Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got Video

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Posted Nov 04 2006 by Arthur Jay | 1493 views | 0 comments

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"Show Me What You Got" Video Review

For all its redundancies, the thing still defibrillates. Once it really starts to whip (:18), giddiness is all but involuntary; you lean front, swing left, turn the knob right, bring it back. Working well within the terra-blasting stylistic groove he’s bombed out for himself, Just Blaze displays his most riveting blend of live instrumentation and savvy sampling yet. Filling every space with ear-pop, dime-stop frills from both drum kit and organ, he makes chops work for hip-hop-- something the Roots are still working on. In a year when rap’s finest producers are bringing their best to r&b, it’s a relief to hear one of the year’s most anticipated hip-hop tracks launched with such verve.

Then there’s, uh, Jay. The stubborn Hov-apologist side of my brain wants to inflame lame excuses. It’s better than "Change Clothes"! It’s not easy to flow over this shit! Did you hear him internalize the rhythm on that five-armed snare-bust fill! The woman he’s sidling up to is actually a personification of today’s hapless rap landscape! Check for that Curtis Jackson/Tip Harris subliminal! Still got that swagger! et al. But, really, we’ve been waiting two years for this. There’s no excuse. "No two alike like a snowflake," he says, obviously not referring to his own lyrical output. With few B.I.G. lines left to plunder, Jay recklessly reverts to his own past. Seasonal updates. Gold bottles. "The king’s back!" And, of course, the Jordan obsession, which is getting creepier (and lazier) by the verse.

The song’s titular message is supposed to incite his competition to step it up. But, considering all the garbage he’s co-signed as president, such bitching becomes a nasty boomerang. Maybe he’s sabotaging Def Jam by day so his eventual "resurrections" will seem more meaningful. Or maybe he’s just been listening to a lot of Rick Ross. "Get the fuck out the throne you clone," he says. Propped up by lyrical fluff, the threat is unconvincing.