Album: Young Jeezy – The Inspiration

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It seems like rappers intimately discussing their involvement in the drug trade come a dime a dozen these days, especially considering Raekwon and E-40 were cooking crack on their album covers a decade before the current artists dreamt of even being involved in the rap game. That is the situation that Atlanta, Georgia flag waver Young Jeezy has found himself on the follow up to his highly successful debut Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101.

From the off set Jeezy attempts to showcase some growth and stand out from the rest of the pack. The slow almost spoken-word type drawl that Jeezy has made famous (complete with ad-libs) are still ever present. However you will notice a new confidence and wit about his lyrics. Look no further than the extremely catchy lead single I Luv It, complete with soaring 80’s styled synthesizer. The keyboard reliant sound provides a cohesive base for each track, however you could still mistaken tracks as some tend to sound similar. This style works to similar effect on the aptly titled Hypnotize as Jeezy spits over a synth line that sounds like it belongs in a Scarface remake. However, Jeezy’s critics will still find fault with some his lyrical deficiencies including the faux pas line “I Flash like Gordon”.

The club track quotient is fulfilled mainly by two tracks however these cuts are musically consistent so it doesn’t sound like desperately reaching for a club audience. Timbaland’s trademark human percussion-driven bounce allows Jeezy to pop his collar on 3 A.M. Meanwhile R. Kelly provides the breezy hook on Go Getta as Jeezy spits over a rather tense orchestration.

The main feature that allows this release to stand out from his previous album is the new found consciousness that Jeezy displays, he’s not the second coming of Talib Kweli or anything like that but it makes for a nice change. Streetrunner provides the moving sounds of Dreamin’, featuring Keyshia Cole. On the title track he continues in that same vain of trying to inspire and uplift his people. However, his cocky and brash delivery makes his positive and uplifting sentiments a bit hard to believe and they come off a little disingenuous.

As far as party albums go you could put this on and get it started, but if you are out for a life changing album that proves that Hip Hop is alive and well you may have to skip this one, it is worth a brief listen at the least though.

Available Through Def Jam Records