I wouldn't say it was better than The Blueprint, but I think I preferred this as an overall listening experience. I was a bit worried that nothing else in this catalogue was going come close to his sixth, but this one wasn't a million miles away, which is good, because it's one of the ones I was most excited for.
Me and my new girlfriend sat at the pier, the same spot I listened to The Beatles’ Help!, and we pressed play. He started off with an interlude, which felt weird, and performative, but all of that was forgotten the moment December 4th started. I loved the sample of his mum. I loved the beat. I loved the lyrics. I remember turning to her and saying, “I think I'm gonna like this one.” I've always been a sucker for a big finale - whether it be Avengers: Endgame or Episode VI - and I realised that, even if this wasn't actually his last album, it was gonna have all that energy.
I noticed that Encore had John Lennon and Paul McCartney in the credits, and assumed it was gonna sample a Beatles song. I've heard the song before, but not since I got into the Beatles, and I couldn't figure out what song it might be. We both like the Beatles, so we decided to try and figure out what the sample was, but we couldn't. Banging Kanye production, though.
I knew Change Clothes was a big one, but I didn't know it. It was good. Dirt Off Your Shoulder is one of the hits, which I already knew, and you already know I had to move to that shit. I mean, the song literally gives you the moves. It would have been rude not to (she was rude). I also like it because it gave me the opportunity to brush some dirt off her shoulders.
I didn't know Threat, but I did know Moment of Clarity. Someone put me on to it, because I was looking for the best rap verses ever, and they suggested the second verse. Listening to it last night, it was even better than I'd ever clocked, particularly that scheme where he uses all these different meanings of “sense” and “since”. The last verse has probably got a denser rhyme scheme, but the way he pieces words together, like a jigsaw puzzle, in Verse 2 is unbelievable. I don't, however, think it's the best verse on the album.
I think the best verse on the album (and possibly the best song) is 99 Problems, which she knew. The second verse is apparently one of the only ones he ever actually wrote down, and I've always loved that, instead of bragging about money and bitches, he's bragging about being racially profiled and knowing his rights, all whilst teaching you how you can do the same. When I was younger, I thought the admission that he was carrying “raw” kind of ruined it, but nowadays I just think it makes it funnier. Overall phenomenal song. She liked it too - particularly the canine line.
Public Service Announcement was whatever, but the opening line was huge. I've heard that line referenced a million times, and knew it was coming, but this was the first time I've ever actually heard it for real. I even opened my debut EP borrowing this line. It was awesome to hear such an iconic piece of hip-hop history and I may have been too gassed about that to appreciate the rest of the interlude. I will relisten to it, of course.
You've gotta forgive me, I've been really enjoying these albums, and this one in particular held my attention quite well, but I was excited about my new girlfriend and I spent the last couple of tracks getting close to her (unless I was pulled in). Like, Justify My Thug was fine, but that one isn't as crazy in my memory, and I'm curious if that's because I wasn't listening attentively enough, or if it's just one of the weaker cuts. The same goes for Allure.
The exception is Lucifer. It started, and I said, “That's a Kanye beat.” It was, in fact, a Kanye beat, which I confirmed on Wikipedia first, and then realised I didn't have to, because Jay shouted him out. I didn't really deep the lyrics and I can't remember the chorus. I have no idea what that song's about but I remember it being good. The reason this time, though, is not because I wasn't paying enough attention, but because I was so fucking overwhelmed by how good that beat was. It was amazing. All I ask for is peak beats and peak rapping - peak hooks are a bonus - this album delivered that.
The final song, My 1st Song, might have been my most anticipated Jay-Z song, besides perhaps Takeover and 4:44. The reason is that Obama listed Lose Yourself and that as his go-to motivational songs. I like motivation. Obama seems cool. He's got a good music taste. And Lose Yourself is one of the best rap cuts of all time. It's also the last song on his retirement album. It's gonna be epic.
It wasn't Lose Yourself, but it was solid. The beat was gorgeous, for sure. I was ready to be caught up in the moment, but I couldn't recap the song. Perhaps it will be better if I listen to it more attentively, and it's the lyrics that get you, but I was just enjoying the outro. It's still probably playlist-worthy, but I think I hyped it up too much. I don't care though, I still got Lucifer.
Now, I was expecting the remaining albums to be a step down from his Volumes era, but I think this commercial peak from ‘01 to ‘03 has surpassed my expectations, even if the first five left me underwhelmed. Now that he's locked in on his commercial style, and got Beyoncé, I'm interested to see where his music goes. I have no idea what Kingdom Come or American Gangster will sound like, but I feel like I have an idea of what The Blueprint 3 and Magna Carta will sound like, having heard singles from The Blueprint 3 and the title track from Magna Carta. I'm still most excited for 4:44.
