Less than a year after Jay-Z’s
“comeback” album Kingdom Come, the
president of Def Jam has hit the
studio to record his first “concept” album. Inspired by the upcoming Denzel Washington / Russell Crowe film with the same title;
American Gangster. A Ridley Scott
directed film that portrays the life of Frank
Lucas, a 1970’s heroin kingpin out of Harlem.
In a recent interview with TheNew York Times Jay
revealed that the film sparked his creative side; leading to nine recorded
tracks, in which almost everyone was impelled by specific scenes in the movie. “It was like I was watching the film, and
putting it on pause, and giving a back story to the story,” he noted.
After Brian Grazer (the film’s producer) and Scott resisted
grabbing Jay-Z for the film’s
soundtrack, Jay offered to put out
his own album in association with the movie; while Def Jam will take care of the official soundtrack (including songs
from the Staple Singers, Bobby Womack and Sam & Dave).
“Watching that film,
it brought back all these memories … It took me back to those emotions,”Jay said and while stating that American Gangster will be a return to
the gritty, uncensored view of life on the streets.
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Throughout the interview Jay was said to be elated about his creative process while
repeatedly interrupting himself to mouth lyrics like the following, from a
track entitled No Hook…
“Poor me, dad was
gone, finally got my dad back/ liver bad, he wouldn’t live long, it snatched my
dad back”
And the following from another track…
“This is the genesis of a nemesis/ mother America’s not
witnessed since/ the Harlem Renaissance/ birthed black businesses”
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Be sure to check out the first single (produced by Pharrell) Blue Magicin HipHopDX’s audio section!
