Oh man, this is nasty. The kind of nasty that reminds you how nasty it is. Braggadocio is part and parcel of the genre. Too often it rings hollow or done for the artist’s own sake, as if it’s them that needs to be convinced. JAY-Z shines the light on himself and then takes it to a whole other level. Anyone can claim to be “the best rapper alive,” backing it up is something else.
What started as a victory lap to send him into retirement has since become a reminder. A reminder that the turn of a phrase is a powerful weapon and a sick beat is all the ammo required. A reminder that all the pretenders will fade away. The Black Album reminds us all, that in JAY-Z’s hands, 52 bars is all you need to be the greatest.