American Gangster is the tenth studio album by rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 6, 2007 in the United States. American Gangster is Jay-Zs first concept album, which was inspired by the film of the same name. The album features production from Diddy & The Hitmen, Just Blaze, and The Neptunes, among others. Guest appearances include Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne, Nas, and others. Jay-Z released the acappella version of the album on his birthday, December 4, 2007.
Jay-Z originally stated he recorded nine tracks for the album, but the final track listing accumulated fifteen overall cuts (two bonus tracks). He also stated that almost every song is based on a specific scene from the film. Def Jam executive Tracey Waples noted each track from the album will have its own mini-film. As for the direction of the album, Jay-Z used personal memories he had not touched on in a while, specifically memories from his early life when he lived in Brooklyns Marcy Projects.
On November 9, 2007, Jay-Z appeared on the Charlie Rose Show to discuss the album. When asked about how the film gave life to this album, he replied:
<span style="font-style: italic;">Its a New York City tale, you know. So as soon as the movie came on, it was like familiar, things that my pop seen and my uncles seen and, you know, different things like that, things I have seen growing up. So they resonated with me in a way, the story, as well as, I mean, even though everything happens, you know, the way it turns out, you know, its one of those movies that where you champion the good guy, because the good guy, you know, he dont seem like a bad guy, and the bad guy
Click here to download...
Jay-Z originally stated he recorded nine tracks for the album, but the final track listing accumulated fifteen overall cuts (two bonus tracks). He also stated that almost every song is based on a specific scene from the film. Def Jam executive Tracey Waples noted each track from the album will have its own mini-film. As for the direction of the album, Jay-Z used personal memories he had not touched on in a while, specifically memories from his early life when he lived in Brooklyns Marcy Projects.
On November 9, 2007, Jay-Z appeared on the Charlie Rose Show to discuss the album. When asked about how the film gave life to this album, he replied:
<span style="font-style: italic;">Its a New York City tale, you know. So as soon as the movie came on, it was like familiar, things that my pop seen and my uncles seen and, you know, different things like that, things I have seen growing up. So they resonated with me in a way, the story, as well as, I mean, even though everything happens, you know, the way it turns out, you know, its one of those movies that where you champion the good guy, because the good guy, you know, he dont seem like a bad guy, and the bad guy
Click here to download...
