ARTIST: Jay-Z
TITLE: “Off That (feat. Drake)” / “Reminder”
WEB DEBUT: Aug. 23-24, 2009
ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: A pair of tracks from Jay-Z’s forthcoming Blueprint 3—both produced by Timbaland—made their way online over the past 24 hours, and they’re an interesting study in just where the MC / mogul sees himself at this juncture. “What the hell have y’all done to even have an opinion on what I’ve been doing? / What the hell have you all won, the only thing you can identify with is losing?” he asks in “Reminder,” before running down a litany of his record sales; meanwhile, in the Drake-assisted “Off That,” he takes time out to remind us that he has enough cash to afford a Tribeca loft. But there’s an undercurrent of nervousness that echoes the endless litany of “featuring” mentions on the album’s track listing; after all, in an era where hardly any album can break 100k in a week, let alone go platinum, isn’t running down record sales from the Old Days weird? Not just in a “back in my day” sense, but in a way that could ultimately look dumb should Blueprint 3 underperform as solidly as every other record that’s come out in 2009?
That he has Drake—who’s been one of the few commercial bright spots for pop music in general in 2009—on the trend-spurning “Off That” is also telling. As It’s The Real co-proprietor Jeff Rosenthal put it, “Jay might not need the help to sell records, but he’ll take it.” Of course, that acceptance sends a curiously dissonant message of its own, particularly on a song on which Jay goes to great pains to remind listeners of his time-transcending potency and constant need to break free of what might be considered “now.”
On a musical note, “Off That” sounds pretty good, though, so there’s that. “Reminder” has maybe an “uh” or two too many, but I have to say that it’s nice to hear Timbaland flexing his talents in a way that isn’t reminiscent of the worst parts of Chris Cornell’s solo album.
“Off That”:
Jay-Z – Reminder (Produced by Timbaland) [Nah Right]
In the interest of saving dashboard space… [made-up m3m0ries]
[Photo: Getty]
On “Off That,” I love the way the chorus transitions into the verse. Decent track, but works better as an album cut than a single? I’m sure after 30 plays i’ll like it more.
“Off That” sounds like Jigga’s answer to “The Way I Are”: a chewy synth hook obliterates any objections to the shopworn lyrics.
I wholeheartedly agree Maura. The lyrical content on both of these songs is pretty wack – very “kingdom come”-era Jay to me, and that’s a bad thing.
The decision to utilize Drake* on a song about not chasing trends is HILARIOUS – except I don’t think Jay gets the joke. C’mon Jigga, why not have Lady GaGa sing the hook on “reminder” too?
Musically, though, I find both these songs pretty thrilling (and I agree with you that “Off That” is the better of the two, but both are strong). It’s great to see Timbaland back making hot hip-hop beats.
*I take issue with the fact that you consider Drake to be a “commercial bright spot” for pop music – what has he done, exactly? A mixtape, no album, and one top-2 single? I know “best I ever had” is fairly ubiquitous (if terrible) but he hasn’t actually made anyone any money yet and certainly hasn’t proven worthy of the supposed bidding war over him.
“Reminder” is annoying and a bit cloying, but “Off That” has that badass swagger. The first truly positive thing to come off this album.
@Chris Molanphy: Good call. It’s the synth that hooked me in.
@chachwitablog: He’s a new artist who managed to reach the top spot on Hot 100 Airplay (no small feat in the ever-more-conservative world of radio, especially during The Endless Summer Of Black Eyed Peadom) and he has another single ascending the charts. And people are talking about him — by which I mean people outside of the music-obsessive world. I mean, sure, it’s too soon to tell if he’ll be a bright spot for any length of time beyond a couple of months, but in a time when all these established superstars are having a problem getting a toe-hold in the greater pop-cultural consciousness, he’s doing it effortlessly. (Whether or not he was helped along by his previous fame is, of course, up for debate.)
crap, sorry for the double-post, but I need to comment on David Cho’s post (linked to from the Jeff Rosenthal link you posted)
David Cho says: “As far as putting Drake on the hook, I don’t know why Degrassi’s Jimmy is on this song either, but Jeff is insane if he thinks that adding Drake gives Jay-Z any sort of Billboard traction. Jay doesn’t really need that help even, as ‘Run This Town’ is number 3 on this week’s Hot 100…”
David, David, David. Do you know who is featured on Run This Town? How do you think this does anything but totally disprove your own point?
@Maura: Well, “effortlessly” may not be quite accurate, but I see your point. (But are you sure Drake/”best” were really getting all that talked about? Didn’t they have the unfortunate timing of peaking around the time some dude died? I forget his name but I think his songs were actually getting the most attention/airplay/sales around the time Drake was hitting it big…I could be a little off on my timeline though.)
Of course, his album isn’t even slated until 2010…well after “best” will have lost its unit-moving luster. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the album pushed back if there isn’t a big hit to go with it. I also have yet to actually understand what Drake can DO…I can’t tell if he raps or sings, and he doesn’t seem to do either on “best” so I’m sort of clueless. Not that talent = record sales anyway. (I also find “best” nearly unlistenable, but I’m apparently in the minority.)