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Let's be real here, who really believed Jay-z when he said he was retiring? Nobody...yeah didn't think so. After spitting several sub-par verses on remixes, other people's albums and even releasing two cd's with R. Kelly and Linkin Park it was hard for even the most earnest believer to. Now fast forward to this past Nov. Hov has returned with Kingdom Come which has been called by some "the worst kept secret ever". The album opens up with a rather uninspired intro compared to say the intro to albums like The Blueprint and The Dynasty but the following three songs feature some of the best beats on the album provided by none other than Jay-z album staple Just Blaze. Title track "Kingdom Come", arguably the best song on the album, finds Hov comparing his mission to save hip-hop to the likes of Superman and other comic book heroes over a Rick James sample. "Show Me What You Got", another Just Blaze production, brings the live instrumentation that mainstream rap is sorely missing and only truly talented rappers could find their footing on. On "Lost Ones" Hov gets all introspective on the price of fame, the death of his nephew, his much discussed relationship with "the hottest chick in the game" Beyonce, and his split with Roc-A-Fella co-founders Dame and Biggs. On "30 Something" one of the many Dr. Dre appearances Jay talks about how being ancient by hip hop standards is actually a good thing and declares 30 the new 20. Unfortunately, the album drags after this even with the obligatory Neptunes showing on "Anything" and the usually bankable Jay and Bee collabo "Hollywood". In this collection of fillers is "Dig A Hole" a warning shot to all that felt the need to diss Jay during his time off. However, unlike "The Takeover" this diss track doesn't possess enough venom to sting even the likes of obviously weaker MCs. And the fake Ginuwine on the hook definitely doesn't help things. The album doesn't begin to pick back up until "Minority Report" a particularly haunting track reflecting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Jay even touches on what he could have done differently with lines like "Sure I ponied up a mil/ But I didn't give my time/ So in reality I didn't give a dime or a damn..." The album closes out with the surprisingly hip hop "Beach Chair" from Coldplay's Chris Martin with lyrics are just a random as the title. It's safe to say that Kingdom Come won't become a hip hop classic but it does prove that Jay's still better than competition half his age.
The Report Card:
Production: A
For his comeback, Hov assembled a round table of hip hop's most elite producers and even mixed in some newer talent. It blends together almost perfectly.
Flow/Lyrics: B
He proves he's still got the skills but most of the time he sounds pretty uninspired. The lyrics are above average, however, proving that he's still a force to be reckoned with.
Originality: B-
Songs like "Kingdom Come", "Minority Report", and "30 Something" redeem some creativity points and even grossly unoriginal songs like "Anything" get new twists on them.
Overall: B
While it's not what most were probably expecting Kingdom Come is still a solid effort by one of the best MCs the game has to offer.
Wow. To borrow a commonly used phrase, "you hit the nail right on the head."
ReplyDeleteI've read so-so reviews about this album, and I still picked it up. But I'd have to agree with everything you said. It's not to say that Jay's calmed down from his younger years, but it's definately not a classic. Good enough to bump, but not something to shoot people over.