Ok, first Jay-Z “retired” and then when no one was looking recorded an entire album (2006’s Kingdom Come). It was terrible (what did you expect? It had Coldplay’s Chris Martin, aka instant hip-hop buzzkill).
Then again, when no one was the wiser, Jay-Z quietly did his own thing and then recorded a whole album’s worth of material inspired by the upcoming Ridley Scott film, “American Gangster” according to the New York Times.
The album – which is due November 6 – came together quickly over the last several weeks after Jay-Z was shown a screening of the film that stars Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and his hip-hop brethren, Common and T.I. (Washington plays Frank Lucas, a early 1970s Harlem heroin kingpin, and Crowe plays the obsessive cop gunning to take him down). Apparently nine tracks are already complete.
So yeah, being President of a label will help you record an album in a matter of weeks and then schedule it for release just over a month later. Gotta love them perks.
We all should have probably seen this coming, the “American Gangster” trailer features Jay-Z’s, “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” from The Blueprint. Jay said after watching the film he had a burst of creativity that was unprecedented even for him. “It was like I was watching the film, and putting it on pause, and giving a back story to the story,” he told the Times.
Apparently Denzel had already pressed producer Brian Grazer to include Jay-Z’s music in the film more than a year ago, but Grazer resisted, insisting the movie required an authentic 1970s feel. Def Jam will be releasing the film’s actual soundtrack which features songs by ’70s funk star Bobby Womack (“Across 100th Street” is also used in one of the trailers), the Staple Singers and Sam & Dave.
“Watching that film, it brought back all these memories,” Jay said. “It took me back to those emotions.”
Download: Jay-Z’s – “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)”
Download: Bobby Bland – Ain’t No Love In the Heart of the City” (original sample source)
“American Gangster” trailer