​Album Review.
Likes: The Story of O.J., Smile
Overall: Jay-Z's reflective, vintage-ambiance album may reveal more about him than he intended
 
"Can you still be a rapper at 50-years-old?," my father asked in reference to hip-hop paragon Jay-Z, who'll be 48 in a few months. I said "Given that rap is young in comparison to the other genres, there's not a precedent for what would be odd in regard to age." Jay-Z's laid the groundwork for many things in his career; now, he shows what it looks like to still be thriving in a "young man's game" on the cusp of a golden anniversary with his 13th album, 4:44. Developmental psychology submits that the late 40's to early 60's is a time of reflection that often leads to self-loathing, a "midlife-crisis" and/or a needling desire to contribute to the next generation. 4:44 seems to be the "middle-adulthood" stage on wax. Jay-Z mulls over his egomaniacal ways, marital transgressions and hinky friendships (ex. "Kill Jay-Z," "Bam," and the title track). Cuts like "The Story of O.J." and "Family Feud" discuss the perils of cultural dissension, and urge for communal wealth as an attack on generational poverty. In respect to the music industry, he implores his fellow artists not to depend on the suits. Taking no prisoners, he mentions several handlers and executives by name. The most striking exclaim is at Prince's estate lawyer, Londell McMillan, whom Jay-Z scathingly accuses of exploitation (i.e. "Caught Their Eyes").
 
Also on "O.J." and "Feud," Jay-Z expresses his discomfort with being ridiculed and rejected by those he calls himself guiding. In the past, these kinds of sentiments were packaged with glamorous retorting braggadocio. Here, the reserved delivery insinuates a genuine hurt. Yet, there's still a hint of self-righteousness that makes you ask "Can you take yourself off of the cross? We need the wood." On "Smile," he raps: "God sent me to break the chain...N*ggas will rip your sh*t off TIDAL just to spite you; Ahh what did I do, except try to free you? N*ggas will love you, but hate you 'cause they can't be you."

​The hint becomes a flagrant musk on "Moonlight." Lines encouraging wiser business choices and a collective effort to revitalize and re-authenticate rap, collide with those of condescension. "Moonlight" follows the Damian Marley-featured "Bam," which marks a meaningful turn on the album. Jay-Z declares "F*ck all this pretty Shawn Carter sh*t, n*gga, Hov! Shawn was on that gospel shit...sometimes you need your ego." He feverishly renounces his previous presence and regresses to the persona he vowed to "Kill" on the opening track. Moments later, he merrily reminisces about his street days on "Marcy Me." It's like he got antsy, anxious and uncomfortable in the realm of culpability, so he hardened back to a familiar devil. Considering this and his age at the time of the boneheaded incidents he cites, what seems like "midlife on wax" is actually an accidental illustration of the outcomes of extended adolescence.
 
Musically, Jay-Z's records are usually bombastic, theatrical and saucy. 4:44 is arguably distinctive, as it has an understated and composed quality. Principal producer Ernest "No I.D." Wilson reportedly stated that many of the samples used were from Jay-Z's current playlist. Most of them are from the 1960's and 1970's and are stylistically diverse: progressive and psychedelic rock, jazz, funk, soul, reggae and gospel. The selections are at the forefront and allowed to retain their personality, cementing the album's warm, accessible and vintage feel. This also helps set the mood for revelation.
 
Though 4:44 is only 37 minutes, you feel like you've covered a lot of land. It may not be particularly catchy, but it's antique and content keep you in place.

Somewhere between Sunday night (March 29) and early Monday afternoon, thousands of social media users changed their profile pictures to splashes of turquoise blue and trending #TIDALforALL simply because their music faves (like Beyonce`, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West) did it and/or told them to. People were literally talking of revolutions, movements and change, knowing nothing more than Jay-Z purchased a music streaming service from a Swedish company called Aspiro (which technically was underway back in January). Some didn't even know that much. That was the first eye-roll I had for this news; people are so quick to bandwagon. They knew nothing, but were on board. Groupthink, blind allegiance and stupid human behavior aside, I looked forward to hearing more because given the acquisition and who was involved, I assumed TIDAL would be an awesome, artist-friendly answer to similar services like Spotify, that have been criticized for giving a severely small financial return to the artists they feature (I was partially right, but more on that in a moment). Heightening the hype was this dramatic, star-studded trailer (a freaking trailer; one that seemed ridiculous after the so-called roll-out), building up to the March 30th press conference where all would be revealed and all questions would be answered. We were on the cusp of  "turning the tide and making music history;" it was "the beginning of the new world," as West touted on Twitter. We all know how Yeezy can exaggerate.

Then, a funny thing happened on the way to innovation. Funny as in weird, not funny haha. Jay-Z and his Justice League of recording artists (including Madonna and Rihanna) signed a declaration (that no one saw the text of), said little and then dipped. The conference was short and horribly bereft of information. The central additional thing we learned was that TIDAL is artist-owned (equity stake was offered) and "combines the best high fidelity sound quality, high definition music videos and expertly curated editorial" for $9.99 and $19.99 (for uncompressed CD quality sound) a month. So...does every subscription dime go to the artists? Is there a significant difference in audio between the subscription options? How large is TIDAL's catalog? Who shot J.R.? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop? Hardly anything was answered and based on what was told, TIDAL was a shockingly unremarkable, more expensive (a negative consumer buzz word) service. "The new world" was a duplicate of the old one, except artists (who so happened to be wealthy) benefitted more this time and consumers (who aren't wealthy) would have less money in their wallet should they break away from pirating and free streaming. Finance and technology blogs pointed out the unoriginal interface and what seemed to be a flawed business model (using  the word 'seemed' because, again, few details) where audience gains would be few and the company's bottom line is just as weak as its competitor's (Jay-Z's response to this is interesting; I'll be getting to it). Just as critical, but far more cutting was the reaction from consumers. Due to the piss-poor presentation of the conference, Jay-Z and crew came off like a bunch of elitist, arrogant, greedy millionaires begging for more money at the expense of fans. #TidalForAll quickly became #TidalForNoOne on social media; people were throwing tomatoes and the well-intentioned "movement" where artists get the income they deserve from their own work in the streaming world versus industry executives and suits, was massively misperceived. 

Album Review by MJ Johnson, Contributing Writer
Favorites: F*** with Me You Know I Got it, Tom Ford, Heaven
Overall: Attractive and memorable production & reflective lyrics, shows the endearing side of Jay-Z

I’m a child of Steve Jobs. I’ve been an iPhone user since the very first version. When Samsung announced their partnership with Jay-Z to deliver 1 million free copies of his new album, “Magna Carta: Holy Grail,” exclusively to Android users, sadness crept into my soul. I’ve always enjoyed Jigga’s music; it evolved as I did. From rough and tumble tales of “Hard Knock Life” in the ‘hood, to the Girls,Girls,Girls and moving “On To The Next One,” Jay-Z’s music has always spoken to me. “Magna Carta” was no different as Hova looks introspectively from where he currently stands, examining his childhood, career and new role as a father. Jay’s smooth delivery glides over a saucy beat on the album’s opener and first single,“Holy Grail” (featuring the soulful Justin Timberlake); a transformative experience that tells a story of love unreciprocated and gives a dichotomous depiction of a glorious life full of thrills. On “Blue,” a track mellowed out like the finest bourbon, the emcee pays homage to the newest edition of the Roc La Familia: his daughter, Blue Ivy. Sharing thoughtful messages from his father, Jay goes through his upbringing. Samples of Biggie Smalls lyrics are laced throughout, perpetuating the nostalgic vibe. Affectionately exclaiming on “My Beach is Better:” “I brought sand to the beach because my beach is better,” this album definitely shows a much more personal, kinder and gentler side of the multimillion-dollar mogul. 

One of the most rewarding takeaways from project are the complex, almost mind-boggling production cuts from Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland and a few newcomers. For example, the mysterious and dark beat of “Nickels & Dimes” breathes sobriety into Hov’s flashbacks of cooking dope and selling trees. “Tom Ford’s” exciting mix of percussion and synth makes for a mouthwatering melody and takes us back to the “Big Pimpin’” days. Among the most memorable tracks is “Heaven,” where he addresses the great “Illuminati” devil-worship discussion. At one point, he states “Conspiracy theorists screaming Illuminati…they can’t believe this much skill is in the human body…he 6’2, how the fuck he fit in the new Bugatti?.…Aw s***, you got me.” Throughout the song he adamantly insists that he is in fact playing for God’s team. Ultimately, “Magna Carta: Holy Grail,” represents a new era for the Carters--they do what they want and say what they want. He and his wife, pop-star Beyonce`, have elevated from the ranks of mere artists and business people. For that matter, they may have elevated past mere mortals! “Magna Carta: Holy Grail” is just that…sacred.  

As confirmed by representatives for Beyonce`, the pop-star gave birth to a baby girl Saturday. See the official statement and hear Jay-z's tribute song for his new daughter here: http://jsays.weebly.com/8/post/2012/01/jay-zs-song-for-his-newborn-leaks.html

Album Review.
Likes: New Day, Welcome to the Jungle, Murder to Excellence, No Church in the Wild
Dislikes: That’s My Bitch
Overall: Some weak parts, but features intriguing lyrics & unique production


Ever since the release of Kanye West’s defining debut, “College Dropout,” on the Jay-z founded Roc-A-Fella Records in 2004, fans have insisted the pair record a collaborative album. After 7 years and multiple features on each other’s projects, they granted the audience’s request with “Watch the Throne.” Considering the style of the production and some of the pensive lyrics, the rappers were definitely looking to create a classic album.

“Throne’s” production is somewhat thematic and is the perfect mix of today’s and yesterday’s sound, blending futuristic synths and elements of electronica with traditional hip-hop rhythms and some classic 60’s & 70’s soul. Most of the album is lyrically adequate, but there are some feeble points. For example, “Lift Off” has a great hook and attractive production, but the verses are painfully short and barely noticeable. Another weakness is that there are one too many songs in which the rappers singly boast about their success and assets. Granted, boasting is a central tenet in hip-hop, but multiple tracks of just boasting can get redundant and tiring. Also, I’m personally over West’s womanizing lyrics that seem to now have a stronger recurring role on his projects. (ex. “…I said look you need to crawl ‘fore you ball, come and meet me in the bathroom stall and show me why you deserve to have it all…”)

Reminiscent of West’s “My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy,” the more meaningful lyrics address the societal turmoil of the black community and discuss the ugly and rewarding parts of fame, while taking time for personal, inward reflection. On the endearing and intriguing “New Day,” West and Jay-z speak to their unborn sons. Jay-z vows to be better parent than his absentee father, and West makes a mockery of what the media has found to be his missteps and lists what he finds to be valid mistakes. All in all, I predict that “Throne” will be well revered and that another collaborative record is in the future. Good album.

If I have any additional commentary on an album from a societal, cultural or fan perspective, I usually save it for a separate article, but since I don’t have too much to say, I’ll go ahead and include it here. Hip-hop and I have love-hate relationship. I see its value as a genre, but there are many things about the culture and the music that I do not agree with. As a woman and feminist, I will never find it appropriate to refer to a woman as a bitch. Most rappers proclaim that when they use the word “bitch,” it’s not in reference to ALL women, just those that are promiscuous or deceitful, but as usual, the rappers contradict themselves. On “That’s My Bitch,” Jay-z and Kanye are speaking of a respectable woman of substance that’s their companion. As a woman of color, I ask and I plea: when do I get to be referred to as your friend, girlfriend or wife and NOT your “bitch?” As a man of color, when will you give yourself and your male counterparts a title of something more exalting than a “nigga?” When? That is all. 

Yearly CD purchases have decreased steadily over the last decade, due in part to internet piracy. Music piracy is now so rampant, albums are leaking online long before their official release dates, ultimately affecting sales. Jay-z & Kanye West’s collaborative record, “Watch the Throne,” successfully hit the market on the planned date of August 8th without any mishaps, however. How did they avoid the leak? Well, according to RollingStone Magazine, having an exclusive release deal with ITunes and department store Best Buy was the key. Industry insiders have concluded that leaks tend to happen because copies of the finished product are stolen from manufacturing plants during shipping. “Throne” was released on Itunes August 8th and will be available at Best Buy on August 12th. By making the album initially available on Itunes only, no shipping is involved. If sales improve as result of this type of release plan, record labels are likely to mass implement it. While this plan seems like a dream come true for the industry, some fans and independent retailers oppose the design. Fans are concerned they may not be able to purchase physical copies if a specific store isn’t available to them and independent retailers won’t be able to sell and profit from anticipated albums. As a consumer, what do you think of exclusive release deals?