Wizards Watch the Throne

Jay-Z is probably the best to ever do it. “It” refers to rap, and when it comes to that art form, no one else can boast a resume with more accolades and accomplishments than Hov. It is for this very reason that Jay-Z needs to retire. As he has continued to release music over the last 5 years, his career is beginning to resemble that of another all-time great in another profession.

Most basketball enthusiasts regard Michael Jordan as the best basketball player of all-time. His athleticism and feel for the game were so respected that he earned that title far before he even finished winning his six Finals MVPs.

Jordan ended his career with the Chicago Bulls in the most dramatic fashion. He managed to steal the ball from the opposition’s best player and sink the game-winning jump shot in the ensuing possession.  The shot earned Jordan his sixth and final NBA championship .Everyone felt that was Jordan’s final game; the game’s greatest player finishing on top.

But his competitive spirit wouldn’t allow him to sit out long. Michael returned roughly 3 years later at the age of 38 to play for the Washington Wizards. He looked to inspire the team that he sat in the front office for, but in two disappointing seasons the Wizards never sniffed the playoffs. It was a sad end to such a distinguished career. Jordan could have saved himself the agony had he just allowed the game-winner to be his final moment. That’s how most people view him anyway, as if the Washington stint never happened, and his legacy was unscathed.

It appears that Jay-Z has been stuck in the” Washington Wizards state” of his career since about 2004. His last “game-winner” was the Black Album. It was heavily promoted as his final album, and a graceful exit while at the top. By most critics’ accounts, it was an excellent album, highlighted by all of the tracks and rhymes that referenced the end of an era. But Jay-Z, much like Jordan, just couldn’t resist the urge to return.

Since the Black Album he’s released Unfinished Business (R. Kelly collaboration album), Collision Course (Linkin Park collaboration album), Kingdom Come, American Gangster, Blueprint 3, and Watch the Throne. Kingdom Come marked his official solo return in 2006. Though he was successful from a commercial standpoint, critics harped on lack of diversity, making it seem as if he truly had nothing else to offer us lyrically.

He followed that effort with American Gangster, which was very much a return to the hardcore rap form that earned him that spot as the game’s top MC. Still, that strong effort was followed by the Blueprint 3 and Watch the Throne. BP 3 earned Jay a Grammy amongst a very weak field.

As Rap albums, those are both decent projects. If any other artist had released these works, they would be respectable. But this is Jay-Z, the genre’s leading act, and he could’ve done better. Much like MJ’s average of over 20 ppg with the Wizards, it was fine, although we’ve come to expect more of our living legends.

With Jay-Z, my greatest worry is that his teaming with Kanye made him adopt his style. From the beats to the rhymes, this album worked too hard to satisfy listeners of this era.  

So different, yet so alike.

In the “Otis” video, Hov is seen sporting a snapback and a v-neck, two staples of urban fashion today. Here was one of hip-hop’s most influential members subscribing to the trends of people half his age. All of that masks the fact that the track “Otis” was lazily produced and written.

Perhaps Mr. Carter is past his prime, maybe this is the final sign. All I ask is that he quit now before my lasting image of the “god MC” is him missing the playoffs (becoming a corny MC).