Serious Business - Jay-Z

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

people rang with authority. I was also struck by the viciousness of Jay-Z's response to Nas on the song "Takeover." For those who don't know or hadn't heard, Nas called Jay "h to the izzo, m to the izzo" (read H-O-M-O) on a widely dubbed and distributed diss freestyled to the beat of Eric B. & Rakim's classic "Paid in Full" remix. Jigga pulled no punches in his reply, and I found myself enjoying the thunderous beat and wryly comedic jabs he threw while slyly referencing a well known David Bowie song: "I know you missin all the - FAAAAAAAME! But along with celebrity comes bout seventy shots to your brain Nigga; you ...

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

people rang with authority. I was also struck by the viciousness of Jay-Z's response to Nas on the song "Takeover." For those who don't know or hadn't heard, Nas called Jay "h to the izzo, m to the izzo" (read H-O-M-O) on a widely dubbed and distributed diss freestyled to the beat of Eric B. & Rakim's classic "Paid in Full" remix. Jigga pulled no punches in his reply, and I found myself enjoying the thunderous beat and wryly comedic jabs he threw while slyly referencing a well known David Bowie song: "I know you missin all the - FAAAAAAAME! But along with celebrity comes bout seventy shots to your brain Nigga; you ...

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

really is. Song Cry follows with more of the same, supposedly a tear-jerker, more likely to be labelled as jerking something else in spite of some better conceptual lyrics of Jay at his most vulnerable when in the midst of splitting from a girl. ‘I know you love me like cooked food’ states the man. Thing is, most do, and most will love what is essentially an acapella so lazy it just screams out for a kick up the backside. The much vaunted lyrical lashing against Prodigy and Nas on Takeover shouldn’t have the Queensbridge pair lacking too much shut-eye in light of a gnarly electric guitar lead being paired with some peculiarly quirky harpsichord keys ...

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

really is. Song Cry follows with more of the same, supposedly a tear-jerker, more likely to be labelled as jerking something else in spite of some better conceptual lyrics of Jay at his most vulnerable when in the midst of splitting from a girl. ‘I know you love me like cooked food’ states the man. Thing is, most do, and most will love what is essentially an acapella so lazy it just screams out for a kick up the backside. The much vaunted lyrical lashing against Prodigy and Nas on Takeover shouldn’t have the Queensbridge pair lacking too much shut-eye in light of a gnarly electric guitar lead being paired with some peculiarly quirky harpsichord keys ...

The Life And Times Of Shawn Carter - Jay-Z

the standout tracks of the album between them. Mariah carey brings to life the haunting 'Things That U Do', while Roc-A-Fella labelmates Beanie Segal, Memphis Bleek and Amil rock the mic on 'Pop 4 Roc'. Vol 3... manages to retain both commercial and credible appeal. Through collaborations - and they are collaborations, rather than just 'guest appearances' - Jay Z has brought considerable colour to his album - an album that was pretty damn colorful anyway! ...

The Life And Times Of Shawn Carter - Jay-Z

the standout tracks of the album between them. Mariah carey brings to life the haunting 'Things That U Do', while Roc-A-Fella labelmates Beanie Segal, Memphis Bleek and Amil rock the mic on 'Pop 4 Roc'. Vol 3... manages to retain both commercial and credible appeal. Through collaborations - and they are collaborations, rather than just 'guest appearances' - Jay Z has brought considerable colour to his album - an album that was pretty damn colorful anyway! ...