I got that ignorant shit you love.

I usually do this thing where I praise an album like it’s the new Jesus, and then a few days later I hate everything about it (see: Port Authority, Underground Kingz, Graduation etc.) and I think I may have found two new albums that will get crucified by Friday.

American Gangster

Yes, a new Jay-Z album already. Not just any album, but a story telling concept album! This album is so good, I threw away my copy of Kingdom Come last night. Jay goes hard right away. Well, not right away because there’s a pointless intro with lines from the movie. But then the beat for the first song, “Pray,” kicks in and you wonder if Diddy was right when he said “Unless your name is Dr. Dre, you ain’t fuckin’ with me on the boards.” Young Hov (Roc-A-Fella, ya’ll!) goes on to talk about corrupt cops, drugs, and gun battles, and it’s brilliant. “Move Coke like Pepsi, don’t matter what the brand name is.” Somewhere in between these verses Beyonce talks about some irrelevant shit. The next song, “American Dreamin’,” is co-produced by my hero, Mario “the Michael Jordan of this shit” Winans. The track has an awesome Marvin Gaye sample in it, and Jay continues his cocaine, money, cars, rap..which is on another level. This jam is followed by my favorite song on the album “Hello Brooklyn 2.0,” featuring…Lil Wayne. Ugh. Surprisingly, Weezy F. (best rapper alive) isn’t so annoying, and he’s not trying to be some sort of punchline rapper in this track. I’m a big fan of songs about your hood, and I think this is one is definitely up there with dopest of hood shout out tracks. “I only roll Lexus to hug your road, I love your corners, I’m half your soul.” Word. My favorite part of the whole song is probably the Beastie Boys sample that Bigg D used. Got the beat sounding like some 86 shit.

So just like any story, there’s a beginning, middle, and end. The Story started off with “Pray,” reached the climax with “Party Life,” a song about..you guessed it, being on top of the world because you sold a lot of drugs, and ends with “Fallin’,” Young Hov gets greedy, and fucks it all up. I highly doubt he snitched though. In between all this shit there’s some really amazing production provided by The Hitmen, Neptunes, Just Blaze, Bigg D, DJ Toomp, No I.D. & Jermaine Dupri. As far as guest spots go, it’s thin, but really, do you need anyone other than Beanie Sigel & Nas on this shit? I forgot about Lil Wayne. Ugh. Anyway, go buy this shit before I change my mind and start bashing it in a few days.

Getback

A new Little Brother album! The best part about this is the lack of 9th Wonder. Now, I don’t hate 9th Wonder, but goddamn, do something different. I was a little nervous when I first checked this one out because I didn’t know what to expect. What if they’re like those emcees who can’t choose a good beat if their life depended on it? (ex: C. Rayz Walz, Canibus) So I listened, and right away I put all that bullshit aside because the first track, “Sirens,” is a fucking banger. Something for your ‘87 Monte Carlo on Lorenzos for sure. It was hard pay attention to what Big Pooh, and Phonte were rappin’ cause that beat was so nasty, but as soon as I got over it, I listened to how serious they come right off the bat, touching on subjects like: the usage of the word “nigga,” losing their deal with Atlantic, hip-hop today, and how rap gets blamed for all that violent and misogynistic shit. I know amongst fans, these guys are bundled in that whole ‘conscious rap’ shit, but I don’t buy that. I love that they rap about serious stuff, and at the same time they can keep an incredible sense of humor in their music. An example of this is reaching out to Lil Wayne to put him on this album. Ugh. I think it’s just a cruel joke they played on everyone..funny, guys. Funny because “Breakin’ My Heart,” the song that features Wayne, that is one of my favorite songs on the album. 9th Wonder produced it too. What the fuck? Wayne singlehandedly ruins this almost perfect love song with his stupid ass rhymes. “I know cheaters never get crowned, so I play fair like roller coasters and clowns.” Best rapper alive, right? I hate the internet.

I’ve got somewhere to be so I’ll wrap it up. The album is great. Solid production from Hi-Tek, Khrysis, Zo!, Denaun Porter, Illmind & 9th Wonder, with hardly any guest spots. Just a few singers here and there. Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh come on point in every song whether it be about the issues with minorities and poverty, wearing stonewash jeans with the leather jacket, or trying to get pussy after you come out of the club. Bottom line: “Holla at the nigga in the red 93 civic.” Give Little Brother your money.

Tags: 9th wonder, american gangster, crack, diddy, frank lucas, getback, heroin, jay-z, little brother