![]() ![]() ![]() The rapper responds by syncopating and scatting, launching slightly rejiggered choruses on “”Takeover”” and the tongue-twisting “”Jigga What, Jigga Who.”” Everything clicks, but there are several moments of pure delirium: “”Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),”” which is enlivened by a spine-tingling gospel ad-lib from Philly newcomer Jaguar Wright, and “”Can’t Knock the Hustle/Family Affair,”” which turns on an incandescent Mary J. If The Blueprint and previous studio recordings are carefully scripted affairs built on pop song forms, Unplugged celebrates the possibilities of off-the-cuff interplay: The Roots sound like they’ve been backing Jay-Z for years - they push him to new heights just by working that minimal, relentlessly funky backbeat, supplying sparky little counterlines in the margins. Abandoning his usual sample-based production to mix it up with the fiery Roots rhythm section and a string quartet that provides more than just window dressing, he expands his familiar anthems with extemporaneous freestyle forays and smart instrumental interludes. ![]() The recipient of the NAACP's President's Award, a Primetime. Jay-Z also holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 (14). There's really not a bad track on here, though standouts include the Nas-dissing 'Takeover' (which features some dope interpolations of 'Shook Ones Pt. Jay-Z gives himself an unexpected artistic makeover on the loose Unplugged, which was recorded live in November for an MTV special. One of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 140 million records sold, Jay-Z has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint-most Grammy awards of any rapper along with Kanye West. Unplugged is all about the hits, loaded from start to finish with some of the best and most beloved songs from Jay's first six albums. ![]()
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