Still not happy but here it goes... Jigga Man.

Just a reminder that Blue is getting fixed today! I'm going to be back in action for real. And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

In response.
Now I still haven't finished Fade to Black and I probably won't get to it any time soon because I loaned the movie out to a bigger fan than me. However, after yesterday's comments on my blog about Kingdom Come being a disappointment I am forced to defend what I believe in. So Zach, listen up, or read up rather.

Kingdome Come. (the KING DONE COME back.)
After a three year hiatus the king has come back. In the sense I'm writing this in '06 of course. All the same he's back and with two albums post retirement I can say each of them were works of art. Now we all know I'm not a Lil Wayne fan nor am I a Laker fan so it is safe to assume that I am not some crazy fan that likes everything the guy puts out. I have some rhyme and reason to my madness and frankly I just recognize the truth. I will resume my quest with Reasonable Doubt but I feel it necessary to start with Kingdome Come because of the pure skepticism of it all. So without further ado. Here it goes.

An overview of the album.
Jay-Z went out on the top of his game. The critically acclaimed Black Album is and always will be held at a high regard in fans and non believers alike. There are so many things that were right on that album and most importantly, it was fitting of the time in which it was made. How can anybody not say the same for Kingdom Come? I am more than sure people forget what was going on during those three years in between solo studio albums they refuse to recognize and accept Jay changed during that time. He grew older, he grew wiser, and he grew money. With more time on his hands jumpstarting careers of people with the likes of Rihanna and attempting to re launch the careers of people like Ludacris and LL Cool J, all of which are on Def Jam, he had more time to fine tune who he is or was and go through a much needed maturation process. For eight years prior he made a studio album every summer and released it in the winter, it was like clock work. So I am more than sure a break was needed. However, I do not believe that he knew at the time he was just taking "a break." With everything that someone is passionate, it is almost impossible to step away from something you love. Look at Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson. Even though they departed at the top of their game, when they see a void is missing it is their duty to fill it, as did Jay-Z. I guess what I'm getting at is there is no way Jay could have come back rapping about the same things he was before because he was in a different place in his life. The album was produced well, and I don't hear many people arguing with that, but what I do hear is many so called fans disappointed with his lyrics and his style when if they really studied this growth there would be no refutation. Jay-Z could not put out another Black Album. That was out of the question.

The Prelude.
Is there a better way to start a come back album? I think not. He's answering each and every one of your questions. He's explaining in a few hundred words the exact reason he's back. No, he doesn't necessarily want to be there. He makes it perfectly clear he's over it. [I've been through with this bullshit game but I never quit] But as I stated earlier, when it’s something you love, it's impossible to stay away. Let alone when what has become of it, is satisfactory at best. The set up is very reminiscent of Dear Summer. I always knew that song was the prequel to an album that wasn't released yet. Now I have my proof. Without saying it in so many words, Jay is talking to rap, to rappers, to the audience, explaining in a more aggressive way why he left and why he's back and why he doesn't really have to be here in the first place. On this track his flow is every different than anything on the Black Album. He is more aggressive than I've seen him in a very long time. This song represents the table of contents. It is laying out the frame work of what is to come next. I looked at each track on this album as chapters, some that he is revisiting and some that are new and he is trying to share with us.

Favorite Line: So I would write it if y'all could get it/Bein' intricate'll get you wood, critic/On the internet, they like you should spit it/I'm like you should buy it, nigga that's good business.

Oh My God.
I don't love this song, but I like it. I think it fits well in the composition of the rest of the tracks. I like the hook and the beat to the song. The hook is reminiscent of the Hovi baby remix, the girl’s voice anyway. Just another chapter of the book he is writing. It's typical Jay-Z. Rise through the trap game to what he is now. How he hopes he'll never go back. And how he's saying sorry to his mom for all the pain he may have caused her during the rough times. Then of course he resorts right back to who he is and how you can't deny his greatness. As I said typical Jay-Z. I really like the play on words in the last verse with the CNN ESPN line.

Favorite Line: Now I'm knee-deep in the concrete/Like the streets made of quicksand beyond deep/I got a chemical romance, two left feet/So I dance with the devil, please G.O.D/Save me from the black parade release me.

Kingdom Come.
Call me corny, but I liked this song. It has the perfect super hero beat, it was well thought out and clever. I think the beat sounding like a super hero's theme song paired with the super hero lines at the end of each verse was genius. There is not much else to say that you can't figure out by listening.

Favorite Line: Just when they thought it was all over/I put the whole world on my back and broad shoulders/The War-Hova, but who you know took over tracks like that/Guess what New York, New York - we back.

Show me what you got.
There isn't a better first single to release than this. The drums are ridiculous. The flow is ridiculous. The video is ridiculous. It's exactly what it should have been, classic grown up Jay with a twist. I just don't understand how someone could not like this song. Not only that, but say it's not Jay-Z enough. Like I said before dude was in a total different place in his life during this album and the last, if he was rapping like Reasonable Doubt people would say it’s forced. So here he is rapping about what he knows, what his life is like right now, vaca's and shit, and he gets the disappointment card.

Favorite Line: Give the drummer some/already gave the summer some/It’s the winter’s turn/Hovi Hov is the coldest/I’m just getting better with time/I’m like Opus…

Lost One.
I really love this song. This might be tied for my favorite on the album. It’s very sentimental and taps into a part of Jay we don't see too often. In the first verse he really told the story of the issues between him, Dame, and Biggs. He gave a good bye to what was and looked forward to what is without them. He was heartfelt but at the same time there was not a single time he let his guard down. In the second verse, he speaks about B. Who knows what was going on in his personal life during that point but it was a very grown up way to word it. The last verse is probably the most heartfelt of them all. Speaking to his deceased nephew in verse three really touched me because that's not something you hear him speak on often. I'm not so sure I would have released this as a single but either way you slice it, it works. Oh, and Chrisette Michelle did wonders on the hook.

Favorite Line: Close my eyes and squeeze, try to block that thought/Place any burden on me, but please, not that lord/Time don't go back, it go forward/Can't run from the pain, go towards it.

Do you wanna ride?
This is another one of those I didn't want to like at first but it grew on me. The narraration of the song can almost be missed if you don't listen to it enough. Never once does he stray from the conversation at hand. He is playing the main character and the narrator all at the same time. He has a clever way of creating ties at home by talking to Emory and boasting about his riches and new opportunities. Well done.

Favorite Line:Comin up though we thought slingin raw/was the end all be all of bein rich didn't we/Little did I know my mo' potent delivery/would deliver me, kingpin of the inkpen.

30 Something.
I am almost positive the only reason I like this song is because I saw him perform it live. Other than that he could have cut the album without it. It does send a much needed message to let people know he's not getting old and he's certainly not losing it. However, I still won't play this on repeat.

Favorite Line: I’m a bully with the bucks/don't let the paten leather shoes fool you young'n, I got the fully in the tux/that was my past now I'm so grown up/I don't got one gun army, got a slum army/to hire a gun army, get you spun like laundry/and I'll be somewhere under palm trees calmly.

Hollywood.
Hated it. Hated it, hated it, and hated it. But, it grew on me. When I first bought the album I listened to this song and was very upset. However, due to a few trips to the city with my girls, this song was obviously made for me and that moment. I can't listen to Hollywood anymore without reminiscing about that trip and those times. So do I mind if you don't like this one? No what's one out of fifteen?

Favorite Line: When your fame starts/It's a chain reaction/Locomotion like when the train departs/Stranger/Things have happened/Rapping/Stacking/Platinum plaquin'/Born in Brooklyn got a place in Manhattan/Going back to Brooklyn/To escape the madness.

Trouble.
Wow. This is another tie for my favorites on the album. This really taps into that "beef" that was going on around the time of the album's release and recording. He is telling all these dudes to step back, he's back. Not only is he speaking directly at them, he is using such metaphoric language. It's easy to spend hours and hours writing things down, but all of this comes off the top of his head. Metaphorically speaking, I think it’s his best since Meet the Parents. I don't know how anyone could not appreciate the art and thought that was put into a song about some bums that don't even matter. The scary part is this was effortless.

Favorite line: The whole song.

Dig A hole.
Another tied for my favorite. Actually it is possibly inching out the others for first. I think what people fail to realize is all of the singles he put out were about fluff and girls and cars and money. However there are more than enough songs on this album that tap into who he was pre Black Album. He is really dedicating numerous songs to let people know he's not coming back to play he's coming back to work. He showed the growth with the singles and kept old fans with songs like this one. This is just like trouble. Get at 'em Jay.

Favorite Line: The whole song.

Anything.
Of course he must have one club type track on each record and this is it. It’s very catchy as always, and I'm more than positive would have done well if released as an early single. Usher did his job and Jay did his job. What more can I say? (No pun intended.)

Favorite Line: Red light,TLC, through the Left Eye, my P.O.V./ On the ichat, how's that for computer love?/ She rolled her eyes back, I'm like Ooo, you so nasty/You turned my Maybach back seat in to the Hotel de Paris.

I made it.
It's corny. I didn't like it at all. I mean it speaks to a lot of people, young black men, who are rising above the adversity and paying homage to the stable figure in the black community the mother. I know a few cats that hold this song dear to their heart because of their situation. I personally can't relate. I'm a woman, and I haven't really had much adversity to fight through to be honest. I skip this track.

Favorite Line: Hooray, it's the underdog now, my feat under desk/I'm the presidential favorite/ can’t believe I got away with my earlier stages/ to being on stages, havin my way with the world.

Minority Report.
This was a much needed record in the light of the catastrophic events in the South. He used this time as an attempt to apologize and reconcile what happened (you'll see in my favorite line). Don't think I would have gone with Neo on this one, only because I can't stand his ass (Sorry Shanyia!! =/). Although this is not my favorite song on the album, it is the one that is most needed and plays the largest part outside of the record. He was very blunt and very real as always. But hey, what can you expect?

Favorite Line: Sure I ponied up a mill, but I didn't give my time So in reality I didn't give a dime, or a damn I just put my monies in the hands of the same people that left my people stranded. (Really I couldn't pick one. I just picked this one for Gary Payton.)

Beach Chair.
My favorite. This is my absolute favorite. This song is second on my all time favorite songs my Shawn Jay-Z Carter. If you really listen to what he's saying in this song he makes himself vulnerable. Now we all know that is not something Jay does. He is such a private person I'm surprised I know as much about him as I do. Please if you do not read another word I write, listen to Beach Chair and learn something. Learn what being humble means. This was the perfect ending to the album. He spends all this time telling a story amongst all the tracks starting with the most arrogant of them all, the prelude, and finishing with what I deem as a humble ending.

Favorite Line: The whole song.

P.S. No I didn’t count the Jay lines.

(18,044 words and counting... almost 20% of the way there!! =])