From platinum success to his own movie-documentary, Jay-Z’s reputation in the hip-hop world has grown larger than life. When he retired in 2003, he seemed to be the brightest star in an industry plagued by cheesy hooks and melodramatic beef. However, Jay-Z still appeared on songs, commercials and magazine covers, and in early 2006, he finally announced a full comeback album. The self-proclaimed “Mike Jordan of recording” wanted to show America why rapping beats snapping, why albums beat singles and why Jay-Z beats everyone. Rumors swirled: could he do it? Was he really the “Greatest Rapper Alive?” Kingdom Come, Jay-Z’s most personal album, does his career justice. While not his best record to date, the 14-track collection still carries enough weight to hold down the hip-hop game for a few years. He gets mind-blowing production from Dr. Dre, Just Blaze and the Neptunes and covers career-related topics ranging from age and skill to life and death. Jay-Z built his kingdom years ago, but with Kingdom Come, full of diverse content and musical fanfare, he transforms that kingdom into an empire. All hail the King. Grade: A
— Andy Beatman, Muse Staff
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