A funny thing happened at the very end of my interview with Jay-Z about Kanye West’s SoundScan victory earlier this week. When I asked the ostensibly-retired rapper if he’d been recording any new music of his own lately, he just paused, chuckled and said, "I’m ready to go." His publicist jumped in a split-second later and said we were out of time. Fair enough — he’s a busy guy. All the same, I couldn’t resist trying to parse that ever-so-slightly ambiguous reply. Why not just say "No," if that was the answer? Could he have possibly meant "ready to go," as in, ready to enter the studio again soon? Nah, I was just dreaming.
Of course, less than 48 hours later, I found out that if anything, my wild hunch hadn’t gone far enough, when the New York Times broke the news that Jay had already secretly recorded most of an entire new album inspired by the upcoming Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe flick American Gangster. NYC’s venerable radio DJ Funkmaster Flex debuted Gangster‘s lead single "Blue Magic" last night on Hot 97, and high-quality versions are already all over the ‘nets. So how is Hov’s first new cut since the last time he un-retired?
Pretty amazing. Consider the Neptunes-produced beat alone: Cold synth stabs anddrum-machine stutters set a perfectly sinister tone. It’s of a piece with the the minimal backdrops that the ‘Tunes cooked up for the Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury — which is to say, it’s on par with one of the best-produced rap albums of the past half-decade. And it brings out the best in Jay’s tightly-coiled lyrics. Forget that he’s now a highly-paid CEO with a comfy office. This is vintage hard-boiled poetry: "BlameReagan for making me into a monster/Blame Oliver North andIran-Contra/I ran contraband that they sponsored/Before this rhymestuff, we was in concert." Call me callous, but there are few things I love more than hearing Jay sling those tricky internal-rhyme schemes about slinging drugs. He’s dropped plenty of vicious verses in the last few months (on T.I.’s "Watch What You Say," Amy Winehouse’s "Rehab" remix, Freeway’s "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires," et al.), but he hasn’t rapped this nimbly about this particular morally ambiguous topic in years.
Which is probably why I’ve already seen speculation from some quarters that this is some sort oftrick on Jay’s part, a lost recording he made in his youthful prime andhauled out of his private vaults only now. I highly doubt that — among many other things, his voice has a deep, somber authority these days that it didn’t have when he was a younger emcee. But the very fact that people are constructing suchextravagant conspiracy theories to explain "Blue Magic" should tell you something about how brilliant it is. This is exactly how a returning legend should sound.
This is a fitting return by Jay-Z and it’s a sick track. I like Pharrell’s use of En Vogue’s “Hold On”, nice throwback. Hova has a swagger and confidence that I haven’t heard maybe since his Black Album.
I cant say i was feelin’ this one.
So when 50 Cent said ‘retire’ he meant Jay-Z’s definition. Good song though
I love how stripped the beat is, because it really forces emphasis on the bars, which are just retarded. Hov did his thing on this, all while stealing all shine from Kanye and 50s remix.
Chess Moves…
Cool song. This will be going on my ipod with the quickness.
Simon, I couldn’t agree more with your opinion of this song. The beat is as ridiculous as Jay’s flow. I’m actually not even the biggest Jay-Z fan, but you have to give props where they’re due. I also want to say a thank you to you Simon, for this (and many other of your recent articles) that have brought more hip-hop news and commentary to my already favorite magazine/website.
The feeling is so noirish. I can’t wait to compare it to the movie.
I’m definitely feeling it. I love the whole concept album idea and I’m a big fan of Denzel movies. Can it get any better!!
I wasn’t feelin it when I heard it last week – I think it stinks…there are some good one liners and some definate dumb ones (like the checks bounce line, oh so gansta you are Hov) – you know it’s new and not old, he references the sale of Rockawear…
The problem with this song is that Pharell sings. Honestly, I don’t understand why we need to hear his nasty falsetto on any more songs. This song might have had the vibe of “Wishing on A Star” if somebody who could actually sing had been on it. Other than that, the rhymes are tight, the flow is a little lazy (Jay, Brooklyn’s Finest etc. were some of your best songs so stop with the slow flow all the time already) but I do not think the masses will appreciate all the wit.
I have given the track a few spins and can’t say I actually really like it. I know “American Gangster” is going to be a very dark movie, so the soundscape of the track fits, but I can’t say I think it’ll be a huge hit. I mean, maybe its supposed to have that street record feel, but i dunno if this is going to be a huge radio hit. And if this is what he’s using as a selling point for his new cd, I hope he has some stronger cuts, or this disc may fall of the charts faster than “Kingdom Come” did. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved Jay for years, but even from a business stand point, I think his verse from the 1,2,3 Forbes Remix of 50 Cent’s “I Get Money” is worlds better than this. This is NOT a strong track to set up a new release, even if its supposed to be a concept album. And I usually love Pharrell, but lately, he’s just kinda fallen off. The dark beat is okay, but him crooning En Vogue…is just…tepid.
That song is crack! Jay’s going back to the Reasonable Doubt, crack slinging days. To quote Jay ” I’m Feelin It”
let me start by sayin’ im one of the biggest jay fans…but this song has its flaws…..it is not the jay we are all used to.i also hate the hook…it was stupid and not needed…luv the beat and lazy flow….also luv the 80′s feel….