American Gangster (album)
American Gangster | ||||
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mafioso rap | ||||
Length | 58:38 | |||
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Singles from American Gangster | ||||
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American Gangster is the tenth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was conceived as a concept album—inspired by the 2007 film of the same name—and was released on November 6 of that year through Roc-A-Fella Records. The album features production from Diddy & the Hitmen, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Danja and the Neptunes, among others. It also includes guest appearances by Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne, Pharrell, and Nas. The album's production is built around 1970s soul and funk, with instruments featured on the album played by professional musicians including, horns, string arrangements, drummers, and unconventional percussion created with bottles. The album's theme is based around the gangster lifestyle, the American Dream, and Jay-Z's memories of growing up in Brooklyn, New York's Marcy.
American Gangster received widespread critical acclaim and was viewed by
The album was also a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 425,000 copies in its first week. This became Jay-Z's tenth number-one album, tying him with Elvis Presley for the second most number-one albums on the chart. A month after its release, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2007. This would be Jay-Z's last album released under Def Jam Recordings before signing with Live Nation two years later.
Recording and production
American Gangster was recorded in sessions at Audiovision Studio and South Beach Studios in Miami; SoundTrap Studios in Atlanta; Hot Beats Recording Studios in Atlanta; and Baseline Studios, Daddy's House, KMA Studios, and Rock The Mic in New York.
Jay-Z originally stated he recorded nine tracks for the album,
Music and lyrics
According to
It's a New York City true story, you know. So as soon as the movie came on, it was like familiar, things that my pop seen and my uncles seen and, you know, different things like that, things I've seen growing up. So they resonated with me in a way, the story, as well as, I mean, even though everything happens, you know, the way it turns out, you know, it's one of those movies that where you champion the bad guy, because the bad guy, you know, he don't seem like a bad guy, and the good guy — I mean the good guys are bad. You know, that complex — the complexity of human beings in this thing was amazing to me. I loved the complexity of the human beings.[8]
Although Jay-Z says American Gangster was inspired by the movie, songs such as "Say Hello" touch on the topics of censorship and the
Release and promotion
American Gangster was made available for
Jay-Z promoted the album with the American Gangster Live concert tour, performing material only from the album in five smaller sized venues across the US, starting on November 6 in Los Angeles and ending on November 12 in Philadelphia.[13] According to a statement from Roc-A-Fella.com, the five-city club tour sold out in less than 60 seconds.[14]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100[15] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [16] |
The A.V. Club | A−[17] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[18] |
The Irish Times | [19] |
NME | [20] |
Pitchfork | 8.6/10[21] |
Q | [22] |
Rolling Stone | [23] |
Uncut | [24] |
USA Today | [25] |
American Gangster was met with widespread critical acclaim. At
Reviewing the album for
Some reviewers expressed reservations.
American Gangster was ranked in the top ten of several music publications' end-of-year lists, including
Commercial performance
American Gangster debuted at number one in the US
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" (performed by | Just Blaze | 3:41 | |
11. | "Say Hello" |
| Toomp | 5:26 |
12. | "Success" (featuring Nas) |
| 3:30 | |
13. | "Fallin'" |
|
| 4:06 |
14. | "Blue Magic" (bonus track) | The Neptunes | 4:10 | |
15. | "American Gangster" (bonus track) |
| Just Blaze | 3:40 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
Samples and Additional Vocals
- "I Know" and "Blue Magic" features additional vocals by Pharrell Williams.
- "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)" features additional vocals by Beyoncé, Kanye West and Cassie. "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)" samples "Make the Road by Walking" by Menahan Street Band.
Personnel
# | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1 | "Intro" |
Arrangers: Hector Delgado & Idris Elba |
2 | "Pray" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, S. Combs, D. Matthews, L. Coppin, and A. Hawkshaw |
3 | "American Dreamin" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, S. Combs, D. Matthews, L. Coppin, M. Gaye, A. Ross, L. Ware |
4 | "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, D. Carter, D. Baker |
5 | "No Hook" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, S. Combs, D. Matthews, L. Coppin, B. White |
6 | "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." |
Songwriters: S. Carter, S. Combs, D. Matthews, L. Coppin, T. Brenneck, D. Guy, M. Deller, L. Michels, B. Mann |
7 | "Sweet" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, S. Combs, D. Matthews, L. Coppin, R. Love |
8 | "I Know" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, P. Williams |
9 | "Party Life" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, S. Combs, D. Matthews, L. Coppin, W. Hale, D. Stone |
10 | "Ignorant Shit" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, J. Smith, D. Grant, R. Isley, O. Isley, R. Isley, M. Isley, E. Isley, C. Jasper |
11 | "Say Hello" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, A. Davis, T. Brocker |
12 | "Success" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, E. Wilson, N. Jones, L. Ellis |
13 | "Fallin'" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, J. Dupri, T. Hester |
14 | "Blue Magic" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, P. Williams, D. Foster, T. McElroy, T. Ellis, C. Herron, M. Jones, D. Robinson and B. Kaun |
15 | "American Gangster" |
Songwriters: S. Carter, J. Smith, C. Mayfield |
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[60] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[61] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[41] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
See also
- List of number-one albums of 2007 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 2007 (U.S.)
References
- ^ "American Gangster - Jay-Z". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ Elliott Wilson (October 19, 2007). Jay-Z: I'll Still Kill (Part I) Archived 2007-12-06 at the Wayback Machine XXL. Accessed December 2, 2007.
- ^ Andres Tardio (October 9, 2007). Jay-Z Delivers The Goods On American Gangster. HipHopDX. Accessed December 2, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e The Producers Behind Jay-Z's American Gangster Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine. XXL (October 25, 2007). Accessed October 25, 2007.
- ^ a b c David M. Halbfinger and Jeff Leeds (September 20, 2007). For Jay-Z, Inspiration Arrives in a Movie. The New York Times. Accessed September 20, 2007.
- ^ Omar Burgess (October 4, 2007). Def Jam Speaks on American Gangster Project. HipHopDX. Accessed October 4, 2007.
- ^ Batey, Angus. Review: American Gangster. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2010-02-22.
- Charlie Rose Show(November 9, 2007). Accessed November 7, 2007.
- ^ Jokesta (November 8, 2007). Jay Z Addresses Censoring Hip Hop On New Album, To Debut with 10th Number 1 Archived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine. Def Sounds. Accessed November 19, 2007.
- ^ Lyrical Thought (October 15, 2007). Jay-Z Regrets Kingdom Come, Corrects Kanye Archived 2007-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Def Sounds. Accessed October 15, 2007.
- ^ Jay-Z Pulls American Gangster from iTunes Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine XXL (November 6, 2007). Accessed November 6, 2007.
- ^ "American Gangster by Jay-Z". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ^ Jay-Z Announces American Gangster Live Tour Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine XXL. (October 22, 2007). Accessed November 2, 2007.
- ^ Jay-Z's American Gangster Tour Sells Out in Under A Minute Archived 2007-10-31 at the Wayback Machine XXL. (October 29, 2007). Accessed November 2, 2007.
- ^ "Jay-Z Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. Review: American Gangster. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-22.
- ^ a b Rabin, Nathan. Review: American Gangster. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-02-22.
- ^ a b Drumming, Neil. American Gangster. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-07-22.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (November 16, 2007). "Hip-hop". The Irish Times. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Pattison, Louis. Review: American Gangster. NME. Retrieved on 2010-02-22.
- ^ Breihan, Tom. Review: American Gangster. Pitchfork. Retrieved on 2009-07-22.
- ^ "Review". Q. January 2008. p. 103.
- ^ a b Sheffield, Rob. Review: American Gangster. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-07-22.
- ^ "Review: American Gangstar". Uncut. London. January 2008. p. 91.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna (November 5, 2007). "'Gangster': Say hello to Jay-Z's epic album". USA Today. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ American Gangster (2007): Reviews. Metacritic. Accessed November 5, 2007.
- ^ Linden, Amy. Review: American Gangster. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-07-22.
- ^ Yates, Steve. Review: American Gangster. The Observer. Retrieved on 2010-02-22.
- ^ Wasser, Chris (November 28, 2007). "American Gangster". Hot Press. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Kot, Greg (November 4, 2007). "'American Gangster' freshens Jay-Z's storytelling". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. Review: American Gangster. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-07-22.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (January 2008). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
- ^ "Consumer Guide Album: Jay-Z: American Gangster". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ^ Best Albums of 2007 Archived 2008-03-05 at the Wayback Machine. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-06-29.
- ^ Robert Christgau, David Fricke, Christian Hoard and Rob Sheffield (December 17, 2007). The Top 50 Albums of 2007. Rolling Stone. Accessed December 19, 2007.
- ^ The 100 Best Songs of 2007 Rolling Stone (December 11, 2007). Accessed December 13, 2007.
- ^ "Pazz & Jop". The Village Voice. 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Barack Obama Digs Jay-Z But Wishes He Was A Little Kinder, Gentler Idolator. Accessed June 6, 2009.
- ^ a b Katie Hasty (November 14, 2007). "Jay-Z Leapfrogs Eagles, Britney For No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ Chris Harris (November 21, 2007). "Alicia Keys Lands Fourth Consecutive #1 On Billboard Chart With As I Am". MTV. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – JAY Z – American Gangster". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Trust, Gary (August 7, 2009). "Ask Billboard: Steve Vai, Jay-Z, Radiohead". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Jay-Z – American Gangster" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jay-Z – American Gangster" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Jay-Z – American Gangster". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 8 November 2007". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jay-Z – American Gangster". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jay-Z – American Gangster". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – JAY Z – American Gangster". Music Canada.
- ^ "British album certifications – JAY Z – American Gangster". British Phonographic Industry.
External links
- American Gangster at Discogs (list of releases)