Jay Z Signs off in Le Album Noir

With a total of 17 million albums previously sold, one of rap's most talented, most productive artists dropped his last album on Friday - two weeks before the planned release date.

The original date for Jay-Z's The Black Album was supposed to signify both the end of Jay's rap career as well as the launch date of Jay-Z (Sean Carter) the marketing commodity. But now, with the early release, as of November 28th - a date which being referred to by the industry as 'Black Friday'-- it is all about the business. Both Reebok's S. Carter black sneaker and Jay-Z's autobiographical The Black Book are set to arrive in stores just in time for the holiday season.

Meanwhile, the reason for the early music release wasn't neccessarily by choice; only after The Black Album surfaced online prematurely was its release strategically pushed forward.

The Jigga Man's plans for market domination may have been hurt by the music leak, but anxious fans are jumping at the chance to get their first listen of what could be that last of Jay. The legendary emcee, known for 'writing' songs in his head minutes before recording and nailing tracks on one take, has been producing hit albums roughly every nine months since 1996.

Depending on how you count, Jay-Z's The Black Album marks the 10th release since his Reasonable Doubt debut. It will be his 9th platinum record, easily reaching one-million plus records sold in its first week.

Even so, critics and fans question whether any of his later albums come close to matching the brilliance of Reasonable Doubt.

Let's get down to it - no album, The Black Album included, can be what Reasonable Doubt embodies, artistically and sociologically.

Jay-Z and rap have matured in such a way that creating another Reasonable Doubt would be impossible. Jay-Z's brand of confident and witty pimp-hop is still as enthralling as ever, but his rhymes slack on depth due to newer, slicker producers. While shallow lyrics can be disregarded as brief lulls in creativity, the changes in the production style of Jigga's music is permanent. The grimy street anthems of DJ Clark Kent and DJ Premier have been succeeded by the trumpets and strings of JUST BLAZE and the saccharine beats of the Neptunes.

But let's hold up a minute: The Black Album is no disappointment. After multiple listenings, it has potential to be a fan favorite. Jay-Z fans know that his albums are best appreciated over time. And this latest sampling will no doubt pull through, too -- it just may take a little more time. The album's main problem is that almost every track has a different producer resulting in a listening experience is not cohesive. But even amidst the sometimes discordant songs, there are hot peaks that lead you through.

"December 4th" is Jay's best story telling effort since the original Blueprint's "Song Cry" and "Momma Loves Me". In this opener, Jay once again makes himself vulnerable while telling the story of his early years. His verses are prompted by his mother's words on this emotional cut. JUST BLAZE follows with "Interlude", bringing the disc to a fresh, professional level. He blesses the track with a sound I can only describe as jive.

Meanwhile, the newcomer producers continue to keep the album solid. Kanye West creates the best beat of the entire collection in "Lucifer," a sample of Max Romeo's "I Chase the Devil."

The album ends with "My First Song", and Jay exits as strongly as he entered.

It's one of those soulful tracks that Jay has learned to perfect since the days of The Dynasty's "This Can't be Life". However, the gunfighter walks away after this one.

But to be clear, the songs in between these hits are not filler. On the whole, Jay polished his lyrics for his last effort, and the album glistens with top quality production. "Moment of Clarity" may be the biggest let down because it had so much potential. On this track Jay-Z puts together his sharpest response to criticisms of shallow lyrics and commercialism. The flow is tight, but Eminem produced a beat that sounds too much like a bargain basement rip-off of what Dr. Dre did in The Eminem Show.

Still, the biggest and best surprise on TheBlack Album is Jay-Z - minus the opening intro, all 14 tracks are exclusive performances by the man himself. He was smart not to collaborate. Good or bad The Black Album is all Jay. The straight to radio tracks are fun for new fans. The references to old albums and hints of a return are fun for the veterans. Love him or hate him, Jay-Z was the best in modern rap. He leaves the game on top. You can't knock Jay's hustle.