he first two things that Jay-Z and R. Kelly advertised about this CD, before Kelly’s sex scandal, were that the CD was going to be titled Best of Both Worlds and was recorded in one, seven hour long session. To most music fans, this signals danger. Seven hours is a small amount of work for a full-length album, and the really scary part is that it was all done in one session. Are Jay and Kelly just so good at their craft and so comfortable in the studio with each other that they just wrote their lyrics, came in to the studio, and nailed it on the first take? Or is the CD molded by both artist’s posse of yes-men and, in the end, a rushed effort? Sadly, what could have been amazing falls very short of amazing, and even short of mediocre.


Best of Both Worlds was a good description for tracks that Jay-Z and R. Kelly had previously created before this album was even a twinkle in their collective eye. Their two previous collaborations for singles, “Fiesta (Remix)” and “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” were tracks tailor-made for the club. However, as far as clubs go, they were actually fairly deep and the music appealed to a wide range of people, from hip-hop fans to pop music aficionados. R. Kelly, who has a great voice for hip-hop songs, despite his mostly pop singles, meshed well with Jay-Z’s normal braggadocio. With Jay’s recent turn towards deep and serious lyrics on The Blueprint, this CD could have been truly special. Instead, Jay regresses from the major maturation he made only six months ago back to “Ummmmmm.. I don't mean no harm / But your boy young Hov' got a mean ol' arm / Got all the young ladies wanna lean on him / And I don't turn them away, I'm like - bring them on / Now - where's her man is not my concern / It's not what I'm worried about, I'm just tryin to hurry her out / Clear her whole area out / And bring this whole party little nearer to my house / Now - where's her spouse? I don't know / So, I don't ask, I don't probe / I just get in 6, get out on Rov' / Let her, sip on Cris', go out on tours”. The lyrics on this CD are suggestive of Jay-Z’s past style, the reason so many serious hip-hop fans are down on him. On the CDs that most hip-hop fans heard, Volume 1: In My Lifetime, Volume 2: Hard Knock Life, and Volume 3: The Life and Times of S. Carter, Jay-Z was certainly responsible for the clever lyric every once in a while and a very good flow, but most of his rhymes on the album sound written by a novice rapper and spit by Jay-Z. What did was to be gained from that verse above? Was it funny? No. Was it introspective? No. The whole CD is full of rhymes like this that just make you roll your eyes at Jay-Z.


R. Kelly doesn’t fufill has part of “The Best”, either. It is not fair to be biased toward R. because of his recent sex scandal with an underage woman, but it certainly puts new perspective of songs like “Somebody’s Girl”, a barrage on the senses that is the worst song on the CD, due to Jay-Z’s poor rhyme in the previous paragraph, and a beat that sounds just like every other one on the CD. Kelly’s solo, “Pussy”, is almost as bad, and it especially struggles due to the lack of Jay-Z. Similar to his lethargic partner, R. Kelly actually brings the worst of his talent, using it to do what can only be referred to as “crooning”. This leaves listeners wanting R. Kelly to actually sing, even those who, like me, don’t normally enjoy him. Unfortunately, Jay-Z brings out the “thug” in R. Kelly, hiding his actual talent. R. Kelly brings out the club-friendly Jay-Z, losing what the gains that his wit and actual talent could have brought to the CD.


Most of the production on Best of Both Worlds is done by the Trackmasters. This means that the production on the album is already handicapped and poor compared to that of the superb production on The Blueprint. While the production on the album may be good for the club, it is not an overall superbly produced album. Half of the songs sound exactly like the “Fiesta Remix”, featuring the familiar Spanish guitar style riffs, keeping the songs similar and very derivative of the previous songs. As the listener gets farther into the album, they become less and less enthralled with a sound that wasn’t very original or interesting to begin with. The few tracks that don’t sound like the “Fiesta Remix” sound exactly like what the Trackmasters are known for in the past: an instrument, usually an electric guitar, responsible for an upbeat but weak main track. Beyond that, the rest of the song features only a light bassline and a soft drum track that is often comprised of hand claps or light taps on the drums. This eliminates any of the songs’ possibilities to be dominant, as they are all passive and forgettable, seen best on “Pussy” and “Honey”. The “Shake Your Body” beat is actually annoying, a fate far worse than forgettable, due to the trademark claps that dominate it. An album that is so geared towards the club cannot afford to be so weak and forgettable, especially since Jay-Z and R. Kelly do not bring their usual talent to the table.


Some of the songs are actually done right. “The Streets” is the only track on the CD that features even remotely any introspection into either Jay or Kelly’s life. While the beat leaves a bit to be desired, as it is very reserved, both of the artists bring heartfelt descriptions of what they had to do to make it in the world, off of, obviously, the streets. Beyond that, “Get This Money” is a blatant club track, but it is a club track done right. The beat, while only decently constructed, is the most memorable on the album save the intro, and features the Jay-Z of three years ago, talking about money, but doing it at least with a bit of tact and wit. The intro, “Best of Both Worlds”, features a nice Megahertz track reminiciscent of Nas’ “Stillmatic” introduction. The song actually sounds a bit like a symphony, however, Megahertz kept the production lower-key than that, and, as a result, the track does not sound too grand. Even though Jigga left his wit in his head when recording this, the intro, and R. is extremely annoying, adding only a regular “Best of.... Both Worlds....”, the track succeeds due mainly to the beat.


The album had the right idea, leaving off most of the guests and spotlighting the chemistry between the two artists. The artists that do appear, Beanie Sigel on “Green Light” and Li’l Kim on “Shake Your Body”, bring lackluster verses to the table, only half of what they’re capabale of. Many definitely wonder who would have even fit well on the album. The only artist that consistently delivers talent that is linked to either artist is Scarface, and the production would have meshed terribly his low key delivery, which usually succeeds on riding the beat well and actually talking about important subjects. For all of the shortcomings of the album, Jay and Kelly do have enough chemistry that, while most of the songs are forgettable and/or grating, the album has a good flow to it and is very cohesive as far as albums go. Best of Both Worlds does not actually deliver the BEST of both worlds, as both artists accentuate the other’s poor qualities. The CD is just too conceptually flawed and lackadaisical to be a good album for anywhere or than the club or the truck.