There been a lot of talk and hyping up the DJ Khaled project ‘God Did’. Yet another year, another DJ Khaled compilation album filled with hooks, radio-anthems and some harder tracks for the streets. That’s how this game usually goes and this time around there been talk surrounding the DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, John Legend, and Fridayy.
The track is around 8 minutes and 20 seconds. That’s a lot of content and needs to be consistent to be energizing. It has to a unique and special record to be able to keep your attention for that long. The first rappers like Rick Ross and Lil Wayne gets the standard 16 bars. While Jay-Z get a four minutes long verse and about 84 bars (unofficially counted myself).
The start and the 16 bars was strong, but when you continue to beat the bullet. The bars needs to vibrant and should be interesting. In this regard the first 16 bars are actually very appealing. It’s isn’t anything out of the usual. The sort of common “luxury” rap format, which we have gotten used too. The sort of rags-to-riches in a few bars story. Where you tell one thing and tell what your doing now.
The same sort of continues and the braggadocios lines are coming steady. That’s why it’s not that brilliant. It just looses steam and the story-telling isn’t really there. It is only mentioning what he has done and did in the past. He wants to be epic, but just sounds self-glorifying.
That’s why it’s all “HOV DID” and not “GOD DID” which is very deliberate. Not shocking or surprising. Maybe because he dropped an album called “Magna Carta – Holy Grail” at one point. So, he likes this sort of magnificent over his own work.
I am a listener of Jay-Z. Done since since the early 2000s, so have several of albums on my playlists. Jay-Z is a good artist and to say otherwise is foolish. However, this is not dunking on Jay-Z, but more the hype surrounding this record.
If this had been the worse on the T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us” or the “Run This Town” where it was more flavour for your ear and competition to show excellence. Because, here Rick Ross went into safety mode and Lil Wayne autotune verse was “mediocre”. So, it wasn’t like Jay-Z needed magic or be solid. He could skate on this one and not even bother actually. Both Rick Ross and Lil Wayne has dropped better guest appearances themselves. If you have followed these too… they have and even on older DJ Khaled records as well.
I expected more from the hype, more finesse, cadence and sort of word-play. In such a way that it played a bit with your mind. Here was just a A-Typical vibe and such “humble” brags that we are accustomed too.
Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z can do more. We know that and to say otherwise is nonsense. They hyped this up to get Spotify-plays and get more eyes on the newest DJ Khaled album. That’s seems like it. This verse isn’t all of that. Initially, if it was like many said on Twitter and on Social Media. I would have been hyped and over the moon. However, after listening to Black Thought’s “Cheat Codes” project. He got better bars and better verses than this. That’s just a fact and Jay-Z doesn’t have the verse of the year. Not even close… maybe commercially and with ratings.
Nevertheless, on the down-low… we know it’s not that unique or special. It was just “another one” and that’s fitting. When he did release this verse for a DJ Khaled record. Peace.
MinBane 