So last week, Jeezy put out a mixtape (which was pretty good) and everyone thought his album would be pushed back. But today, after many push backs and about a year of me sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for this album, TM: 103 Hustlerz Ambition finally came out. I guess before I dive right into this review, I need to explain that Jeezy is my #2 favorite rapper, second only to Nas. I think he's encompasses everything that hip hop stands for. He represents the streets, but he tries to make them better. MTV just aired a really great documentary about him. He's been doing a lot of really amazing charity work for more than ten years, even when he wasn't famous. I also think Jeezy is the most "real" (for lack of a better word) rapper, probably ever. He's like a way more talented and smarter Gucci Mane. That's not even a good comparison, but I'm only doing it because they're both hood as fuck. Anyway, after three years of countless mixtapes and push backs Hustlaz Amibition is now out.
I was worried that Jeezy wouldn't be able to follow up 2008's The Recession, but so far this album is an excellent end to the Thug Motivation series. Radio hits like "Ballin" and "I Do" (feat. Jay-Z and Andre 3000, what an amazing lineup) are indicative of the rest of the album's greatness. There are some really great songs buried within the star-studded hits. ".38" and "Nothing" are typical synthed up Atlanta rap songs with hard hitting bass lines and firearm references. "Leave You Alone" featuring Ne-Yo is a fusion of soulful R&B and Jeezy's gritty rapping style. Songs like "OJ" featuring Fabolous and Jadakiss feature a fast-paced and a piano background sample. The hook is "killing that white bitch, OJ." I mean, whatever, take hip hop lyrics with a grain of salt. You know he's just talking about selling coke, not actually killing women. I love Jadakiss, so I was excited to see him team up with Jeezy and Loso. Ah ha! (That's my attempt at verbalizing Jada's signature high-pitched laugh). "F.A.M.E." featuring T.I. is a heartfelt rap ballad about the bad things that come with being famous. It's on the radio so I hear it all the damn time; it's really not my favorite. I was surprised to see that J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League only produced two songs on this album, with the principle producer being Lil Lody. The album is full of guitar and piano samples, with hard hitting bass lines and fast-paced synths. It's pretty typical of Jeezy, but somehow it's different and innovative.
I don't think any rapper has so explicitly chronicled the life of an everyday drug dealer besides Young Jeezy. His personal stories of the streets, matched with original rhyming and excellent production, puts him at the top of the list of influential and truly impacting rappers. At face value, his music is just dirty rap about selling drugs, but once you delve deeper into his lyrics, you'll understand his conflicting and remorseful attitude about his past. This album is the last chapter of his soon-to-be legendary Thug Motivation series and I think it's an excellent end-cap. It details a new turn of events in Jeezy's life, with (hopefully) his complete dismissal of illegal activities. It's hard to tell, but dude is making millions of dollars legitimately, he doesn't need to flip birds anymore. Jeezy, who famously said "who the fuck cares about friends? If you mix the baking soda with it, you can get a Benz" is an icon for making tons of money from selling coke and chronicling his illegal activities over dope beats in an original and innovative way. Considering the fact that Jeezy has been linked to the actual Black Mafia Family (not the "Blowin Money Fast" shit Rick Ross talks about), no other rapper has been involved in such large scale drug distribution. Not saying that's why he's so good, but he raps about what he knows and what he's seen to provide white kids like me authentic hip hop about something we'll never quite understand.
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