V3:Life&Times Of Shawn Carter

Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 - "...his strongest album to date, with music that's filled with catchy hooks, rump-shaking beats and lyrics fueled by Jay's hustler's vigilance....life is good for Jigga..." The Source - 4 mics out of 5 - "...[Jigga] reveals why he is the most influential hip-hop artist alive today. Songs like 'So Ghetto,' 'Do It Again' and 'Come and Get Me' highlight [his] uncanny ability to transform bumpin' tracks into cleverly crafted hip-hop anthems..." Entertainment Weekly - "...[The album] reconnects with the people who ride those run-down trains [which] run through his Brooklyn neighborhood...with flair....The key track is 'Come and Get Me' in which [he] stares down the playa hatas over [beats] by Timbaland..." - Rating: B+ NME - 7 out of 10 - "...a series of uptempo party tunes much leavened by threats to the masculinity of competitors, as [he] uses his pen to cast himself as 'Dope Man', hustler, pimp and teacher....intelligent...Jay-Z spits venom one minute and cool out the next." CMJ - "...one of the most prolific hip-hop artists of our time....[delivers] a solid collection of mix-tape-ready gems that bring all coastal styles and aesthetics to the Brooklyn borough..."

After the crossover success of 1998's Hard Knock Life (complete with highly publicized samples from Annie), Jay-Z returned to the streets on his fourth proper album overall, 1999's Life and Times of S. Carter. A set of hard-hitting tracks with some of the best rhymes of Jay-Z's career, the album is much more invigorating than its predecessor, and almost as consistently entertaining as his best album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. As good as his rapping has become, the production here plays a large part as well. Befitting his superstar status, Jay-Z boasts the cream of hip-hop producers: Timbaland (four tracks total), DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, and Rockwilder. DJ Premier's "So Ghetto," Timbaland's "Snoopy Track" (with Juvenile), and DJ Clue's "Pop 4 Roc" are innovative tracks that push the rhymes along but never intrude too much on Jay-Z's own flow. If this album doesn't quite make it up to Jay-Z's best, though, it's the fault of a few overblown productions, like "Dope Man" and "Things That U Do" (with Mariah Carey). ~ John Bush|