Jay-Z-Kingdom Come REVIEW

Below is a review I initially published Dec. 22, 2006 4:41 PM

As the Jigga man so aptly put it in the title track from his album "I don't know what life may be in H-I-P-H-O-P without your boy H-O-V."

Yes Hov is back. (For the unititated "Hov" is short for "J-Hova" like Jehovah for he is a "god of rap".) Is this a HOT album? Yes. Are ALL the tracks HOT? No. So what's hot?

Come on
it wouldn't be a Cool Black Review
without me doin what I do
Lettin you know the hot tracks
what is whack
what is hot-not
if the album you should cop
now back to this current review
can a brother get through?

(That sounds better with a slammin' beat in the background. (o_O)

Jay-Z still has the best flow in rap. His flow is flawless. It took me a while to get used to some of the beats though. I would like for them to release this album in acapella like they did The Black Album so I can hear his "flawless flow" without all the instrumentation. The best beats on the album are from super producer Just Blaze. The tracks "Oh My God", "Kingdom Come" and the first single "Show Me What You Got" were produced by "Mr. Blaze" and they do just that…just blaze.

You can usually count on The Neptunes to hook Hov up with a hot beat…not this time the song they produce "Anything" (featuring Usher & Pharrell) just doesn't work. Dr. Dre comes through on "Lost One", but doesn't on "Minority Report". "Minority Report" is Jay-Z's attempt at a "conscious rap" that falls short. 'Report' is produced by Dr. Dre and has the new ubiquitous king of rap hooks Ne-Yo, but it still isn't all that good. The Kanye West produced track "Do U Wanna Ride" (featuring John Legend) is only ok. It's not bad, but it isn't HOT. "Hollywood" is a good radio friendly companion to the radio friendly "Show Me What You Got" is with girlfriend Beyonce. The album closer "Beach Chair" is a subdued laid back track and nice album closer.

1. The Prelude
2. Oh My God-HOT
3. Kingdom Come-HOT
4. Show Me What You Got-HOT

5. Lost One featuring Chrisette Michele-HOT
6. Do U Wanna Ride featuring John Legend -warm
7. 30 Something
8. I Made It-warm
9. Anything featuring Usher & Pharrell
10. Hollywood featuring Beyonce-HOT

11. Trouble
12. Dig A Hole featuring Sterling Simms
13. Minority Report featuring Ne-Yo
14. Beach Chair featuring Chris Martin

Five out of 14 tracks were HOT. Less than half the tracks being HOT sounds bad, but with 2 warm tracks and the above-mentioned "flawless flow" it's still a HOT album.

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2009 Retrospect: Okay it wasn't a HOT album, but I still stand behind the tracks I thought were HOT back then.