THE GIFT
Kanye West aces 'A Dream' which was one of the first Jay-Z songs I heard with Jay using Biggie's verse from 'Juicy'. I'm surprised that so many people dislike it. After the bad 'Hovi Baby' he then uses Dre's 'The Watcher' beat that anyone would sound great over. Add Rakim to the mix and you've got another strong song. He then jacks Eminem's title and 2pac's song with '03 Bonnie & Clyde'. Have you noticed a pattern so far? The Neptunes, from when they were hitting more than they missed provide the beat for 'Excuse Me Miss' that isn't a bad chick/pop rap tune. Big Boi steals the show on 'Poppin' Tags' and this is a song that is a perfect example as to why Jay-Z is overrated. All of the featuring rappers are so much more engaging with more uniqueness as a rapper than Jay. The beat isn't brilliant from Kanye, but the rapping carries it. Again The Neptunes provide a nice funky tune for 'F*** All Nite'. ''The Bounce' then features a very early uncredited Kanye verse over a signature electro-hop Timbaland beat.
Overall, with Jay stealing ideas, verses and beats from the past, the production holds up well, and there is easily less stuff that I find straight up boring or dislike compared to many of Jay's albums. 'What They Gonna Do' is the only thing I find to be really poor.
3.45/5
Best Tracks: A Dream, The Watcher 2, '03 Bonnie & Clyde, Poppin' Tags
THE CURSE
I could change the chorus, but the backing vocals from Michelle Rosario and the eerie beat ain't a bad way to begin with 'Diamond Is Forever'. Following that is a remix of 'U Don't Know' from The Blueprint. So on disc one he was jacking, and on disc two he is remixing his own songs from his previous album... I like M.O.P., but I've never loved the Just Blaze beat to be honest. 'Some People Hate' is the first song to really catch my attention with Kanye West in the zone providing the beat. The brag rap gets a bit tiring from Jay, but the following 'Blueprint²', that includes lines at Nas, also has good production from the lesser known Charlemagne. I could've done without the, "I got my mojo back baby, oh behave," line though. Really Jay? It's another case of a wack hook like the previous Blueprint had. The production on 'Nigga Please' and 'to a greater extent '2 Many Hoes' doesn't grab me and except for 'Bitches & Sisters', that bangs, the disk never reaches any high moments again as it concludes with 'What They Gonna Do Part II'.
3.03/5
Best Tracks: Diamond Is Forever, Some People Hate, Blueprint², Bitches & Sisters
Overall, the storytelling on tracks like 'Meet the Parents' are better on D2, but like with most of Jay's albums the production fails to impress me enough. I seem to have the reverse feelings on Jay's projects. I hate some of what people rate highly and enjoy albums such as this and 'The Dynaasty' that are among his worst rated albums.
3-3.5/5
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