Review Summary: Most of this won't interest you, unless your a hardcore Jeezy fan, as he provides the same old cocaine and thug boasts.
The mainstream rap landscape has changed dramatically since, Jeezy’s last release, 2008’s The Recession. Trap music is out, and danceable pop-rap with sung choruses is in. The stars that have broken out since the Snowman’s last album, such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, B.o.B, and Big Sean sound absolutely nothing like him. And they’ve left little room for artists of his ilk. His label knew they’d have trouble getting him to transition into this new era, clearly evidenced by a year and a half of push backs. But it’s finally here, can he still provide thug motivation?
1. Waiting
Produced by Lil’ Lody
With a softly spoken chorus, Jeezy announces that the world has been waiting on his latest album. While that’s bull***, his core audience probably has been. He softly chants the word ‘waiting’ at the end of the chorus and then transitions into urgent verses. Over crowd cheers and sputtering hi-hats, Jeezy really is motivational as he announces that he’s back. A solid way to start the album.
2. What I Do (Just Like That)
Produced by Drumma Boy
This is a pretty standard gangsta club track. A dark snare and hi-hat rattling southern beat is the back drop, it’s pretty vintage Jeezy, his core fans that have been kept waiting so long will eat this up, but overall it’s just whatever.
3. OJ (feat. Fabolous, Jadakiss)
Produced by Lil’ Lody
Same rattling hi-hats and snares, but this go-around they have a harp over them as the three rappers boast about luxury acquired through selling cocaine. Each rapper puts in a solid performance with OJ Simpson metaphors, but the last line of the chorus is laughable. I mean how does a grown man in his thirties say “Killin’ that white bitch – OJ!” with a straight face?
4. Nothing
Produced by Lil’ Lody
This is pretty standard Jeezy track talking about thugging and being street. It sticks to the sound that’s brought him success, but won’t interest anyone who isn’t a hardcore fan.
5. Way Too Gone (feat. Future)
Produced by Mike Will, Marz
Same trademark Jeezy sputtering hi-hats over a slightly spacey melody. Again, he’s thugging up in the club, so drunk that he’s gone. Not particularly fun or catchy. Rising star Future, does a great job convincing the listener that he has down-syndrome, and if you’ve ever heard him rap before this song you’re not surprised.
6. SupaFreak (feat. 2 Chainz)
Produced by D. Rich
Here Jeezy talks about a girl that’s great in bed. The beat is similar to the other ones, but not in a bland way. This song is one of the most forgettable on the album. 2 Chainz does not impress, I feel like if he didn’t take himself so seriously his flamboyant flow would work well with some more comical lines.
7. All We Do (Smoke & ***)
Produced by Midnight Black
This might be the worst song on the album is pretty similar to the last one, about a girl who can *** quite well. It has a terrible and repetitive chorus of chanting the song’s title over and over again.
8. Leave You Alone (feat. Ne-Yo)
Produced by Warren G
This is the standard R&B track for the female fans. But do Jeezy’s female fans seriously look for *** like this? You don’t listen to a Jeezy album for him talking about being a lover man. Well he’s not and doesn’t sound it here even if he’s trying to. Ne-Yo turns in a solid, yet very typical Ne-Yo-sounding hook, while Jeezy proves that he cannot do these type of songs even at a mediocre level. He’s not smooth at all and his punch lines are not geared for songs like this.
9. Everythang
Produced by Lil’ Lody
This is a track that Jeezy fans will enjoy, and I guess it serves that purpose well. He’s trying to inspire by exclaiming how he made it from the bottom to the top, but it doesn’t separate itself from other songs with the same subject.
10. Trapped (feat. Jill Scott)
Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
Here the album starts to improve significantly, where the songs just stand out a lot more. With spoken word interludes and chorus from Jill Scott, Jeezy narrates how street hustlers are really just staying in one place, despite believing that they’re bettering their lives. This is unusually honest from a man who typically glorifies drug dealing. This would be the best song on the album if not for what follows.
11. F.A.M.E. (feat. T.I.)
Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
When I first heard this I thought to myself where did he learn to rap like this? After stunning intro of quiet strings and a soothing vocal sample, Jeezy bursts out lashing out at haters and outside pressures. He’s impassioned, motivating, and gangsta; all the things he uses as his calling cards. Here he’s at his best, with an added dose of surprisingly deep lyrics. T.I. ups the ante with an equally inspirational verse. This is quite possibly the best song of Jeezy’s career. It’s too bad this failed as a single; it really is him at his best.
12. I Do (feat. Jay-Z, Andre 3000)
Produced by M16
Now the idea of a Jeezy equivalent to the UGK and OutKast marriage classic “International Player’s Anthem” sounds a little funny. However, he’s decent here, but you really have to be a great lyricist to make cocaine metaphors about love at first sight work that well. His repeating of the song’s title as the chorus is a little cheesy, but it works as this is a tongue-in cheek wedding song. Over a great horn-filled beat that sounds like wedding music, Jay-Z and Andre 3000 just sound more natural with the subject matter as they are just much more versatile artists. Andre’s verse is just simply stunning; I don’t know how anyone else could speak about the topic of marriage in a rap song as well as he does.
13. Higher Learning (feat. Mitchelle’l, Snoop Dogg, Devin the Dude)
Produced by Lil’ C
This is your garden variety laid back weed song. Mitchelle’l, who I’ve never heard of, provides a decent chorus. Jeezy’s pretty forgettable on this one, while Snoop and Devin are in their element, unsurprisingly considering they are the godfathers of weed rap.
14. This One’s For You (feat. Trick Daddy)
Produced by Lil’ Lody
Jeezy and Trick Daddy declare how they’re here to stay despite the naysayers, because they make music for their audience. Nothing special, but it’s a decent close to the album.
While this album didn’t impress me much, it will please Young Jeezy’s long time fans. They can be happy that despite the long wait and the changing radio landscape, he did not change up his sound at all. And even if he did, in order to regain his footing on the airplay charts, I don’t think it would’ve worked. Despite not finding Jeezy particularly motivating on most songs and his generic topics of cocaine, thugging in the club, and freaky hoes I understand why he has a fan base. Many rappers talk about these topics and they are here today gone tomorrow. However, Jeezy does have a voice, delivery, and persona that set him apart from many other thug rappers. He never sets himself on a plane too high for his fans. Instead he tries to take them on the ride with him, and maybe just maybe inspire them to reach his heights of success.
Rating – 5.0/10
