Maps of Music

American Gangster (2007)

Where the lyrics of American Gangster take you, and where it was really made.

Jay-Z recorded this concept album while the 2007 film of the same name played on the monitors above the booth, and the album debuted at number one.

Key places

Miami sessions at Audiovision Studio (2007)

Recording site The Hit Factory Criteria — Sessions for American Gangster were held at Audiovision Studio in Miami. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlanta sessions at SoundTrap Studios (2007)

Recording site DARP Studios (Atlanta) — Sessions for American Gangster were held at SoundTrap Studios in Atlanta. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

New York sessions at Baseline Studios (2007)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Sessions for American Gangster were held at Baseline Studios in New York. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Tenth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z
• Concept album inspired by the 2007 film of the same name
• Released November 6, 2007 through Roc-A-Fella Records
• Production from Diddy & the Hitmen, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze, Danja and the Neptunes, among others
• Guest appearances by Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne, Pharrell and Nas

Background

• Production built around 1970s soul and funk
• Professional musicians played horns, string arrangements, drums and percussion made with bottles
• Theme based on the gangster lifestyle, the American Dream and Jay-Z's memories of growing up in Marcy, Brooklyn
• Came after the critical disappointment of Kingdom Come (2006), and critics saw it as a return to form

Recording

• Sessions held at Audiovision Studio and South Beach Studios in Miami
• Further sessions at SoundTrap Studios and Hot Beats Recording Studios in Atlanta
• New York sessions at Baseline Studios, Daddy's House, KMA Studios and Rock The Mic
• The film American Gangster played on the monitors above the recording booth as motivation
• Jay-Z stated that almost every song is based on a specific scene from the film
• Jay-Z originally said he recorded nine tracks, but the final listing has 15 cuts including two bonus tracks

Cover

• Album cover and music videos were costume designed by June Ambrose

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City.
• Raised in Marcy Houses in Bedford–Stuyvesant; mother Gloria Carter raised him and his three older siblings after his father left when he was 11.
• Dropped out of Trenton Central High School during his sophomore year.
• Adopted the stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O.

Career

• Began recording in the late 1980s, contributing verses to Jaz-O's records.
• Co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records; debut album Reasonable Doubt (1996) was critically acclaimed.
• Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) became his most commercially successful album, certified 6× Platinum in the US.
• The Blueprint (2001) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Led Def Jam Recordings as president and CEO from 2004 to 2007.
• Founded Roc Nation in 2008 and later 4:44 (2017) and Everything Is Love with Beyoncé (2018).
• Has 25 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic gave a weighted average of 83 out of 100 from 25 critic scores, described as universal acclaim
• Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield said it was a vast improvement over Kingdom Come and that the rapper sounds relaxed
• Entertainment Weekly's Neil Drumming said it was more than a throwback album and that Jay-Z adjusts his flow to each production
• Village Voice critic Amy Linden praised the live instrumentation as lush and tailor-made for the 1970s theme
• The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin called it a surprisingly strong return to form
• The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh found some songs such as No Hook and Say Hello wavering and equivocal
• NME's Louis Pattison called it a regression from Kingdom Come

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone named the second single Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)... the best single of 2007
• The Austin Chronicle ranked the album number one among 2007 year-end lists, Spin ranked it number eight, and Rolling Stone ranked it number three
• Finished 18th in the best albums voting of The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll
• President Barack Obama said in a BET interview that he was a fan of the album

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 425,000 copies in its first week, per Nielsen Soundscan
• Became Jay-Z's tenth US number one album, tying him with Elvis Presley for the second most
• Fell to number eight in its second week, selling 131,000 more copies
• Sold 683,000 copies by its third week
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on December 6, 2007 for shipments of over one million copies
• Sold 1,131,000 copies in the United States as of August 2009

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Jay-Z had the film playing on the monitors above the recording booth during sessions.
• Jay-Z pulled the album from the iTunes Store, saying the collection would not be sold as single tracks, and it returned to iTunes in 2011.
• The American Gangster Live tour played only songs from the album in five smaller US venues in November 2007, and according to Roc-A-Fella the five-city club tour sold out in less than 60 seconds.
• The Neptunes produced two tracks, Blue Magic and I Know, and Pharrell added vocals to both.
• Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)... samples Make the Road by Walking by Menahan Street Band.
• Jay-Z would have the film American Gangster playing on the monitors above the recording booth as a source of motivation.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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