Jay-Z may just be the first rapping superhero. No, he didn’t save the world, but he is saving rap music.
“Kingdom Come” is the first album since Jay-Z announced his retirement in 2004. The album is a collaboration between some of the best artists and producers in the business. “Kingdom Come” includes Chris Martin, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, the Neptunes, Just Blaze, Pharrell, John Legend, Usher and Beyonce. There is a lot of star power but Jay-Z is the dominant focus. “Kingdom Come,” Jay-Z’s ninth album, went straight to number one, selling 680,000 copies in the first week alone.
Kingdom Come shows Jay-Z’s growth as an artist. Jay-Z’s previous albums, “The Dynsaty,” “The Blueprint,” and “The Black Album,” included such hits as “Big Pimpin” and “Excuse Me Miss,” which focused on having money, cars and women. “Kingdom Come” examines what happens when you have it all.
Throughout the album, Jay-Z manages to walk hip-hop’s fine line between being successful and still maintaining a connection to his street roots.
This poor vs. rich dichotomy plays into Jay-Z’s portrayal of himself as a superhero in the single, “Kingdom Come.” It’s here that he compares himself to Superman and Batman.
In most of the songs, there seems to be clash between the Jay-Z that used to be just a kid selling drugs to get by and the Jay-Z who is now the CEO of one of the biggest labels in the business (Def Jams Records) and the winner of five Grammies.
Jay-Z has an interesting spin on the curse of fame instead of just lamenting over the celebrity burden. Although he does some lamenting in “Hollywood,” he broaches the issue by explaining that he still feels like he is from the streets. In the song “Kingdom Come,” Jay-Z refers to himself as, “I’m from the bottom so I still feel I’m from the bottom.” There is a dual identity of Jay-Z: on one hand he portrays this image of a cocky, got-it-all rapper and on the other he is just a guy who made it big and is trying to run a business.
All of the songs on the album really do capture what rap is about: expression. Jay-Z does not hold back on how he feels about anything including his high profile romance with Beyonce and what it means to be in your 30’s and still rapping.
The song “Minority Report” accomplishes what rap originally intended to do; it speaks for the minority by reminding people of what it means to be black in America. Using the platform of Hurricane Katrina, Jay-Z points out what is still happening to the victims because of race issues.
“Kingdom Come” is a complex album and it may take several listens to really comprehend what is happening in the songs. Overall, the album is a true testament to what rap is all about: expression and great music. Jay-Z has managed not only to give great performances but he has also worked in the business to be the superhero of rap.
It’s thanks to Jay-Z’s strides in the business that we may see a shift in hip-hop away from the commercialization and back towards it’s roots of artistic expression.
Kingdom Come is just one step in bringing rap/hip-hop back-to-the-roots and away from the pimps, hoes and bling that have dominated the genre.
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