Preliminary Review: 9/10
They say good things come to those who wait. Fans of Young Jeezy have been patiently waiting for the oft-delayed, TM103, and now the wait is almost over.
On Thursday, Nov. 18, Young Jeezy hosted an ultra-private, ultra-exclusive listening party at the legendary Patchwerk Studios in Atlanta. Attended by hip-hop elite, the listening party was a chance for people to hear and pre-celebrate the album. Kevin Liles, Keri Hilson, Common, DJ Don Cannon, DJ Drama, were just some of the celebs in attendance. Ludacris and Nelly walked in halfway through the album and toward the end of the party, Akon came in as well, the listening event, sponsored by Ciroc, quickly became a true party.
But the subject at hand was the album, TM103, which has been delayed for almost two years. But, the album is coming on its scheduled release date, December 20th, which is the same date as Common’s The Dreamer/The Believer; both rappers attended each other’s listening events last week. At first listen to TM103, one can begin to understand why it took time, by the end of the first run through, it is clear that this album is a masterpiece.
Jeezy introduced and described each song beginning with the album’s intro track, “Waiting” Produced by Lil Lodi.
“I’ve had a lot of doubters. But, I’m going to be a leader in this culture and get this city to where it needs to be.”
“Waiting,” is a high energy, bass-driven track that sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is the song that makes you want to get up, get out, and get paid.
Killer Quote: “Bit*h, I was born hot/and that’s how I’m dyin’ nig*a.”
“This is What I Do” Produced by Drumma Boy.
“This is that Jizzle sh*t that y’all have been waiting on, so I had to go back and do it.”
“This is What I Do,” shows that Young Jeezy’s lyrical prowess has just continued to evolve. TM103 is him at his thug-est. This song, in particular, might get you locked up for cracking a hater’s head with a bottle.
“O.J.“ Produced by Lil Lodi. Featuring Fabolous and Jadakiss
“They say this is controversial. But, I figure, O.J. got away with what he was doin’, I got away with what I was doin’: killin’ that white chick like OJ.”
“O.J.” is a very controversial song. While Jeezy has never shied away from his past association with “that white girl,” his comparison of cocaine to Nicole Brown-Simpson is going to raise major eyebrows. However, it is a great song.
“Nothin’” Produced by Midnight Black
“It’s kinda hard, because I ain’t no friendly ni**a, but I ain’t no funny n*g*a. You get to this point where you feel like you just can’t be you anymore. Anybody who is doing something, got a lot of people who feel like you owe them something, this is what you tell them.”
“Nothin’,” is one song that got a lot of crowd response. It is about not owing people for your success, Jeezy tells the listener, “I don’t owe a nig*a nothin’.” Like most of the album, “Nothin’,” is motivational and aggressive.
“Superfreak” Produced by D. Rich and Shawty Redd
“I wanted to make a street record that the chicks would like but the ni**as would love.”
“Superfreak,” is a good song, it isn’t incredibly impressive. Wikipedia credits the song as featuring Lupe Fiasco and Wale, however, Jeezy didn’t mention that specifically, and the song didn’t play in its entirety.
“How We Do” Produced by Cardiak
With a hook that says, “All we do is smoke and fu*k/smoke and fu*k/smoke and fu*k,” this song is freaky and sexy. “How We Do,” will make Jeezy’s female fans blush and his male fans take his advice.
“Leave You Alone,” Produced by Warren G. Featuring Ne-Yo
“I got this chick but she real corporate. This song is for the chicks who love that thug motivation, but at the same time, fear it.”
As two important members of the Atlanta music community, any time Ne-Yo and Jeezy come together, it’s a celebration. With Warren G providing that perfect G-funk inspired smoothness, “Leave You Alone,” is another great song for fans will relate to.
“Way Too Gone,” Produced by Shawty Redd
“This song is about when things were good and great. It’s about how Atlanta was.”
“Way Too Gone,” brings up memories of the late 90’s and early 2000’s when there was nothing but money to be made and BMF ran the streets. “Way Too Gone,” is classic Jeezy with lines like, “What I spent last night/I coulda bought a Range Rover.”
“Trapped,” Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Featuring Jill Scott
“When I was coming up, It was my mission every day to get out of the trap, to get my family out of the trap.”
“Trapped,” is deepest and most introspective song on the album. It will tug at your heart. An amazing song, this song and therefore this album, will define Young Jeezy and make him a superstar. Jill Scott is singing and rapping on “Trapped,” which is so impressive that the only thing that the only thing you want to do when you hear it is grab your head.
“Higher Learning,” Produced by Lil C . Featuring Snoop Dogg and Devin the Dude
A smoker’s anthem; there are no two bigger representatives for smoking than Snoop and Devin. The song is good.
“I Do.” Produced by M16. Featuring Jay-Z and Andre 3000
“I hope y’all know that this really puts me on boss status,” Jeezy stated to the crowd, who laughed, “I had to make two phone calls. In this game, sometimes I really feel like it’s my wife. When I wake up, I gotta deal with her, when she get mad, I gotta buy her things.”
Dropped as a single on the same day as the release party, “I Do,” was the song that officially kicked off the party portion of the event. It played on repeat as guests mingled. The song features great verses from Jeezy, Jay, and 3000, the song is clearly a single and a great song.
“I came from a 2 bedroom trailer. It was so small, I could hear my momma thinking at night.” Young Jeezy told the crowd. Those days have long been in Young Jeezy’s past, and Thug Motivation 103 is the album that will define his future.