by

Young Jeezy Tm 103 Hustlerz Ambition Zip

After releasing The Recession in 2008, Young Jeezy suffered his own three-year layoff due to legal problems and a fight with the crippling disease Bell's palsy. Add a paradigm shift in hip-hop radio, where the introspection of Drake and Kid Cudi found favor over Jeezy and T.I.' S extroverted pusher music, then top if off with a slew of missed released dates and the whole thing stinks of a setup. After plenty of delays and hype, Young Jeezy will be delivering his TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition tomorrow, as he's ready to prove he still speaks for the streets.

Overview

After releasing The Recession in 2008, Young Jeezy suffered his own three-year layoff due to legal problems and a fight with the crippling disease Bell's palsy. Add a paradigm shift in hip-hop radio, where the introspection of Drake and Kid Cudi found favor over Jeezy and T.I.'s extroverted pusher music, then top if off with a slew of missed released dates and the whole thing stinks of a setup, which is why any fond appreciation of TM:103 must come from the 'warts and all' department. This unforgiving return to form doesn't suffer from being over-thought and it's not even overwrought, but it is overstuffed at 14 tracks (make that 18 for the deluxe version) and the most welcoming moments are pushed to the back (the 'F.A.M.E.'/'I Do'/'Higher Learning' sequence is like a trap music glitter dome with Jay-Z, André 3000, T.I., and Snoop Dogg all on the guest list). These minor complaints will matter little to returning fans as their needs are put first with the front half of album rolling like a steamroller fueled by grind-time anthems. Even the hack 'game needs me'-styled opener is welcome as the rapper forces 'Waiting' out of his hoarse throat like it was gravel, and after 'What I Do' does something infectious and incredible with an economic hook and a Drumma Boy beat, the bold 'OJ' comes along filled with iffy metaphors and a trailer load of controversy. The scattershot and irresponsible number is a red herring and kept a safe distance from the album's true key track, 'Trapped,' where Jeezy and Jill Scott offer a crafted and complicated social statement, one that's soulful and the worthy successor to 'My President.' What's made Jeezy's evolution as an artist interesting is that this rebel without a cause sometimes finds one, and even when he's more Hulk than Bruce Banner, his changes are driven by emotion rather than something calculated. Here he's driven by the hunger to put things back where they were and live up to TM:103's official subtitle, Hustlerz Ambition, along with its unofficial one, Trap or Die Tryin'.

“They want me trip on my strings, want me fall on my face
Hit a lick for a hundred, and it fell in my safe
Say she no alcoholic, but she drink like a toilet
Told her do me a favor, and put your mouth on this faucet
I know just how she like it, she might think I’m a psychic
Even call me a plumber, she like the way that I pipe it
Niggaz talk like they know me, they must got me mistaken
Bitch I’m pleadin not guilty you’ll never charge me with fakin”

Young Jeezy Tm 103 Hustlerz Ambition ZipZip

“What I Do (Just Like That)” is a statement of principles defining Young Jeezy’s philosophy on “TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition” as well as any song could. The Atlanta all-star has a rap career dating back to 2005, where he first came to national attention as a member of Boyz N Da Hood, then very quickly eclipsed their fame on his solo debut “Thug Motivation 101.” As his star rose into the sky like a cloud of marijuana smoke, fans came to know his raspy voice and unrepentant lifestyle well, flashing iced out jewelry and getting in trouble wherever he went. Showing out is nothing new, but as the title of 2008’s “The Recession” acknowledges, it was somewhat contradictory to how most of his fan base was living. Since then he’s been largely off the radar (police or otherwise) with “TM:103” being pushed back multiple times.

Now that the album has finally arrived, any anticipation I felt has long since dropped off, right along with singles that he released before the album that are not included. If you don’t buy the deluxe version of “TM:103” you won’t get “Lose My Mind” or “Ballin” at all, which is especially irritating given they are two of his best songs since 2008 and feature Plies and Lil Wayne as guests respectively. It’s shit like this that makes people buy thedigital version on Amazon instead of physical compact discs, because none of the songs you wanted are left out. At least the 14-track version peaks on the last five tracks, starting with “Trapped.” With a Jill Scott cameo and production by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, it’s a certified banger:

Hustlaz

“Even though we had a will, we ain’t have a way
They just told us how to live, we ain’t have a say
All I know is the other side got some cuts for ya
Fresh khaki suit, nigga that’s enough for ya (yeahhhh)
Got you spendin all your money on lawyer fees
Judge throwin numbers at you like he speakin Japanese
All cause a nigga out’chea playin bakery
I’m out’chea tryin to get this bread, somebody pray for me”

Young jeezy tm 103 hustlerz ambition zip

This is followed by a string of well produced tracks with killer cameos: “F.A.M.E.” featuring T.I., “I Do” featuring Andre 3000 & Jay-Z, “Higher Learning” featuring Devin the Dude & Snoop Dogg, and “This One’s For You” with Trick Daddy. Unfortunately rolling with rappers better than you can expose the level you’re on badly. At times Jeezy has an insightful view of the hustle those in poor and urban communities go through to make a living. At other times he’s “gone off the Belvy and Patron” as he brags about on the single “I Do,” and the punchlines he drops are just embarrassing. It defies belief when he rhymes “contact” with “contact,” especially on a song where he knows he’ll be sharing billing with top level lyricists like Andre 3000 and Shawn Carter. On the other hand it at least proves that Jeezy is consistent given that he rhymes “snowman” with “snow, man” on his very first album.

Young Jeezy Tm:103 Hustlerz Ambition Zip

Jeezy’s most endearing quality then, besides his raspy voice, is that he’s incredibly blunt in his delivery. When he calls someone a “fuck nigga” as he does on the Trick Daddy song, he makes those words drip with venom. It’s as though anybody who would be fake with him is the lowest form of life that exists on Earth – or as he puts it, “niggaz actin like broads.” Don’t expect Jeezy to be politically correct or clean up his language – his appeal comes from being the exact opposite of that. Jeezy also has a good ear for production, letting the likes of Lil Lody, Drumma Boy, and even Warren G (on “Leave You Alone” featuring Ne-Yo) handle the work behind the boards. The album walks a fine line between being enjoyable and obnoxious. Thanks in large part to the beats and the guest appearances, and in small part to Jeezy’s frank delivery and raspy voice, it leans more toward the former than the latter, leading me to give this album a cautious thumbs up.