Jay-Z: American Gangster

Urban angst dominates Jay-Z's latest opus and he takes things up a notch with 15 tales of druggin' and thuggin' in New York City. Loosely based on the motion picture of the same name (and no, this isn't an official film soundtrack), American Gangster is a tense, terse listen that finds Jay-Z deadpanning his way through some heady subject matter, completely devoid of the bangers that otherwise dominate his hit-making CV. Sean Carter has come to dish, and he offers a moody glimpse at the underworld, albeit through the slanted view of the president of a major record label. Pseudo-slow jam "Party Days" breaks things up halfway through, but you're otherwise left with a challenging album that could potentially turn off suburban lightweights and some of Jay-Z's more casual fans.