"Look, mind state of a gangster from the 40s / meet the vicious mind of Motown's Berry Gordy."
With the opening lines of "Pray," the second track on Jay-Z's American Gangster, we step into the world of crime, corruption, drugs and wealth as painted by Hov himself. His first concept album (and second release following his self-proclaimed retirement), American Gangster is a pastiche of images from gangster history. Based on the recently released film starring Denzel Washington, it features several sound bites from the film itself and some of his experiences dealing drugs before he started rhyming.
With American Gangster, Jay-Z can finally free himself from the disappointment of 2006's Kingdom Come and step back into the scene with a leg up. The sound is most definitely different from Life and Times and The Black Album
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