returning to his lyrical roots, dropping clever gems reminiscent of his immaculate debut set Reasonable Doubt.
8/10: Henry Adaso / About Music
... American Gangster is also a musical reflection of the 70s era. Lush soul samples lay the backdrop for Jay's recitals... Thanks to the potent tracks and instrumentally dense production, American Gangster ranks among Jay's top 5 albums.
8/10: Rob Sheffield / Rolling Stone
[Jay Z] indulges in the dense wordplay that was missing on Kingdom Come: "I need a personal Jesus, I'm in depeche mode/They say it's celestial, it's all in the stars/It's like Tony La Russa on how you play your cards."
8/10: Adam Aziz / Hip Hop Network Live
"American Gangster", the album, came together in about a month's time. The results will more than please fans of Jay-Z's debut album "Reasonable Doubt" but will probably leave "Hard Knock Life" and "Show Me What You Got" fans in the dark... "American Gangster" is challenging, unapologetic, real Hip-Hop from an artist who at this point in his career and life, shouldn't even have the mindset to make it.
7.2/10: Spence D. / IGN Music
In the grand scheme of things American Gangster seems less influenced by Ridley Scott's film than Jay-Z makes it out to be. Sure, there are snippets of dialogue sprinkled throughout, but lyrically Jay is spouting the same old same old, focusing to a great extent on not only how large he is, but how long he's been in the game.
Positive: Bomani Jones / Salon
It's a deviation from what we've come to expect from Jay-Z. It's what hip-hop fans, many of whom hate the paint-by-numbers affair rap music has become -- an affair Jay helped create -- have spent years hoping Jigga would record. And it's certainly worth the wait.
Positive: James Young / BBC
His collaborators’ re-invention of funk-soul and Jay Z's charismatic rapping make ideal bed fellows. As if to prove how strong the concept is it muscles aside two of the toughest tracks, which are made to sit at the back of the class as 'extras'.
Positive: Joe Colly / Radar Online
American Gangster may not achieve the classic status that 1996's Reasonable Doubt or 2000's The Blueprint has garnered, but by piggybacking [Ridley] Scott's mostly lame film and delivering a strong return-to-form, Jay-Z's shrewdly re-etched his massive mug on the hip-hop landscape that's been missing him.
Positive: Stuntin' on Prose
American Gangster is everything that the fans wanted Kingdom Come to be. It’s the greatest rapper of our generation doing what he built his career upon and what he does best; brilliantly allowing us, the listeners, to live the life of a hustler through his rhymes.
Positive: Glenn Gamboa / Newsday
There's a writers' adage that advises, "Show, don't tell," that Jay-Z has taken to heart. In his recent work, he's been concerned about telling everyone how great he is. On "American Gangster," he shows it - crafting not just the likely album of the year, but one that will likely go down as one of hip-hop's greatest.
"Pray" Video
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