Wiz's Album of the Week #3: Jay-Z - "American Gangster"

Sup Oh.Globe readers! It's Wiz here and I'm back for Week #3 of my Album of the Week series. Basically, each week I review a hip-hop album that I really love - either new or old - and you guys leave comments on how you feel about said album! It's a discussion, so it involves your participation as well!

For week three, we have my favorite album from one of my most favorite MC's of all time. That's right, it's "American Gangster" by Jay-Z. Not only is this my favorite Jay-Z album, but I believe it's his best work as well. I have a thing for concept albums, and the concept Jay put together on "American Gangster" - taking after the film of course - perfectly fit his style. Jay-Z is known for his rags to riches story, coming from dealing drugs in the Brookyln projects, to rapping about it, to finally leading his own record label and being one of the most iconic rappers of our time.

American Gangster's sound harkens back to the soul samples prevalent in the 60's and 70's, with tracks produced by Diddy, The Neptunes, & Just Blaze, you would think the album sounds diverse, but it's actually VERY cohesive, and that's what I love most about it. Each track paints a picture, tells a story, or evokes some type of thought. Lyrically, Jay-Z spits some of his most profound lyrics, as depicted in songs like "American Dreamin'" and "Fallin'."

As for favorite tracks, I would have to choose "Say Hello." The sample is amazingly well done, and Jay-Z's flow is just icing on the cake. From front to back (with the exception of Hello Brooklyn...) this album is superb. If you're looking to get into Jay-Z, I'd recommend this album as a start.

As always, you can listen to "American Gangster" here if you have Spotify.

And if you missed the previous album of the week, you can check it out here.

See you all next week!

Posted in: 2012,album of the week,Wiz