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Life & Arts

A new ‘Kingdom' for hip-hop

In strong follow-up to ‘Black Album,' Jay-Z tries to grow up a little bit

by DANTE EGLIN
The Daily Cougar

Have you seen hip-hop? If you're looking for her, she's probably cornered in some grimy alley, getting roughed up by some brash young 'uns pushing her some chicken noodle soup with a soda on the side. Alas, where's a knight in shining armor when you need him?

Leave it to Jay-Z to swoop in and attempt to valiantly rescue the damsel in distress with Kingdom Come, the comeback, or more fittingly, call-back album from the Roc-a-Fella general after his so-called retirement three years ago with what was billed as his farewell opus in The Black Album. The title is taken from the DC Comics series in which Superman makes his return from self-exile to an apocalyptic and anarchic world.

If hip-hop is in need of rescue, and mighty Jay is the ultimate savior, the alpha emcee to rescue her from the flames of commercialism, then Kingdom Come "is like bringin' a knife to a gunfight, a pen to a test," as Jay-Z himself says.

While the dominant theme of the album is the gallant reclamation of the rap throne, sprinkled with a little introspection and soul searching, Kingdom Come features Jay spending too much time reminding himself that he's still a thug: "But I'm just a hustler disguised as a rapper / In fact, you can't fit this hustle inside of a wrapper."

If Jay-Z wants to give hip-hop a good time, he succeeded -- Kingdom Come is a great night on the town. But if he's "not only NYC's, but hip-hop's savior" as he boldly claims on the title track, then there's not enough space in the cape to allow for braggadocio and grandiose rhymes while also liberating noble hip-hop from her captors.

The album starts off strong, as "The Prelude" takes a jab at bootlegging fans: "On the Internet, they like, ‘You should spit it' / I'm like, ‘You should buy it, n---a that's good business.'" 

Justin Blaze comes correct on the next three tracks with "Oh My God," the traditional lady-friendly Jay-Z lead single "Show Me What You Got" and the title track, which cleverly takes one of the most successful pop singles ever, Rick James' "Superfreak," and flips it into a certified heater.

On the Dr. Dre-produced "30 Something," Jay relies on ostentatious comparison between himself and the youngsters: "I'm young enough to know the right car to buy / Yet grown enough not to put rims on it," failing to capitalize on perhaps the best example of his transition as an artist. 

Kanye West makes his production appearance on "Do U Wanna Ride," a solid lyrical performance in which Jay reaches out to his imprisoned cousin. 

Kanye's contribution isn't up to par with previous gems he's provided Jigga with, and while John Legend soulfully croons the hook, perhaps he and Ne-Yo should have switched assignments as Legend's smooth vocals would have blessed "Minority Report" more suitably. 

Jay-Z confesses his guilt from the Hurricane Katrina aftermath on "Minority Report" as he admits, "Sure, I ponied up a mil, but I didn't give my time / So in reality I didn't give a dime or a damn." "Beach Chair," which features vocals and production from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, is an introspective evaluation of karma and what the future may hold.

"Anything," a lackluster ode to strippers, is a dreadful track that wastes the production talents of The Neptunes and vocals from Usher, sounding more like a cast-off bonus track from the Confessions import. While the collaboration with Beyonce on "Hollywood" isn't as disastrous, it definitely isn't the work of "hip-hop's savior" and would serve better on Ms. Knowles' album instead.

Despite a stellar list of super producers, the beats too often detract from what should be a solid return from Jay-Z's short respite. His best works have been masterpieces that were consistent and had direction, from the Mafioso suaveness of Reasonable Doubt to the totalitarian takeover theme of The Blueprint. Though he misses the jumper on Kingdom Come, Jay-Z still is the "Mike Jordan of recordin'." For now at least, he's wearing No. 45 though.

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