Jay-Z Unplugged http://elsegundousd.com/eshs/bayeagle/entertainment/january/eaton.htm

Jay-Z Unplugged

As Shawn Corey Carter, otherwise known as Jay-Z, grew up in Brooklyn, he dreamed of having a rap career. He probably never thought of being on MTV's Unplugged. His latest CD is a recording of his performance in November for the MTV special. It's basically a greatest hits collection from the past few years of his career.

Jay-Z's career all began in 1996 when he created his own imprint, Roc-A-Fella Records, with Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Then he scored a distributing deal with Priority Records. Later that year, he released his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. That CD, as well as Unplugged, includes his hit single "Ain't No N****." They both also feature "Can't Knock The Hustle," featuring Mary J. Blige. His sophomore album, Vol. 1: In My Lifetime, wasn't a commercial success and Unplugged doesn't feature any singles from that CD. His third CD, Vol 2: Hard Knock Life, was host to many great singles. "Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem)," "Jigga What, Jigga Who," and "Can I Get A…" were off of this album. Considering they are three of Jay-Z's biggest hits, they are all included on Unplugged.

His fourth album, Vol. 3: Life & Times of s. Carter, was experimental and didn't sit well with his fans. "Big Pimpin'" was the only hit single off of that album. He made a great comeback when he released his fifth CD, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. The first single, "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" was just one of the Neptune's- produced hits out at that time. One half of the Neptunes, Pharrell Williams, even showed up on Unplugged when Jay-Z performed that song. His sixth album, The Blueprint, dropped on September 11, 2001. Due to the tragedy that occurred that day, his first week sales weren't as large as they could have been. The first single, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was a huge radio hit. "Girls, Girls, Girls" was also a hit single. The latest single, "Jigga that N****," is becoming very popular at the moment. All of these songs appear on Unplugged. Other tracks that are on his latest CD are "Takeover," "Song Cry," and "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)." Mary J. Blige also performs her single "Family Affair" after doing a duet with Jay-Z.

I really enjoyed this CD because it includes all of my favorite Jay-Z songs. At first I was reluctant to buy it because I already had all of the songs on it, but when I heard a few of the tracks, I realized that they sound different because they were done a new style. The songs were performed with a fiery Roots rhythm. He also had a string quartet behind him on songs such as "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)." The mix of his street lyrics and the flute, bass, and electric piano is what makes the CD fascinating because it's so different from Jay-Z's usual style. His commentary also adds an interesting feature to the album. He starts the CD off by welcoming everyone to his poetry reading. Overall, this is a really great CD. Even though it's different from his usual style, I'm sure most Jay-Z fans would like this album. If you get

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