My first draft of this was real angry, mostly because I wasn't sure how to write a shrug. Far be it from me to knock Jay-Z's cynicism; the guy's got an otherworldly ability to suss out what's commercially viable in rap at any given moment (when you refuse to release your music on streaming services other than your own free trial factory, you have to pander to the people that actually buy CDs). There's just no particularly compelling reason to listen to this. Like everything he's released this century, it's not Jay's best work, and the notion that grown man rap is anything new, let alone desirable, is kind of insane. Grown men might be the people I'm least interested in hearing from on the rap front, just edging out babies. Add in the dude's incredibly inappropriate zeal for capitalism, given that it managed to work out for him in the end, and there are simply better places to spend your ear-time. It's unfortunate that awareness of this sort of thing still serves a lot of people's barometer for honest engagement with rap.

In short, I'm not a fan, but here are some people with actual insight: (1, 2).

Instead, consider listening to: Erykah Badu, But You Caint Use My Phone or Jonwayne, Rap Album Two