Track List:
01 - 534
02 - Interlude
03 - Dear Summer (feat. Jay-Z)
04 - Like That
05 - Infatuated (feat. Boxie)
06 - The One (feat. Rihanna)
07 - First, Last And Only (feat. M.O.P.)
08 - Get Low (feat. Livin' Proof)
09 - Oh Baby (feat. Young Gunz)
10 - Smoke The Pain Away (feat. Denim)
11 - Hater Free
12 - Alright
13 - All About Me
14 - Straight Path
Ever since the day he first entered the rap game, Memphis Bleek has been living in the shadow of his mentor Jay-Z, which makes it difficult for anyone not to benchmark his work against Jay's. And now that Jay-Z has retired from rap and taken the role of Def Jam President, Bleek is left to fill the Roc-A-Fella void. With the power and backing that Jay-Z and Def Jam are giving Bleek, you would be forgiven for thinking "534" would be a sure fire hit, however, when you look at Bleek's track record, you begin to have doubts, mainly because he is has released three mainstream albums and is yet to go platinum despite his associations with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella.
Unlike Bleek’s previous albums where production was a bit of a let down, "534" comes fully loaded with tracks engineered by today’s A-List producers including Just Blaze, 9th Wonder and Swizz Beats.
Bleek has done nothing new with “534,” instead of taking hip-hop in a new direction and showing some creativity, Bleek has decided to follow the tried and tested rap record formula and appealed to set markets, i.e. make a few songs for the women (“Infatuated”), a few club tracks (“Like That”) and a few for the homies (“Smoke the Pain Away”).
“534” was probably Bleek’s best opportunity to prove that he could stand alone as a rapper, rather than following his current path as a career hype-man. Unfortunately, the best moments on the album come from the guest appearances. On “First, Last and Only” which has Bleek sandwiched between Lil Fame and Billy Danze from M.O.P., it is clear who has the most experience in the rap game. On “Get Low” Bleek embarrassing gets overshadowed by his protégé Proof and the best track from the album, “Dear Summer,” doesn’t even feature Bleek at all. Instead, Jay-Z comes out of retirement to drop a sure fire classic about retiring over some on point Just Blaze production.
Although it might sound like there are a lot of faults with the album, on the whole it is a fairly solid package. It may not be that different from Bleek’s previous albums, but it is a noticeable improvement. The top notch production helps compensate for Bleek’s mediocre rhymes, but you still get the feeling he is stuck in Jay-Z’s shadow. Before the release, Jay-Z hailed Bleek as his retirement plan, if I was Jigga I would start saving a little extra from his Def Jam cheques.
Artist: Memphis Bleek