Even better in how he flips an NO bounce flow into Quran study class. Jay hasn't done flows like this since before Act I (Suckas, Walk With It, I Feel Good, Something To Hold On To, etc), and it's a great callback to his roots as an artist. It's funny that the one track that feels more like a Jay Z song is the big New Orleans tribute. One of my favorite beats in quite awhile, even before the outro. That said, Jay is in classic form here, and he makes clear how religion helped absolve him of sin, and bring him toward music, in a truly beautiful way: "My poetry's living like the God I fall back on"įlux Capacitor - This beat is the exception to the above. They always sound best to me under conspiracy bars. There's an odd, galactic emptiness to them: Letter to Falon, Patents of Nobility, The Announcement, etc. His beats always sound like David Lynch films to me. Universal Soldier - Classic, sparse Jay Elec production. And that Jay Z verse might be one of my favorite verses ever. It's a perfect fit, spiritually and sonically. But either way, I'm glad this was included. Shiny Suit Theory - There were rumors that this was originally a 7-minute track with a Charlotte Gainsbourg intro. "The legend of the clandestine reverend from the bricks, with the masters' grip, who pulled a sleeping giant out the ditch." Do yourself a favor and read along to this one. So literary, and the page-turn sound in the middle, with The-Dream's "I tried to turn the page" outro.really sweet touches. The Neverending Story - One of my favorites so far. And no one else in the world could describe the circumference of Ezekiel's Wheel and make it sound this hot. Beat is insanity and Travis doesn't overstay his welcome. It's just Hov's Black Excellence in a nutshell, to me. The Blinding - This is my favorite Jay Z verse on the project. "The minaret that Jigga build beyond the dome of the Roc, was crafted so beautifully, consider it Adhan" And it says a lot that Jay Z plays warm-up. The flow is a little wobbly, but it's human. This is very much a song you only get from people closer than not to receiving social security checks. The Ghost of Soulja Slim - It fits that Jay Elec's first verse serves as a thesis on his artistry and place in the game as a Roc signee. And I'd like to think this can be appreciated without endorsing every last belief of Louis Farrakhan. I'd certainly attribute his biblical voice as a writer to it - it's fitting as a central part of his debut album. But he explains it in the same way he did on Exhibit C: he came from nothing, his life was chaotic, and religion brought him order. It's certainly a religious album, which I can't say I expected. He hits every box on the bingo card.Īnd about that Nation. But he scratches every itch nonetheless: New Orleans bounce interpolations, Biggie and Pac references, his grandmother's wisdom, obscure streets in London, childhood nostalgia, his own absence, spins on his name, old lyric cameos, and of course, the Nation of Islam. Jay Electronica isn't as calculated and composed as on much of his solo work. The production is terrifically fresh, mix aside (I don't mind, and didn't mind on 4:44, but see where people come from), and the collaborators they brought together are a testament to who these two are: titans of their genre, one on the inside, and one on the out. You can feel the energy from the studio come through in the music. Jay Z and Roc Nation gave him the army he felt he needed to wage war.Īnd that said, it's an absolute delight. As a very long-suffering Jay Electronica fan, I'd have preferred a true solo album, but like I said, given who this guy is, I'm not sure that's a fair ask. You can see how Jay Electronica needed a sidekick to get something out the door - the fact that it’s manifested as the arguable GOAT is just the icing. You have to start with a concession: this is not Act II, this is not the Ten-Year Album.īut it gives you a pretty good answer why.
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