Album Review: Kingdom Come

(3.5 out of 5 stars) Don't call it a comeback. The most anticipated release this year in rap has to be Jay-Z's comeback album "Kingdom Come". He's been the talk of the town for a good while now and everyone wants its so badly you can hear the street pavement screaming for it. Unfortunately, Jay-Z doesn't exactly deliver the caliber of album we're accustomed to from the "king of rap" with this one. The intro track is not the intro's we're accustomed to from Hov either. It then launches into the 3 Just Blaze offerings, which are arguably 3 of the better cuts on this album, meaning maybe a Blaze-Z album should be next. "Oh My God" has another sick Just Blaze hyped up beat with Jay's vocals..Not the best but still dope enough. You would think with the pull and connections Jay has at this point he would enlist 9th Wonder and maybe even good ol' DJ Premier to help on this album. But instead he goes for a few newer heads like B-Money and DJ Khalil. Not to sound ignorant but what have these guys really done lately? The Beyonce track sounds like one that shoulda been a (hidden) bonus cut on her album "B'Day". The Chris Martin track is just odd. It's as if at a party over drinks Jay and the Coldplay guy were joking around and decided to make some kind of song. Harsh I know, but we expect so much more from Jay-Z. He's now rapping about the internet, Bill Gates and IPOD's, and seems so removed from the streets with less to talk about since retiring. Comparing this album to "The Black Album" only works if you think of this "Kingdom Come" album fading to black. I would say the first half of this album is worth kicking and the 2nd half isn't. The Kanye track "Do U Wanna Ride" is dope especially with the John Legend sung chorus (disclaimer: Im a fan of John Legend). The track 30 Something by Dre is also a banger. After these the album seems to deteriorate into an abyss of pop musings, attempted political stance raps and recycled styles. It's a shame but you gotta kick the harsh reality some times. And on this big "come out of retirement and get back in the game release", "Kingdome Come" by Jay-Z, he fails to bring us the bangers we're accustomed to. I don't know if it's that he's rusty from running businesses and being retired for this time period, or he's being influenced by a more R&B/watered down style. That's not to say this is a terrible album, but it isnt on par with better releases this year in rap, such as The Roots, Lupe Fiasco or The Game. Never thought you'd hear that right? Just wait, Nas is about to 1 Up his boss in the rap game and take the spot over..