JAY-Z - "I JUST WANT TO LOVE U (GIVE IT TO ME)"
the word "love," perhaps surprisingly, manifests itself in many of the titles of tracks jay-z either does solo or in tandem with another artist. in fact, he's appeared on seven songs that featured the word "love" in the title, an unlikely amount for a unquestionably "hard" rapper like jigga. usually, the love has to do with the love of his money ("i love the dough") or the love of his homies ("crew love"), but on the lead single to his upcoming album -- yes, he does have a new album on the way this year. where does the man find time to stab people? i'm just kidding, jigga! -- he makes the bold move of declaring unconditional love for the object of his affection. he'll do anything, and he's not above crying, he makes clear in "i just want to love u." it's an artistic gamble right up there with the formally "hard" l.l. cool j proclaiming, "i need love" many years before he became hip hop's don juan. the questions are many: is it commercially and artistically viable? will jay-z be able to hold on to his listeners with such hanky-wringing? will he, against all odds, start a new trend?
truth be told, none of the above is veracious. well, most of it isn't, at least. you should know what to expect from jay-z by now: i mean, he's certainly given us enough opportunity in the last several years to become familiar with his steelo. jay-z, essentially, is a bad-ass pimp and he can't help it, but he loves you, baby ,and he knows you ain't being true when you say that you're saving it -- and you know what it is -- for marriage; that, in actuality, you just want jay-z to give up the cash and you'll then give up the...well.
the beat is shuffling and hot to death: it's not classic jay-z but it's enough to light up a club and keep the jeeps bumpin'. it features skittering beats and descending guitar chords, the latter really making the song. chorus is sung by a wannabe curtis mayfield and will most likely become a kind of anthem. so far, putting out a ton of product hasn't shown to be affecting the quality of his work and "i just want to love u" keeps that streak alive. whether he can sustain it over another album's length remains to be seen. for now, jay-z just wants to love you. so why don't you let him?
(c) 2000 - fred solinger -
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