Brooklyn Goes Hard, But What About Jay?

So, I had been hearing "Brooklyn (Go Hard)", by Jay-Z around for a couple weeks now, but I never sat down to listen to it until a couple hours ago. At first listen, I was attracted to the sick sample, on top of the sick beat. Sadly, it's not too often when those two elements are combined in a production, and frankly I was impressed that Kanye actually gave a beat away that was sick; he usually keeps the best ones for himself. Now, in the rare cases where the beat is just as hot as the sample(s), it's not too often that a worthy rapper is thrown on the track (i.e. "Cuddy Buddy" by Mike Jones). I initially thought that seeing the name Jay-Z and hearing the beat at the same time would change things for me. I was wrong.

When Jay retired back in 2003, I wasn't really a fan of his. It's true when they say you never really know what you have until it's gone, seeing as how with him and DMX vowing to hang it up around the same time, it was really no rapper to appreciate at that time, which was when I really began to listen to Hov, finally noticing his greatness. This excited me for his return with "Kingdom Come" which dropped on my 18th birthday (November 21, 2006). I noticed a slight, but unmistakeable decrease in his lyrical ability, but that was overshadowed by the fact that much to the contrast of many reviews, I liked the music on the album. He followed this up with "American Gangster", his 2007 effort which featured improved lyrics (but still a step down from the "Life and Times of Shawn Carter" and "Blueprint" days) as well as "the ignorant shit you love"; storytelling portraying life hustling on the streets of New York, much to the pleasure of critics, classic Jay-Z fans, and fans that don't know any better alike. I generally agreed with the reviews, and enjoyed the album as well.

Than began the Blueprint 3 talk. Keep in mind, I have only heard 3 tracks previewing the album: "Jockin' Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)", "Swagga Like Us", and the aforementioned "Brooklyn (Go Hard)". But I noticed, all three of them have a few things in common; a Kanye-produced beat, a sample from another song, and quite frankly, less than stellar lyrics by Jay-Z. All of which seem to be the standard for the majority of mainstream rappers who avoid the bigger standards of putting T-Pain or Lil Wayne on a track, suggesting senseless dances from women in the club, or promoting senseless dances by men in the club.

Overall, I don't think the name Jay-Z will be able to bail Jay-Z out of what looks to be an average album from a great rapper who could've easily avoided the title of "average lyricist" by staying away when he was ahead. Tha Trufe