Why did I review the album? I liked his last album
Did I like it? Yes
Will I listen again? Yes
I got this album a few months ago
and stopped listening after the first three sings I heard. Even now, I still
find them subpar to Jeezy’s normal standard, but I’ve learned to find value in
them regardless. After the rough start, it manages to find its way rather well.
Compared to the last effort, I find
this one more impressive. This may be my prejudice coming to light, but I find
this one much more personal. As a man that listens to rap for the stories it
tells, I appreciates the rawness and real life experience spread throughout the
album.
As you will see in the longer
version of this review, I fell in love with the beats too. I mainly focus on
content and usually am indifferent to beats, but it seemed like every time I heard
a track I was praising the beat.
Another thing to note is that
Jeezy travels the same roads as previous albums (drug heavy content) , but
finds a way to make it fresh. He describes his experience with drugs so vividly
that I can imagine being there with him. That vividness allows you to be
entrapped in the story he’s telling and separates him from all other drug
rappers. My favorite drug related album
is still Pusha T’s My Name is My Name, but this is a valiant effort that serves
a worthy runner up.
My Favs
3. How I Did It (Perfection)
2. Holy Ghost
1. Seen it All
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Spins
1-4 Block- I really like the beat to this
one. It’s a change from the usual beats. The guitar feedback in the backround
reminded me of rock without the drums. It was so interesting that I didn’t
really care what he was talking about. 3.5/5
What You Say-I’m starting to sense a
pattern here. It has the same odd sound that I don’t expect from a Jeezy album.
Unlike the last one, I did pay attention to the lyrics and am not impressed.
It’s the same old stereotypical lyrics that you can hear from any rapper.3/5
Black Eskimo- Same story as before, love
the beat but am indifferent towards the lyrics. 2.5/5
Enough- As usual I really like the beat, but this
time the hook caught my attention. Essentially Jeezy thinks that if you work
hard it will eventually pay off. It’s a sentiment that I generally agree with.
What I found the most interesting is that the notion of “grinding” is left open
to interpretation. He didn’t say “selling (insert drug here)” is grinding or
that getting an education is the “grind”; he leaves it open to interpretation.
I like that because it doesn’t takes sides and tell the audience what it should
be doing, that’s not the point. Whatever inspires you to put in the work is the
grind. That gives it the subtlety that I was looking for in Macklemore&
Ryan Lewis’ Make the Money.4/5
Holy Ghost- I know I keep saying this, but
the beat is amazing. I love it. It’s got a hard edge to it that attracted me to
it.
I had to do some research (which
I try to avoid because it colors my reaction to the song) because the content
seemed too personal to be hypothetical. I was right.
It’s funny because people lust
for money because they believe money will solve problems when they arise. I am
a believer that as your wealth increases your problems do not disappear, they
change. However when you have fame and money nobody wants to hear that. The
immediate response of many is that he has money, what is he complaining about?
The song seems like it has all
the pieces of a five star rating. The fact that I brought this up means that
it’s not getting one. Why? I hate the hook. It falls back on stereotypical
rapper topics that I hate and conveys a message I don’t support. This case
especially annoyed me because the content in the verses was so good that it
hurt a track that could have been a perfect song. 4.5/5
Me Ok- I hate this song. First off it promotes a message I don’t
support. Then he uses what I call chopped rapping which you all know I hate. To
top it off the beat is the worst of the tracks so far. To be fair, it’s not
terrible, just unremarkable. 1/5
4 Zones- From now on, to avoid sounding
like a broken record, assume that the beat is great unless I say otherwise.
There a lot of drug related
references here. As I discussed in a previous review, many drug references mean
nothing to me because I’m not a part of that world. However it carries the same
message as Enough: if you work hard, you can make things
happen for yourself. As cliché as that is, I can get behind that message.
Unlike enough he uses a specific example (drugs) as conduit to achieving
success. I like Enough more because of its ambiguousness it can be applied to
anyone while this cannot.
Also, did anyone else fond in the
lyrics hilarious. He goes out of his way to say that he hopes his drive doesn’t
rub people the wrong way. Then immediately says he doesn’t give a f*** what you
think of him. So, in other words, I hope
I don’t bother you, but if I do, f*** you too.
It’s a very chill song with a
nice beat to accompany it. 4/5
Been Getting’ Money- Your garden variety
rap song. Nothing bad about it, but nothing special either. 3/5
F*** the World- I know I said I wouldn’t
repeat this, but this beat! The ultimate chill beat! It’s different the others
because its slower and more atmospheric. Also given the feature (August Alsina)
it’s a perfect choice.
Thankfully the song doesn’t ask
Alsina to do too much. It requires that he sing at the same tone throughout. To
his credit, he does this perfectly and his voice is as smooth as the beat. His
voice perfectly matches the beat and each feed off each other. 4/5
Seen it All- I LOVE this song.
I’ve been critical of Jay in the past because I think he mails it in
sometimes but no one calls him on it because he’s King Jay. I won’t be making
those complaints this time around. Just in case you didn’t believe he used to
sell he drops enough drug references to quiet anyone. Later in the verse he
talks about some of the consequences of selling so he lets you know it’s not
all it’s cracked up to be (and yes I did that on purpose). The throwing around
Knicks line was hilarious. More than that though it provides some
lightheartedness to a verse that is rather serious.
For his part, Jeezy’s verse is
equally solid. He admits that selling isn’t as lucrative as rappers lead you to
believe, but because he was in a desperate situation he refused to fail.
Because of that has found a way to make his situation work for him. He even
admits he’s afraid of jail. That’s the first time I’ve heard a rapper talk
about drugs and jail honestly.
Add in a nice beat and I think it’s
worth a five 5/5
Win is a Win- This is a short one, but
packs as much punch as other tracks twice its length. He’s learned a lot since
his rise to fame and talks about that journey here. He went from acting a fool
with his money (by his own admission) to trying to make a difference with the
influence he has attained.4/5
Beautiful- I love the vibe of this song. 4\5
Beez Like- It’s a feel good song that serves its purpose,
but nothing special though. 3/5
No Tears—This is an exact repeat of the
previous track. It might sound like an odd thing to say since this track is far
more serious, but that is the only difference. The end result is the same, each
song wants to make you appreciate your situation regardless of the hardships. Since
the songs are so similar, I think they should have spread the tracks apart so
it wasn’t as obvious. 3.5/5
How I Did It (Perfection)- Is
it just me or is this beat something that J. Cole would use. It has a hard and
raw (but somehow still manages to be chill)
that would fit well on his first album.
You all might disagree with me,
but I get a Jay-Z vibe from this song. His approach to this song is the key. It’s
so relaxed and nonchalant. He delivers the lyrics in a very matter of fact way
without the pomp that I become accustomed to from Jeezy. This calm and relaxed
flow exudes much more confidence than his usual bragging style. When Jay is at
his best this is the style he uses. Jeezy borrows it here and uses it to its
full potential. 4.5/5
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