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Rappers have long been influenced by the gangster film genre, but rarely have hip-hop artists had the necessary access and means to produce a work like American Gangster (dir. Ridley Scott, 2007). The interest among Hollywood executives in what Jay Z's star power and music might bring to the film American Gangster created a special opportunity for him to contribute to the movie. Without more examinations of how filminspired rap music comes into being, we will fail to appreciate fully the interplay between Hollywood and hip-hop. In addition, an examination of the ways that an individual album coincides with and departs from a rappers body of work assists us in charting artistic trajectories. A production history of Jay Zs American Gangster (2007) as well as a consideration of his word usage on his twelve solo albums reveal how specific recurring words and phrases contribute to his overall rap style and persona.
In mid-October 2007, Kathy Nelson organized a viewing of the then unreleased American Gangster (dir. Ridley Scott, 2007), starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. As music supervisor for Universal Films, Nelson was experienced at organizing these kinds of viewings to convince recording artists to contribute to film soundtracks. As Doug Morris, chairman-CEO of Universal Music Group has explained, Nelson played a "pivotal role in building a creative bridge to more effectively capitalize on the vast opportunities between film and music."1 On this occasion, the recording artist was Jay Z. He viewed the film, and after the close, he was inspired.
Rappers have long been influenced by the gangster film genre, but rarely have hip-hop artists had the necessary access and means to produce a work like American Gangster. The interest among Hollywood executives in what Jay Z's star power and music might bring to the film American Gangster created a special opportunity for him to contribute to the movie. Without more examinations of how film-inspired rap music comes into being, we will fail to fully appreciate the interplay between Hollywood and hip-hop. In addition, an examination of the ways that an individual album coincides with and departs from a rapper's body of work assists us in charting artistic trajectories. A production history of Jay Z's American Gangster (2007) as well as a...