HOV is back, Drug Dealers Anonymous

Guess who's back? Well he never left in my opinion, but of course the Goat, HOV (Jay Z), with a few unexpected features released last week. I wouldn't be surprised if HOV decided to drop an album this year. His last album Magna Carter Holy Grail released in 2013, was a commercial success, going platinum before the album even came out. Yes, with the help of his T-mobile promotion deal, and Justin Timberlake featured on the lead single "Holy Grail." Although I loved the album and there were great songs, lyrically this wasn't what his true fans like to hear from him.

However in Terror Squad's single "All the way up" HOV decided remix and bring the heat back. This is the classic New York sound, that hip hop listeners love to hear from New York natives. Being that this is the first time the public has heard from HOV, of course he instantly addresses the state of his marriage with Beyonce. This comes as no surprise to fans like myself, because we know that The Carter's are all about money, and their "marriage is worth millions" HOV says, which is validated by the sales of Beyonce's platinum Lemonade album. Critics are saying that Jay is firing shots back towards Bey with the lyrics, but honestly he's just boasting about how they're still making money off of their 13 year relationship. 

I wasn't surprised that HOV decided to release new material, but I am astonished by his lyricism inside Pusha T's song "Drug Dealers Anonymous." HOV is also featured in this song and he literally takes us back to his reasonable doubt days with bars like "before reasonable doubt dropped, the jury hung." In these bars HOV connects and compares his life's decisions and paths that he's taken to get to where he his today. I could also see how he may be comparing and contrasting his life as a form of slavery to the money and society. As a writer using certain words like buried, hung and then immediately flowing up with expensive jewelry in the same sequence suggest slavery in hip hop. As the verse continues he tells an entire story of why he should be perceived as a prophet, because of the way he predicted his future. 

Anyways click the link to take a listen for yourself, released on Tidal only.