Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Scribbler's Borrowers & Lenders of the Week: Jay-Z, "No Hook"


So the resident Jay-Z fan posted a Jay-Z song on his revamped series.  Surprise, surprise.  Ah well...deal with it because there will be more to come.  Anyway, the original Mr. Carter has been the beneficiary of "borrowing" many times throughout his storied career, and like last week's "Borrower" in Big K.R.I.T., he proves over and over again that he possesses quite the superb musical ear.  When he put out the super-dope American Gangster album and unoffical soundtrack (2007, Roc-A-Fella), "No Hook" immediately stood out.  (ASIDE: the song has a bit of sentimental value for me because whenever I think about riding around Philly with Mrs. Scribbler before she became the Mrs. and listening to this CD for the first time with her, "No Hook" is the first song that comes to mind.  That's enough of that sentimental ish...back to biz, kids.)  With Sean C & LV bringing the sample and Diddy calling upon the assistance of live musicians, the end result is a match made in heaven and the perfect platform for Jay to spit one of his many signature tales about the highs and lows of the streets: