Well it’s finally here. In an inevitable move, longtime label-mates and hip-hop icons Jay-Z and Kanye West have teamed up for what has to be the biggest album to drop in the history of Props Over Here. I’m particularly excited to hear this album, not for the obvious reason of two great artists collaborating, but because I have no fucking clue what this is going to be like. Everything about this album, let alone the music itself, has been kept under wraps to this point more so than any other album that I can remember. Not only that but, while I love their bodies of work, neither Jay-Z nor Kanye have made anything that I’ve really liked since 2008 (American Gangster and Graduation), so I generally don’t know what to expect from these guys in 2011. So the time has come, is this album the next Blueprint or the next, well, Blueprint 3?
1. No Church In The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean)
The intro hits hard but I think Kanye was a little over-ambitious on this one. This would have been just fine without ten different synthesizers and Frank Ocean’s long, auto-tune chorus. I’d have to say the rapping was the highlight here, with Hov and Kanye both dropping a monster verse.
2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyonce)
I don’t even know what the fuck this is. I know that Jay-Z and especially Kanye are looking to expand their horizons and make different shit what with their global status, but come on. This is just gay.
3. Ni**as In Paris
It figures that the first track I can really get into is not a Kanye production. Hit-Boy brings a larger-than-life banger and Jay-Z and Yeezy bring some nasty, ballin’ slow raps to compliment it. The outro might have been a bit much.
4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding)
You’ve heard this already so I’ll spare you a review. This shit really grew on me though; to the point where I may have to take back my tweet about Masta Killa’s “D.T.D.” being a better version of this. If Ghostface was on this though...
5. Gotta Have It
Another banger, this one with the help of Pharrell, though I thought it was RZA to be honest. It might just be my love of ignorant raps, but Kanye’s whole “racks on maybachs” thing was the most entertaining moment of this album so far. They’re even able to pull of the old Run DMC back-to-back rapping thing. I might have to revise my list of the top duos after this.
6. New Day
Speaking of The RZA, this actually was at least co-produced by him but sounds decidedly more like Dr. Dre. This one is very emotional and serious; Jay-Z and Ye read letters to their unborn children and what not. It’s sad that I’d rather hear Kanye rap about Maybachs than this, but true.
7. That’s My Bitch
Yeezy and Hov spit on-fire raps about pussy over what sounds like a gangsta Salt-N-Peppa track. I mean that in the best way possible, this is funky as shit.
8. Welcome to the Jungle
Not a Guns N’ Roses sample, but Jay-Z spits some pretty brilliant, introspective raps over a guitar sampling heater. Swizz Beatz, who did the track, can be heard saying, “Welcome to the jungle” and occasionally, "God damn it".
9. Who Gon Stop Me
This one samples dub step, or what the fuck ever, which I hate the idea of. I mean some of this was cool but call me out-of-touch, I just don’t think I can get into this.
10. Murder to Excellence
This one starts with a beat that was kind of overdone and full of instruments and a choir and shit then switches up to what sounds like a
College Dropout-era Kanye banger. However, Jay-Z’s raps carry this track in my opinion, with respect to Ye who’s been holding his own on this album.
11. Made In America (Feat. Frank Ocean)
This one goes out to baby Jesus. This was just very awkward and contrived, but I did like Jay-Z’s bit of storytelling about cooking crack in his grandma’s kitchen.
12. Why I Love You (Feat. Mr. Hudson)
Jay-Z's rock ballad/"I'll be the the bigger man" diss record produced by Kanye and what I can only assume are a bunch of Italian DJs. Shots fired at Beanie Sigel, Dame Dash etc. I’m interested to hear the response to this.
13. Illest Motherfucker Alive
Kanye sings about how he needs a slow motion video and then raps about Russell Brand and fashion among other things. Jay-Z then compares himself and Kanye to The Beatles and over-emphasizes how much money he has. I guarantee they will sit front row at the Grammy’s if only because Jay said they will.
14. H.A.M.
The anthemic Lex Luger banger that’s been out since earlier this year. It’s not the best song of all time but it originated or at least popularized the term “ham” plus Mr. West references the legendary Eli Porter. Respect: earned.
15. Primetime
Jay-Z and Kanye both kill it over a great piano sample and hard-hitting drums on one of the best songs in a while. For what it’s worth, Russell Simmons is listed as a producer credit on this.
16. The Joy (Feat. Curtis Mayfield)
Pete Rock blesses big brother and little bro with an extra soulful flip of the old Curtis Mayfield sample which was also used on that Masta Killa album, though I might be the only person who finds that interesting. This was hip-hop as shit, a great way to end the album, or at least the fancy iTunes deluxe version.
Comments: This album was fucking crazy. Some of it was too out there musically for my liking, and some of these songs were totally questionable, but overall I like what they’ve done here. From the musical end, this album had so much variety and, even though I didn’t like every song, the production as a whole was excellent. Added to that, both Jay-Z and Kanye brought their A-game lyrically and displayed impressive chemistry on the mic. You can tell that they really went all out on this album and not even I can hate on that.
Best Songs: “Otis”, “Gotta Have It”, “Ni**as In Paris”, “Murder To Excellence”
