The Dynasty: Roc la Familia

by Jay-Z

Overview

At the time of The Dynasty Roc la Familia's release, Jay-Z had already established himself as a towering figure in the rap world. His previous two albums -- Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life and Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter -- spawned numerous gigantic hits and were filled the brim with the biggest hitmakers in rap: producers like Timbaland and Swizz Beatz; rappers like Juvenile and DMX. So rather than try to one-up these albums with yet more super-producers and big-name rappers, Jay-Z took a different approach on The Dynasty. He brought in a stable of up-and-coming producers (the Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kanye West) and handed the mic to his in-house roster of Roc-a-Fella rappers (Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Freeway) with the intention of bolstering his rap "dynasty" (i.e., Roc-a-Fella). The approach works well. The Dynasty Roc la Familia still sounds like a Jay-Z album, but it's different enough from his past work to make it exciting and unique. In particular, the productions set Jigga apart from his peers in 2000, especially "I Just Wanna Love You (Give It 2 Me)" by the Neptunes, a fun, playful song a world apart from the rugged Ruff Ryder beats Swizz Beatz had been offering Jay-Z a year earlier. In terms of rapping, the omnipresence of Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek spices up "Parking Lot Pimpin'," another album highlight, but is a drag on other songs, where Jay-Z seems like a guest on his own album. Guest appearances by Snoop Dogg and Scarface are much more welcome, two of only three non-Roc-a-Fella guest features here. The Dynasty plays overall like a Roc-a-Fella mixtape rather than a Jay-Z album, which means you'll have to endure a lot of promotional posse tracks, particularly toward the end of the album. Still, the few standout tracks here are career highlights for Jay-Z and well worth wading through the occasional filler to find. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2000
Label:	Jay-Z / Roc Nation / Roc-A-Fella
UPC:	0731454820325

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Change the Game
3. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
4. Streets Is Talking
5. This Can't Be Life
6. Get Your Mind Right Mami
7. Stick 2 the Script
8. You, Me, Him and Her
9. Guilty Until Proven Innocent
10. Parking Lot Pimpin'
11. Holla
12. 1-900-Hustler
13. The R.O.C.
14. Soon You'll Understand
15. Squeeze 1st
16. Where Have You Been

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jay-Z   Primary Artist,Vocals
The Dynasty   Primary Artist
Beanie Sigel   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Dynasty   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Freeway   Primary Artist
Memphis Bleek   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guest Artist
Lil' Mo   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
R. Kelly   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Snoop Dogg   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
DJ Clue   Guest Artist,Vocals
Scarface   Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Just Blaze   Scratching
Static   Vocals
Rell   Vocals
L. Dionne   Vocals
Robert Kelly   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Malik Cox   Composer
Snoop Dogg   Composer,Performer
Kenny Gamble   Composer
Ken "Duro" Ifill   Mixing
Kurtis Walker   Composer
Chad Hugo   Composer,Producer
Jay-Z   Composer
Rockwilder   Composer
Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie   Composer
Pharrell Williams   Composer,Producer
Just Blaze   Composer,Producer
Sean Combs   Composer
Al Kooper   Composer
Harry Ray   Composer
Damon Dash   Executive Producer
A. Whitehead   Composer
Todd Shaw   Composer
R. Kelly   Composer
Rafael Perez Botija   Composer
Rick Rock   Producer
Kanye West   Composer,Producer
Rick James   Composer
Shane "Bermy" Woodley   Assistant Engineer
Michael Zager   Composer
Dana Stinson   Composer
Woody Cunningham   Composer
Brian Biggs   Composer
Beanie Sigel   Performer
Leon Huff   Composer
K. Walker   Composer
Mike City   Composer
Dwight Grant   Composer
Ricardo Thomas   Composer
Willie Albert Goodman   Composer
Leslie Pridgen   Composer
Amil Whitehead   Composer
Kitt Walker   Composer
Stephen Garrett   Composer
Walter Morris   Composer
Chauncey Mahan   Engineer,Programming
Brad Jordan   Composer
Christopher Wallace   Composer
Jonathan Mannion   Photography
Dawud West   Design,Art Direction
Shawn Carter   Composer,Executive Producer
Roosevelt Harrell   Composer
Mason Betha   Composer
Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua   Executive Producer
Mike Flowers   Composer
Greg Smith   Mixing
Aram Schefrin   Composer
Norman Ingram   Composer
T.T.   Producer
Rahiem Prince Thomas   Composer
B-High   Producer
Kareem "Biggs" Burke   Executive Producer
Monica Morrow   Stylist
Justin Smith   Composer
Edwin Delahoz   Composer
Robert Kelly   Composer
Cynthia Loving   Composer