http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/46899-american-gangster
they give it a 8.6. based on the sole fact that you have to turn track 9 "I Know" waaaaay down in volume in comparison with track 5 "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" which you turn waaaaay up, this is not an 8.6. i think they might have gotten the review all wrong. anyone who listens to hip hop will tell you the beat is more important than the lyrics. and this has some awful beats (the ones with keys that sound pure cheese.) i listened to only the first half when it came out (because it was not very engaging) and a friend calls it "complete garbage."
the mainstream press seems to like it just because the idea behind it is good. the best tracks are blue magic (elite percussion), hello brooklyn 2.0 (it's the bass and the little surround sound effect touch not to mention the yelling guy is funny), roc boys (the funky horns and yelling "speech" right at the beginning), fallin (the repetitiveness seems appropriate).
if a track is not impressive beyond the intro, it's not good.
the simple fact is that great beats CREATE the soundscape that the lyrics live off. go back and listen to jay-z on "welcome to new york city" from 5 years ago to hear my point.
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