No Country vs. American Gangster

Two recent movies which are all about greed, The American Dream and drug dealer's money are "American Gangster" and "No Country for Old Men". The similarities of these movies basically is they both star Josh Brolin and both feature the greed and ruthless nature of drug dealers as they kill, plunder and ruin lives to pursue wealth. Both movies take us into the world of drug dealers who will move forward at all costs, killing everyone in their way. "American Gangster" stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. It depicts Frank Lucas (Denzel) who started out as a driver for the notorious gangster named "Bumpy". Frank was with Bumpy everyday and learned his mentor's gangster ways. When Bumpy passed one day, Frank took over the operations and decided to expand. He became very business-minded and money hungry. Capitalizing on the Vietnam War and the increasing use of marijuana, heroin and opium, he began to ship product in from overseas with the military. The product was called "Blue Magic" which was 100% pure and Frank's brand. Frank quickly became the biggest name in Harlem, and one of the most ruthless. He still had to deal with crooked cops and rival gangsters, as well as the realization that a dream built illegally can come crashing down. Crowe plays the detective tracking Frank and trying to bring him in, while also trying to mend his own broken life. The movie served as Jay-Z's inspiration for the great album of the same title as the movie. While I didn't find this movie any more impressive than other mobster movies such as Goodfellas, Bronx Tale or Scarface, it definitely serves an important purpose and has relevance as it depicts how our society has evolved. "No Country for Old Men" stars Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson as well as Javier Bardem, the winner of this year's Best Supporting Actor award for playing a seriously crazy serial killer. The movie itself won best picture, so it's worth seeing. Without giving away too much of it, it tells the tale of a Cowboy (Brolin) who is out hunting in the vast country fields of Texas. He stumbles upon a gruesome drug deal gone bad, with dead bodies strewn everywhere. Not far off from the crime scene, is another dead man with a suitcase full of money. The cowboy decides to take the rich prize, which includes a tracking device in it. Of course, the drug dealers want their money back and the man quickly becomes the target for the craziest of the drug dealers, a serial killer who stalks him, and his family. Tommy Lee Jones serves as an older law enforcement agent in the area trying to track the seriously whacked out killer down. The movie was entertaining and kept you wondering what would happen as the killer pursued the man who stole his money. The ending may be a let down for some but provide relevance to others. Give this one a try and see what you think of the latest "Best Picture" Oscar winner. If nothing else it does include some great acting performances from not only the serial killer but also Tommy Lee Jones and a swimming drug dealer's dog. While both movies are set in different times with different characters, they both serve to show that the drug trade as well as greed in our country will almost always lead to the destruction of many lives and families. Not only that, but money made illegally will almost always catch up to the person who made it. (Also of note, American Gangster stars several rappers: TI, Common and RZA from Wu-Tang Clan.) No Country for Old Men available on DVD at Amazon.com. American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition) available on DVD at Amazon.com.

Jay-Z Sued in Slavery Lawsuit?

On Jay-Z's American Gangster album, he and rapper Nas speak of Success. Success is great, but with success comes responsibility, and lawsuits. With Jay's American Gangster album finally hitting platinum plaque status after 17 weeks on the charts, Jay is also implicated in a lawsuit. The legal tussle accuses Jay-Z and developer Bruce Ratner of "working in concert" with Barclays Bank and "profit[ing] from the African slave trade. The suit is for approximately 5 billion dollars from Clive Campbell, who is seeking reparations for slavery. According to Metro.co.uk: Ratner is in charge of Brooklyn's $4bn Atlantic Yards project which will see the construction of 6,000 new apartments along with a basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets. As part-owner of the Nets and a staunch suporter of the Atlantis project, Jay-Z has found himself drawn into an argument over slavery after Barclays brought the naming rights to the basketball arena for $400m. The bank (Barclays) faces long-standing accusations that it had links to the 18th century slave trade with some suggesting that it co-operated with South African apartheid, although Barclays deny the claims. Campbell accuses them of being involved in “a conspiracy dating back hundreds of years and [continuing] to oppress black people, enslave them, [and] unlawfully deport them to all corners of the Earth.” So Jay is currently sued due to his business associations, but I wouldn't expect a billion dollar payout any time soon. It seems ridiculous on its face to put a price on this or even suggest that Jay-Z is responsible for anything beyond American greed. Read the full metro.co.uk article here.

Jay-Z's 2008 Plans

It appears Jay-Z has already started working on new ventures in 2008. First off, it's been reported that Jay may be working with Apple iTunes to launch a new digital record label. Playlouder.com also poses the idea that Jay wasn't selling his American Gangster album on iTunes last month. (Source: Playlouder.com) MP3.com also notes the following about Jay's Def Jam contract which may create some conflict: "Another obstacle is Jay-Z's current recording contract with Def Jam. Late last month, Jay-Z ended months of speculation by announcing that he was stepping down as president of Def Jam Recordings after a three-year run as an executive with the company. But he remains under contract for two more albums as an artist." Jay also wants to open up five more 40/40 clubs, has a mixtape mashup of himself and Ghostface Killah and may be planning a wedding with Beyonce for NYC. Also see 10 New Year's Resolutions for Jay-Z Jay-Z Songs at iTunes: Umbrella by Rihanna feat. Jay-Z Big Pimpin' by Jay-Z feat. UGK Check out Jay-Z ringtones for your mobile phone! Pick up American Gangster at Amazon.com. View Rap Music Lyrics for Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Kanye West & more!

Rap Music Lyrics American Dreamin by Jay-Z

Here's rap musi lyrics for the Jay-Z track American Dreamin'. The track comes from Jay-Z's 2007 album American Gangster which was inspired by the film of the same name, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Marvin Gaye intro: dreamed of you this morning than came the dawn and i thought that you were here with me if you could only see how much you mean that's all, thats all Sampled Chorus by Marvin Gaye Jay-Z Verse 1 this is the s--t you dream about with the homies steaming out back back backing the beamers out seems as our plan to get a grant to go off to college then pan have even out we need it now--we need a town, we need a place to pitch we need a +mound+ for now im just a lazy boy day dreamin' in my lazy boy and the cloud of smoke and it playing is Marvin momma forgive me i should be thinkin 'bout Harvard but thats too far away and n-----s is starving aint nothing wrong with my aim just gotta change the target i got dreams of bagging sn-id-ows (snows) the size of pillows i see pies everytime my eyes cl-id-ose (close) i see rides sixes i gotta get those life's a b----h i hope to not make it a widow Sampled Chorus by Marvin Gaye Jay-Z Verse 2 you see your life right there and it seems right there and it's not quite near it's not like we're professionals moving the decimals know where to cop? (Naw) got a connect (No) who in the F knows how to be successful need a personal Jesus im in to pectual you says the texture it's all in the stars it's like Tony LaRussa how you played the +Cards+ ya aint f**king with me, the ironies are at all cost better before he gets bars now lets start on your mark get set let's go heat up the car going in circles this a vicious cycle this is a crash course this aint high school wake up monday dreaming again your a reality show, let the season begin Sampled Chorus by Marvin Gaye Jay-Z Verse 3 step one in his proccess scramble up in your projects and head to the heights where big coke is proccessed gotta convince them that you not from the precinct please speak slow cause he don't speaky no english if he takes it light got in a couple of trips and your money is straight, he's gon' give you consignment now in the game where only time could tell survive the droughts, i wish you well "survive the droughts?" "i wish you well?" how sick am i? i wish you health i wish you wheels i wish you wealth i wish you insight so you could see for your self you could see the signs when the jackers is scheaming and the cops is coming you could read their minds you could see from behind you could re-define the game as we know it one dream at a time i'm american dreamin' Sampled Chorus by Marvin Gaye See more rap music lyrics! Check out Jay-Z Roc Boys lyrics and Jay-Z Blue Magic lyrics. Check out American Gangster at Amazon.com! Check out Jay-Z ringtones for your mobile phone!

Too Short on Dog, Jay-Z on Publicity

Rapper Too Short weighed in on the whole Bounty Hunter controversy at TMZ.com. The rapper says context is everything as you can use the "F" word to imply someone's the greatest person on the earth or that you hate them. Short says the same goes with the "N" word and Chapman basically was using it in a hateful way. Watch the Too Short 1:36 video at TMZ.com here. Jay-Z's recent "American Gangster" is a nice return-to-form album for the rapper and he has been promoting it on various shows. Jigga was on this past week's "VH1 Storytellers" and performed 8 songs from the album, also providing commentary about how he each song was crafted. It's worth a view over at VH1.com Storytellers. Jay also appeared on Charlie Rose's PBS interview show and it appears that it was taped some time ago, or doesn't need writers. Jay spoke about how he was inspired to do this album, gave some history of the various songs and spoke about Diddy executive producing it. Check out footage at CharlieRose.com.

Album Review: American Gangster by Jay-Z

American Gangster is the rap album of the year, hands down. A friend told me that it would be after he heard it streaming on Sirius satellite radio this past week. I argued with him because I didn't think AG could outdo "Graduation" by Kanye and "Finding Forever" by his fellow Chicago rapper, Common. Despite the giftedness of both rappers, Jay-Z simply outdoes both albums with this poetic musical journey. Yes, Hov is back! The album launches with dialogs from the movie "American Gangster" as Denzel drops quotes on beat, setting the tone for the rest of this work. From there it takes off running as the up tempo and musically addictive "Pray" starts and Jay blesses us with his incredible flurry of words. This is far above the caliber of the last release Jay gave us with "Kingdom Come". On "No Hook", Jay raps about the way his parents influenced his street mentality, how he didn't have much and needed to find a way to get his hustle on so he could become wealthy. Jay brings you the grittier visions of his past where his life was down in the "sewers". AG is classic material, a poetic work of beauty full of these gritty visuals over soulful 70's style tracks. Jigga's taking us back to the early gangsta days again, similar to "Reasonable Doubt", his classic solo debut. "Say Hello to the Bad Guy" is named after the classic Scarface line and in it Jay tells us exactly what he is and isn't about. "Roc Boys" is an up tempo jam featuring horns and a very captivating beat crafted by Diddy. The song features the feel-good chorus of "The Roc Boys in the building tonight..you don't even gotta bring your paper out, we the dope boys of the year, drinks is on the house". It's a celebratory theme song sure to rock parties and clubs. Jay doesn't ignore present times either, as he includes a few lines about Don Imus and "celebs showin' their kittens". "Hello Brooklyn" features a slowed down bass beat reminiscent of a Beastie Boys track and features Lil' Wayne offering his lyrical abilities to the track. Another standout is easily the dynamic duo track "Success" which features Jay and Nas together again, with Jigga discussing how he was "happier poor and now he's pissed off". Wayne, Beanie Sigel and Nas provide the only guest raps and the album doesn't suffer at all from their appearance, or the lack of more guests. Clocking in at just under 60 minutes, this is a musical journey well worth embarking on, as Jay takes you through the hustles, struggles and events of a true American Gangster. While it's not a soundtrack for the recent movie, it's definitely a soundtrack for Jay's life back in the day. Its 70's style beats underneath Jay-Z's gifted storytelling will certainly have you bobbin your head as he takes you down the path he traveled as a street hustler. Purchase "American Gangster" CD at Amazon, or purchase the "American Gangster [Explicit] MP3 album" download.

Jay-Z Talks to the Times

"American Gangster" the movie should be the #1 film easily this past weekend. Several friends have seen it and have given it the thumbs up, so it sounds like a definite "must see". Even though the film is lengthy it features two of the top actors of the time right now, with Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington. The movie is also the inspiration for the album "American Gangster" by Jay-Z, set to drop this Tuesday November 6th. Jigga said he wasn't ready to bring a new album so fast, but it appears an early viewing of the movie really set off his emotions and stoked his creative fires. That's usually when some of the best material comes out, so this could be rap album of the year. The Los Angeles Times features an article about Jay in which he discusses the tough road he's traveled from his old neighborhood in the Marcy Projects all the way up to his current stature as a CEO, part NBA-owner and entrepreneur. Read "Jay-Z's Hard Truths" here. You can preview a full streaming clean version of American Gangster at Rocafella.com. Jay is also set to perform 8 songs on "VH1's Storytellers" this coming Thursday. Jay-Z's Myspace page is also pimped out with American Gangster themed wallpapers for your downloading. Jay-Z's album, "American Gangster" hits stores, iTunes and computers everywhere officially on Tuesday, November 6th.

Official American Gangster Tracklist?

The Jay-Z tracklist has been unveiled. In several places, with varying reports of what the tracklist actually is. Here's what the Wikipedia entry has to say: 1 "Intro" 2 "Pray" 3 "American Dreamin'" 4 "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" (featuring Lil Wayne) 5 "No Hook" 6 "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)" 7 "Sweet" 8 "I Know" 9 "Party Life" 10 "Ignorant Shit" (featuring Beanie Sigel) 11 "Say Hello" 12 "Success" (featuring Nas) 13 "Fallin'" * "Blue Magic" featuring (Pharrell) * "American Gangster" Source: Wikipedia.com iTunes tells a different story: 1 Amen 2 Blue Magic 3 Untitled 4 Alright, Alright 5 You Don't Know 6 And the Winner Is 7 American Gangster 8 Welcome 9 Ignorant Sh-t 10 The Demise 11 I Get Money (Remix) The Wikipedia entry clearly looks better overall, but Pitchfork Media reports a similar tracklist as iTunes (or the same one). It's quite possible many of these tracks are just renamed and that iTunes had an early tracklist. The Jay-Z/Nas round 2 collab track produced by No ID is definitely one to anticipate so hopefully list #1 is good to go, as iTunes doesn't even include the Nas track. American Gangster [EXPLICIT] is available at Amazon.com for Pre-Orders.

Jigga the American Gangster

The Jay-Z "American Gangster" album is shaping up to be possibly one of the hotter(st) releases of the year, since Common's "Finding Forever" and Kanye West's "Graduation". A few tracks have already surfaced around the net including "Blue Magic", "Dead Presidents 3" and my personal fave "Roc Boys". Roc Boys features an uptempo horn-laced beat and catchy verses from the Jigga man himself. Some of the hottest cuts on the album are said to come from the Diddy man. The upcoming album seems to be on point because Jay also called on Pharrell Williams, No I.D., DJ Toomp, Just Blaze and Jermaine Dupri to help out with production. Only two guest rappers drop along with Jigga on the album, fellow Roc alum, Beanie Sigel and all-time legend and recent Def Jam signee, Nas. So what's got Hova the great so inspired for this project? The upcoming film starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and several rappers such as Common, RZA and T.I. The movie “American Gangster” is directed by Ridley Scott and shows the real-life story of Frank Lucas, a 1970s heroin smuggler from Harlem, New York. MTV.com's article sheds some light: "but the film brought back memories of when Jay lived a more disreputable lifestyle. As portrayed by Washington, the movie's real-life subject, Frank Lucas, possessed a laid-back demeanor, drive and business acumen that Hov could relate to. So, he decided to make an album that filled in some of the scenes and emotions that Jay felt he wanted to see in the film, but for one reason or another didn't make it to the big screen." (Source: MTV.com) There's mixed reviews behind the scenes about the quality of Jay's next album but judging from the tracks offered up around the web so far this one sounds like it will trump "Kingdom Come" and possibly be the top release from rap this year. The album is slated for release early November (as is the film American Gangster), but as many know, rap albums often get pushed back. Stay tuned. Here's several stories/links to check out regarding the American Gangster project: Jay-Z's American Gangster: A Guided Tour By Jigga, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell And Others Jay Previews American Gangster for Rolling Stone Jay-Z Hard at Work on American Gangster - MTV.com View the American Gangster film trailer here Official site for American Gangster movie Pre-Order or Order Jay-Z's "American Gangster".