There’s really nothing like hearing pre-recorded Jay-Z verses flow over original composition. As 2006’s S. Carter remix proved by morphing the haunting “Moment of Clarity” into Big Jack’s bravado-soaked revision, Jay’s lyrics can take on an entire new meaning when matched against a new vibe. “So pop, I forgive you for all the shit that I lived through. It wasn’t all your fault, homie, you got caught.” A forgiving confession becomes a one-up boast at dad.
The same holds true on Mick Boogie’s Brooklyn Soul, the pieced-together collabo of Jay’s American Gangster lyrics and Mick’s pick of Marvin Gaye samples. “Party Life,” sleeking on Diddy’s sample of Little Beaver’s “Get Into the Party Life,” breaks out the champagne when dipped in Marvin’s “Everybody Needs Love.” Gangster’s Bigg D pull of “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” shaking “Hello Brooklyn 2.0” gets a bit more personal when Jay and Lil Wayne receive some “Sexual Healing.” “Distant Lover” adds a sense of desperation to the brazenly depicted hustler narrating “No Hook.” Most telling is “Roc Boys,” where the “drinks on the house”-drenched celebration brings to mind those classic Jay music videos from the Life and Times of S. Carter era, but it evolves into something sinister, something under the table.
Obviously, Mick Boogie profiting off this one would be mind-bendingly illegal, but it’s available online through his site.
This article appears in June 27 • 2008.