The Urban Music Reunion
There are probably only two current styles of urban music really takin’ influence on the charts: It’s Hip Hop, and it’s R’n’B. So why not unite two guys who just happen to be among the best in their genre and let them do an album together, a meeting on a musical mountain? Well, that guy Jay-Z and R. Kelly did. The record’s name, “The Best of Both Worlds”, implicates what I just wrote…

On a mixture between R’n’B and hip hop, there are certain risks. First of all, to find the right mixture. Nowadays we often hear remixes of R’n’B tracks with about eight lines of rap, which means that R’n’B still is the major element. But here, Jay-Z raps as usual, dope, flowin’ like a river, and, of course, not only eight lines. So you gotta keep your eye on the arrangement of the tracks – else it’s either R’n’B with a little bit of hip hop or hip hop with a quite famous hook singer. Then, you gotta manage not to make the record too light, not too clubbish, but not too dark, too grimy either. This one here got quite clubbish, but it has some different jewels that move the record into a deeper, not only-release-to-be-sold spotlight.

We start off with a Megahertz-produced Intro which kills you, definitely. A hymn in the background and a very tied game between Jay-Z rappin’ several pieces à four bars and Kelly singin. Off the hook, for sheezy. Then, Poke and Tone (mentioned as executive producer) aka The Trackmasters hit the tables, and their production is as freaky and clubbish – it’s sure to kick as s. “Take You Home With Me” is definitely for the ladies, “Break Up To Make Up” features Jay-Z tellin’ a story from his girl “sufferin’ from love separation” to “till we laughin’ and we back friends”. Definitely for the club this one too. My very, very favorite track is “It Ain’t Personal”, which is also produced by the Trackmasters but shows another side of their musical talent: A slower drumset and a sample that is somehow quite melancholy, and R. Kelly and Jay-Z following up to Jigga’s older stuff: “I know when I first started it was crazy to y’all / He gonna start his own label, he’d never be able/ Well, n***a, you been wrong before / and you’ll be wrong again if you bet against him / we moved through the ‘hood like identical twins / we were just so happy that a n***a made it rappin’.” This is business, it ain’t personal. Beanie Sigel gets down with the two major actors on “Green Lights”, a rougher song, “Naked” is a song produced and solo performed by R. Kelly and is defnitely made for those hours at home with your girlfriend. Lil’ Kim managed to get on the record too, on “Shake Ya Body” which is very “Fiesta”-like, a similar production, and of course, the topic is party. “Get this Money” is very captivant because of the uptempo beat and might as well be, okay, you already know, yes, played in a club. “Honey” starts with the followin’ line: “Lord, forgive me, I’m ballin’ out of control.” No further comment required, except for the fact that the production will probably wreck your car stereo, but you will hit this track when you hit the road, I guarantee. Devin the Dude supports the best two of both worlds on the last track “P***Y”. Well, you know the topic…
Well, overall, you got Jay-Z and R. Kelly, very good rapper and singer respectively. The album is, in fact, quite clubbish and as a consequence sometimes loses some strength because of the missing “other” element, but still, it’s very entertaining. You won’t skip, definitely not, and most of the tracks are clubbish, no doubt, but they’re very dope. And did you know that Jay-Z is the King of New York, haters? Haha! (Emm)