Preliminary Album Review: Kingdome Come

Let's cut to the chase. The album is a good album. Not a CLASSIC! Not the best Jay-Z CD I've ever heard. But it's a good album and I'd say it's worth buying whether you're a Jay-Z fan or just a fan of hip-hop.

My buddy L had an interesting comment about the album though: "I'm tired of dude rapping about himself. Yes he's reached iconic status within the industry and American culture more broadly, but this is ridiculous, and at times boring"...Hmmmnnn? I wonder how many people feel the same way? Probably a lot. I definitely feel L's point though. One of Jay's favorite past-times is making himself seem omnipotent and his competitors (and listeners) feel inept at being as cool as he is.

I actually discussed this with BHill earlier and I was telling him that Jay's penchant for making others seem like they just don't measure up will serve one of two purposes for people who listen to his music:

1. Make you dislike him because he often talks about how cool he is and better he is than others through his ultra-swag
2. Make you want to step your game up

These aren't really the only two things we could put on this list, but in broad terms these are the two directions one may take.

But let's get to the tracks...

1. The Prelude: Great intro to the album. Smooth, laid-back, and Jay gives a glimpse of his lyrical prowess and wit in this intro. This one definitely gets you siced up to hear the rest of the CD
   
2. Oh My God: In a word/phrase, over-produced. I thought "Show Me What You Got" was overproduced (though the beat is great), but this one feels even more overproduced
   
3. Kingdome Come: I like this joint. Not much more to say than that. It's a good song.
   
4. Show Me What You Got: SKIP!
   
5. Lost Ones: Introspective, mellow, smooth, poignant. One of my favorite songs off of the album. I can feel this one.
   
6. Do You Wanna Ride: Jay's song about his incarcerated cousin Emory who we've heard about on other songs (briefly). This is an okay song. Based on Jay's track record you really wouldn't expect this type of song and as a result, this comes across as a bit insincere. Not to mention all he can talk about is the material things he'll have ready for his cousin when he gets out of jail ("so every time I press 5, all he wanna hear is his boy talk flyy", REALLY??). It's a bit over-the-top and that adds to the feeling of insincerity as well. But that's just me...right now...subject to change. The same could probably be said for "Lost Ones". John Legend lends his help on the hook for this one as well. Production by Kanye.
   
7. 30 Something: This is one of those "change the game" type tracks as far as Jay-Z being a trend-setter. This song is along the lines of when he said he "don't wear jersey's" because he's 30+. Jay takes a few minutes to let you know that he's on his grown-man shyt and that you young punks can't keep up. That's it. No more, no less. Specifically, in the third verse he pretty much covers why youngins can't keep up with his old azz! I think this is a shot at all the young rappers who've taken direct or subliminal shots at him. "30's the new 20..." Nah ni99a...30's the new 20 when ya azz got money!
   
8. I Made It: Another one of those introspective type joints. This one is a dedication to his moms, Gloria Carter. The best part of this song is the beat. This one is definitely not "Hey Momma" by Kanye or "Dear Momma" by Tupac. It's definitely Jay-Z's version of the "dedicated to my momma" track because even when he's applauding his mother, he applauds himself just a tad bit more (take a close listen to the 3rd verse). Is it an ode to his mother or an exhalting of his not-so-new ability to provide for his moms? Because in the end, it was "him, himself, and his microphone".
   
9. Anything: Feeble attempt at making a strip club (or club in general) song. This song is pretty horrible to me. If I ever step into a strip club again, I *might* enjoy this. In the club while dancing with a girl, I *might* enjoy this. But it's going to be hard to (no Omar). This has to be one of those Neptunes left-over beats and adding Ursher on this joint does not make it an ATL-certified stripclub banger. Jay-Z, please come correct man. This is some bullshyt! Of course, because I dislike this so much, women will undoubtedly love it for its crazy beat, dance-to-ability, and Curious George's Ursher's presence.
   
10. Hollywood: The obligatory Jay-Z/Beyonce track. They're rich and famous and even though it sucks at times, they wouldn't trade it to be YOU AND/OR YOUR GIRL. Blah blah blah. I gotta admit though, I think Jay and Bey have a nice chemistry when they work together. Jay's flow starts off in that style that I can't stand, but he picks it up as the song goes along and it gets better. It's not a bad song, but...SKIP!
    
11. Trouble: Content > lyricism...Production > content...Shot out to FREE and that baby she and Jay allegedly had. If nothing else, listen to this song for Jay's addressing of that situation.
    
12. Dig a Hole: He should have dedicated this to GAME and CamRon. He doesn't say any names but you know who he's talking about. More of this, less "Hollywood"/"Anything".
    
13. Minority Report: How dare he get political? Nice attempt, but I dunno Jay, I kinda feel like: "We don't believe you! You need more people!" I'm not convinced just yet. Maybe Nas is rubbing off on you a little bit though...You know, ya'll on ya'll Black Republican shyt and all.
    
14. Beach Chair: "I don't want to wake-up 30-odd years without having my cake-up." WTF? You're d@mn near 38 and RICH! Why are you even mentioning this? Again, come better.

To summarize....Stand-out Tracks: The Prelude, Kingdome Come, Lost Ones, 30 Something, Dig a Hole, Minority Report.

One thing to note on this CD is that Jay-Z might have only cursed a dozen times on the entire disc. The album is by no means an astounding piece of work. It's good, but nothing more. Most of you know I am Jay-Z's #1 fan, so if I feel this way, I wonder how you will feel once you hear it??? As always I will put my disclaimer of this being my "preliminary" review of the album. But this album appears to be in the same vein of the Black Album but definitely not as good as that album. And considering that many people think that the Black Album is wack (myself NOT included), what's that say about Kingdome Come? Here's what I say....

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Topical Content: 3.5/5
Creativity: 2.5/5
Production: 4.5/5
Lyrical Content: 3.5/5
Delivery: 4/5
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OVERALL: 3.5/5 MIKE'S

Sorry Jay, but after preliminary reviews:
Doctor's Advocate > Kingdome Come