Jay-Z Track Leaks, Isn't Good

Everyone's talking about the new Jay-Z track today, the one that's supposed to be appearing on the soundtrack to the Biggie biopic scheduled for release next year. It features a Santogold sample, was produced by Kanye, and sounds like it was recorded in about fifteen minutes, all of which is nice in theory. But it turns out Jay isn't quite as suited for this type of tossed-off track as his producer. He's still at his best when things are huge, when the production is ambitious and polished and the rhymes are carefully constructed around a bigger idea. He got a ton of shit for that silly "30s the New 20" song, but it was exactly the kind of thing he excels at: making grandiose statements that he thinks should change the way hip-hop conducts itself. Here, he's reverted to bragging about how tough he is, and with the exception of that one about Jackie Robinson, none of his rhymes really hit home. He seems lost, like he's playing someone else's game rather than making everyone else play his. Not exactly the kind of tribute Biggie deserves, now is it?