Maps of Music

Kingdom Come (2006)

Where the lyrics of Kingdom Come take you, and where it was really made.

Jay-Z first planned to release this album under his real name, Shawn Carter, before choosing the stage name Jay-Z.

Key places

Recorded at Sony Music Studios (2006)

Recording site Sony Music Studios — Kingdom Come was recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City. The album was released in November 2006 by Roc-A-Fella Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Studios 301 in Sydney (2006)

Recording site Studios 301 — Kingdom Come was also recorded at Studios 301 in Sydney, Australia. The album's production drew on multiple producers, including Just Blaze and Dr. Dre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Kingdom Come: ninth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z
• Released 21 November 2006 through Roc-A-Fella Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group
• Considered a comeback album for the rapper
• Production by multiple producers including Just Blaze, DJ Khalil, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz and Kanye West
• Guest appearances by John Legend, Beyoncé, Usher and Ne-Yo
• Four singles: Show Me What You Got, Lost One, 30 Something and Hollywood

Background

• Preceded by The Black Album (2003), which was widely hyped as Jay-Z's retirement album
• The video for 99 Problems ended with Jay-Z going down in a hail of gunfire
• Jay-Z said that scene represented the death of Jay-Z and the rebirth of Shawn Carter
• Originally planned for release under the real name Shawn Carter, but released under the stage name Jay-Z
• Lost One, produced by Dr. Dre, addresses the split with Roc-A-Fella co-founder Damon Dash and the death of his nephew
• Dr. Dre produced four beats and mixed every song, his first substantial role on a Jay-Z album
• Past collaborators Kanye West and Just Blaze made significant contributions
• Opening track The Prelude features additional vocals from Pain in da Ass

Recording

• Recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City
• Recorded at Studios 301 in Sydney, Australia

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Shawn Corey Carter, born December 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City.
• Raised in Marcy Houses in Bedford–Stuyvesant; mother Gloria Carter raised him and his three older siblings after his father left when he was 11.
• Dropped out of Trenton Central High School during his sophomore year.
• Adopted the stage name Jay-Z in homage to his mentor Jaz-O.

Career

• Began recording in the late 1980s, contributing verses to Jaz-O's records.
• Co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records; debut album Reasonable Doubt (1996) was critically acclaimed.
• Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998) became his most commercially successful album, certified 6× Platinum in the US.
• The Blueprint (2001) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Led Def Jam Recordings as president and CEO from 2004 to 2007.
• Founded Roc Nation in 2008 and later 4:44 (2017) and Everything Is Love with Beyoncé (2018).
• Has 25 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Lukewarm reviews from music critics, with a Metacritic weighted average of 67 out of 100 from 23 critic scores
• Pitchfork journalist Peter Macia: the early consensus was that it is one of Jay-Z's worst albums
• Rolling Stone: Rob Sheffield said the highs are really high and the lows are really low
• The A.V. Club: Nathan Rabin called it just another solid album
• The New York Times: Kelefa Sanneh called it an intriguing but halfway successful attempt
• AllMusic: Andy Kellman was more critical, calling it a display of complacency and retreads
• Robert Christgau gave it an honorable mention in his MSN Music consumer guide

Reappraisal

• Vibe: Preezy Brown, at the 10th anniversary, said the album's blemishes were not masked by its extras
• Vibe singled out The Prelude, Lost Ones, Do U Wanna Ride, I Made It, Minority Report and Beach Chair as highlights
• HNHH: Mitch Findlay called Minority Report the best track and an elegiac reflection on Hurricane Katrina
• Jay-Z later considered it his worst album

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 680,000 copies in its first week (Nielsen SoundScan)
• Jay-Z's ninth US number one album
• Dropped to number six in its second week, selling 140,000 more copies
• RIAA double platinum certification on 14 December 2006 for two million shipments
• 1,510,000 copies sold in the US as of August 2009 (Nielsen SoundScan)
• Nominated for Best Rap Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards; Kanye West won with Graduation

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Jay-Z originally planned to release the album under his real name, Shawn Carter, before choosing the stage name Jay-Z.
• The 99 Problems video ended with Jay-Z going down in gunfire, which he said represented the death of Jay-Z and the rebirth of Shawn Carter.
• Pain in da Ass, who appeared on earlier album introductions, provides additional vocals on The Prelude, impersonating characters from Scarface, Goodfellas and Carlito's Way.
• Lost One addresses the split with Damon Dash and the death of Jay-Z's nephew.
• Jay-Z later considered Kingdom Come his worst album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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