Jay-Z

Editor's Review:

This album — supposedly Sean Carter’s last effort as Jay-Z — is thick with plenty of grand production manifested in victoriously anthemic tunes (“December 4th,” “What More Can I Say”), booty-bumpin’ club jams (“Change Clothes,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”) and street jams with lots of smart-edged lyrical content and resonant bottom end (“Threat,” “Lucifer”). Though Jay-Z is backed by beats from some of the game’s biggest names — Eminem, Timbaland and The Neptunes — he sticks with more familiar producers as well, workhorses like the 9th Wonder and Just Blaze whose clean styles contribute to an album with a well-rounded sound and a nice variety. The real highlight on J-Hova’s swansong opus, however, is “99 Problems,” produced by Rick Rubin, legendary figure in rap and rock and co-founder of Def Jam, whose combination of rock guitar samples with big bombastic drum beats and a wicked little cowbell hits like an old school Run DMC track. If this is truly the end, Jay-Z is going out with a bang.
– Max Sidman
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Record Label Roc-A-Fella Released December 2003

Tracks Interlude December 4th What More Can I Say Encore Change Clothes Dirt Off Your Shoulder Threat Moment of Clarity 99 Problems Interlude Justify My Thug Lucifer Allure My 1st Song