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100

RapReviews.com

It is, really and truly, an experience.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Judging by this surprisingly strong return to form, Jay-Z might want to consider spending less time in the office and more time at the movies.

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cokemachineglow

This is the best music Jay-Z can make as a human--at least by my (his) definitions of what he (we) can do.

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Pitchfork

Musically, American Gangster is lush and spacious.

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Entertainment Weekly

There are also sparse, programmed beats from the Neptunes and lesser-knowns like No I.D., with Jay-Z fixing his flow accordingly. What unites the collection more than a specific sound is a narrative arc that loosely parallels Lucas' rise and decline.

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Rolling Stone

Forget Frank Lucas: The real black superhero here is Jay, and with American Gangster, Gray-Hova is back in black.

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Slant Magazine

He's not a real gangster, but he is a real poet. And like the greatest of American poets, he admits that, very well then, he contradicts himself. American Gangster contains multitudes.

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NOW Magazine

Ya boy is back with another dark soul-saturated album in the vein of "The Blueprint."

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All Music Guide

This is a very good Jay-Z album. He is, for the most part, doing what he has done before: what he does best.

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Hartford Courant

Jay-Z sounds much more engaged on American Gangster, a collection of taut, focused songs heavy on musical references to the ’70s

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musicOMH.com

Despite the intro being borrowed from the trailer to American Gangster it essentially reclaims the genre Shawn Carter helped to pioneer from the studio gangstas and plastic pimps that hip-pop is swamped with.

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PopMatters

The more you listen to it, the more powerful it becomes.

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Billboard

The "Gangster" portion of the record is, as you'd expect, effortlessly strong.

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Observer Music Monthly

For all American Gangster's conceptual flair, the purest joy comes from 'Success', a tune which could have slotted into any Jay-Z album.

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Hot Press

A tight collection of intelligent numbers that, instead of bombarding us with stale rhyming schemes and plastic beats, groove ever so effectively.

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Q Magazine

American Gangster sounds less like a last gasp than the possible start to a second act in Jay-Z's career. [Jan 2008, p.103]

Prefix Magazine

The beat selection, personal insight, wit, and overall coherence surpasses that of "Kingdom Come" and fulfills many of the expectations that the latter album failed to meet.

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Uncut

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]

Tiny Mix Tapes

Jay-Z has rebounded to make one of the year’s most interesting and engaging rap records with a sense of immediacy and wordplay that no Denzel Washington film could match.

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Drowned In Sound

Patchy, perhaps, but there's plenty over the course of American Gangster to suggest that, even if sullied by a lack of prolificacy, at least the Brooklyn beatnik is keeping the right company again.

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The New York Times

This equivocation--a rapper inspired by a movie about a gangster, trying simultaneously to distance himself from rappers, actors and the gangster in question--sums up the album’s greatest strength and greatest weakness. Jay-Z is too discerning to ignore the contradictions in his music, even when he’s trying to play the role of a coldblooded killer.

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Dot Music

Hearing him coast is still better than listening to most rappers trying; but the Jay-Z of today sounds like someone for whom making music is an enjoyable hobby, not a burning need.

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Sputnikmusic

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.

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New Musical Express

You leave American Gangster longing for more of this don't-give-a-fuck attitude, but the feeling that presides is Jay-Z patting his wallet.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 98 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

ajay d gave it a10:
Stop tryin to compare this to lupe...lupe has nothing on Jay. THis album is a hip hop master piece.

Ajay D gave it a9:
People need to shut up about Lupe, Jay has nothing on him! losers! This Album is superb, This got me into Rap and Jay-z! His Verses and flow is sick! The beats are soulful and compliment the lyrics. It tells a story, not just hate music! I would recommend it any rap fan!

Donla W. gave it a10:
Let's be real about something here. Almost every album Hov puts out has the potential to become a hit. Nothing will ever be bigger than his Blueprint, but this album cuts it pretty close. It's quite different seeing that the entire theme is based on the hit movie. From what most of us know, he's the first to do this. I've listened to every track and as he promised before he released it, it would be one to remember. Sleeping on this album is like going backwards on a highway.

jk m. gave it a4:
I'm tired of this getting put of Lupe the cool but its really not that good you could jay z on anything and it will sell doesn't mean that its good

PJ B. gave it a4:
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.

James H. gave it a10:
Perfection.

Barry M. gave it a9:
Amazing. Jay is back on top form after a disappointment with Kingdom Come.

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American Gangster

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