He’s Back, but Is He Better Than Ever?
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
“Ladies and gentleman, your boy is back.”
The Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z has uttered this statement a great number of times during his 10-year career, most often to announce his presence on a new single. But after his “retirement” in 2003, one that appeared absolute and final as he rose to the presidency of Def Jam Records, it seemed unlikely that hip-hop fans would ever hear it again.
Of course, this is Jay-Z, one of Brooklyn’s greatest rappers, a man who calls himself “Hov” after a certain monotheistic deity. Now, almost three years to the day since the release of “The Black Album,” which was marketed as his swansong, Jay-Z returns with “Kingdom Come,” heralding the return of “hiphop’s savior,”as he boastfully announces on the album’s second track.
But does hip-hop really need saving? While Jay-Z’s return is certainly welcome to fans of New York hip-hop, he’d be the first to acknowledge that the music’s landscape has changed dramatically — and, to many, for the better — since his departure. Early in his retirement, as he turned his attention to managing the careers of younger rappers like Young Jeezy and Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z watched as New York’s hiphop reign inevitably ran its course. Rappers from Atlanta and Houston began climbing the charts, plying the mainstream with slower, harder beats and more sexually explicit lyrics. T.I., Ludacris, Young Dro, and Yung Joc all began to flaunt their dominance of the rap world through their lyrics and public appearances. This Southern-bred hip-hop has been successful and entertaining.T.I.’s “The King” was one of the best albums of 2006, combining hiphop with a pop sensibility that made every song accessible.
It might have been this emerging Southern sound that convinced Jay-Z to call it a day in the first place — at least as much as it convinced him to return. On his last few albums, he made a number of references to his advancing age — could a 30-year-old rapper compete against the ever-growing field of young emcees? On “Kingdom Come,” Jay makes it clear that he thinks hip-hop does need saving, but the album is littered with statements about his position as an elder statesman of hip-hop, a moodiness that brings down the first half of the album.
The first single, “Show Me What You Got,” boasts a sweet and smooth horn sample, but the video, which features appearances by racecar drivers Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.,has been widely criticized for pandering to white audiences. That’s no way to save hip-hop, so the argument goes — wrong Southerners. The title track also rides on a successful sample, utilizing a bass line from Rick James’s classic “Super Freak” that breaks up each verse in a style reminiscent of singles from Jay-Z’s 1996 debut, “Reasonable Doubt.” The song, though, is meant to prove to listeners that Armageddon has arrived, that “hip-hop’s savior” is back for more. It doesn’t quite work; Jay-Z’s insecurity about his reappearance, especially on songs like “30-Something,” is overwhelming enough to make one wonder why he ever retired in the first place, or, more important, if the retirement didn’t undermine his considerable confidence.
In contrast to past albums, “Kingdom Come”succeeds when Jay-Z is less autobiographical. “Do U Wanna Ride” features the deep-voiced vocalist John Legend, who croons his way through a simple song about a boy wondering if a girl is interested in him. “Minority Report” addresses the victims of Hurricane Katrina in a slow, plain-spoken track that presents an ordinary citizen’s frustration with the government’s lack of action rather than an angry screed or an overcooked attempt at empathy. Some listeners might regard the track as a feeble attempt at cultural relevance, but “Minority Report” succeeds in its calm subtlety. For more upbeat tastes, “Anything,” featuring the vocalist Usher, pounds with a repeating chorus and fast rapping style that, far from saving hip-hop, simply puts any of the young Southern rappers to shame. The track will probably produce Jay-Z’s next dance club hit.
Jay-Z’s reminiscence about his life doesn’t bog down the album’s last track. “Beach Chair,” featuring Mr. Legend and Jay’s girlfriend, Beyoncé Knowles, is full of reflection, with Jay-Z wondering whether his entire life has been a dream. “Kingdom Come” is certainly not a dream album. When Jay-Z focuses on quality lyrics and samples and avoids distractions like reminding his fans about his reputation, he really does prove that he can be the greatest rapper alive.
