American Gangster Image
Metascore

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 118 Ratings

  • Summary: Jay-Z's 10th studio album features Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Kayne West, Beanie Sigel, Nas, Bilal, and Pharrell Williams.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 25
  2. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. It is, really and truly, an experience.
  2. This is a very good Jay-Z album. He is, for the most part, doing what he has done before: what he does best.
  3. 80
    With his delivery having reached comfortable cruising altitude, this is an effective reminder of what success is about--leaving the hustle behind. [Jan 2008, p.91]
  4. When the natural flow of Nas' rap elevates 'Success' to one of American Gangster's best songs, you kind of wish Nas could have just had the same idea and done the album himself. It shadows the finale of the album, even the tight, appropriately grand title-track that finds Jay-Z at his breeziest.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 77
  2. Negative: 7 out of 77
  1. ajayd
    10
    Stop tryin to compare this to lupe...lupe has nothing on Jay. THis album is a hip hop master piece.
  2. ToryH.
    8
    A great album but it falls just short of a classic. The forgettable "Hello Brooklyn" is one of the worst songs, not just for Jay, but ever. However, the rest of the albums songs rate from solid to simply outstanding. The Neptunes produced "I Know" doesn't immediately stand out as exceptional but the running metaphor is reminscent of the Blueprint's bonus track "Breathe Easy"/"Lyrical Exercise". After a poor (by his standards) Kingdom Come, Jay stepped his game up and this is easily his 3rd best album to date. Expand
  3. Wash
    7
    On his latest, Jay-Z hopes to create a secondary soundtrack to the film "American Gangster" by lyricizing his own experiences... too bad he already did it perfectly with 1996's "Reasonable Doubt," the smoky-sounding masterpiece that introduced him to us. "American Gangster" doesn't rank in his top 5, but he redeems himself nicely from the musical ED that was "Kingdom Come" by using better beats and a less ostentatious swagger. Highlights include "No Hook," "Ignorant Sh*t" with Beanie Sigel and "Success," where he narrowly upstages former rival Nas. "Hello Brooklyn" disappoints with a garbled hook and lackadaisical verse from Lil Wayne; considering the talent on the song, it easily should have been Jay's best song since "99 Problems" and the single of the year. Unfortunately, two sub-par albums after his "Black Album" makes one wonder: we know hip-hop has always come easily to Mr. Carter, but is he now underestimating the amount of effort he needs to put into it? Collapse
  4. PJB.
    4
    People hated on Kingdom Come, so now we get this pile of filler. I am still amazed how so many publications gave this album such high scores, when the only people who could really enjoy this album are those who never listen to hip-hop. This album is primarily produced by two of Puff Daddy's underlings, LV & and Sean C, who are also responsible for the disappointing Big Doe Rehab (Ghostface). Their beats are AWFUL. Generic soul samples with no variation or innovation make listening to this album a chore. It's almost pathetic to hear Jay-Z rapping about selling coke and cooking up drugs when he's been out of the ghetto since 1995. The only real highlight of this album is an appearance by Nas, who outshines Jay-Z not just on that track, but the whole album. Frankly, I don't know why Nas every squashed the beef between them. I would hate Jay-Z too if he was making millions claiming to be the best, while I was the true lyrical king of New York who only got respect from white boys and rock critics. Expand

See all 77 User Reviews