By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Right when the fans had forgotten about Jay-Z and were ready to move on, the acclaimed rapper stepped out of the corner office and back onto the streets. The result of this was his comeback album, Kingdom Come. In the weeks leading up to the album release, Jay-Z said he was coming back to “save” hip hop. These comments caused a bit of controversy, primarily with Lil Wayne and Jim Jones.
Jay-Z fans were eagerly anticipating the release of Kindgom Come. Copies of the album flew off the shelves. But, after hearing the album, there were many who were left disappointed. Some felt Jay-Z waited too long to stage his comeback, while others felt he should have stayed gone. Always known as the voice of the streets, Jay-Z was only rapping about his business ventures, something his audience could not relate to.
Following the poor reviews of the album, Jay-Z delivered American Gangster and all was well with the fans. Still, Kingdom Come sticks out from the other Jay-Z albums. Jay-Z’s trusted producer/sidekick, Young Guru, recently explained why the album is so disappointing. During an exclusive interview with Complex, Young Guru revealed the album was rushed. While Jay-Z was running the show at Def Jam, he reported directly to L.A. Reid, who wanted the album out as soon as possible. L.A. Reid demanded Jay-Z release his comeback album before the end of 2006, or Def Jam was going to be releasing several executives.
Young Guru spoke with L.A. Reid, telling him Jay-Z was overseas touring. Reid had Young Guru flown to Taiwan to complete the album with Jay-Z, who was tired from the touring. Having to have the album out by November 2006, both Young Guru and Jay-Z were rushed, which led to the album not being up to par. There were some songs, which Jay-Z did have a somewhat lazy flow and this can now be attributed to the fatigue. With Jay-Z continuing to tour and the pressure of the label surrounding the album, there was no choice but for the album to be disappointing.
