In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

11/04/1997 3:00 AM, LAUNCH
Amy Linden

The deaths of Biggie and Tupac left hip-hop with a void. Who would be the next microphone bandit to rock the projects and the suburbs?

Enter Jay-Z, the duly appointed heir apparent. Before the Brooklyn-raised rhyme animal ever showed up on your TV he was making noise on the underground, and when his debut Reasonable Doubt hit the streets what had been a rumor quickly became hip-hop fact. Here was a kid with the deadly skills and low-key charisma to succeed in the game. Jay-Z's versions of the well-known and beloved hustler anthems made him large. Those in the know--and trust me, I ain't one of them--started saying (so that others could hear) that Jay-Z had the goods to take it to the next level. That the aforementioned void sped up Jay-Z's inevitable ascension, and only made the anticipation for his sophomore effort all the more intense.

So, you know the hype, but how's the record? Not bad, but it's evident that the pride of the Marcy projects is under a strain to satisfy both the faithful and the kids at MTV. To wit, too many wack samples, too many obvious ripoffs and a "cover' of Glenn Frey's 'You Belong To The City" that begs the musical question: huh?

But on the other and better hand, Jay-Z's tales of money, mayhem and Marcy are delivered with a steady, unflinching calm. And it's his, yeah, charisma, and no-nonsense rhyme skills that make this, while not great, definitely worth checking out.