“The say they want that dumb shit, but this is ignorant…”
Jeezy
Hold up, don’t write the Snowman off just yet. Jeezy’s been treading water for most of 2010 while trying to find that right song to kick off Thug Motivation 103 (TM103). After a few false starts like the peculiar Lil Jon collaboration “Jizzle,” Jeezy looks to be headed back in the right direction courtesy of producer Shawty Redd and their latest offering, “Amen.”
The production as expected is heavy on synths, but it’s a lot more subdued and not the bombastic anthem that was “Who Dat.” Even though that was just two years ago, mainstream listener’s ears a little different these days. Redd splits the composition between the signature pulsing 808s and hi-hats of standard trap music, and a soothing, minimalist chorus.
After a prayer intro, the halves allow Jeezy to show some range on the track. On the harder side, he approaches the song the way you’d expect the Snowman to rhyme over any trap production. In his first verse, Jeezy addresses naysayers who have been speculating on whether TM103 is doomed to be a disappointment. According to Jeezy, people have forgotten his track record, and he boasts the new album will be exactly what fans have come to expect from him since Thug Motivation 101.
“See you motherfuckers acting like/Y’all done caught amnesia/I know what to do/Get them shades up out the freezer,” he rhymes.
When the beat switches to the mellowed melody for the chorus, Jeezy equally subdues his gruff voice to create harmony.
“Please lord..it’s getting realer everyday/Niggas killing, niggas starving/’Cause they can’t find no yay,” Jeezy phrases. “See the first it roll around/And they bills they cannot pay/So some be trappin’, some be buyin’/Bow our heads and let us pray, amen.”
Will this be the song that gets Jeezy over the hump and a release date? It may not be enough to eliminate all of Def Jam’s reluctance, but it’s definitely a good sign for Jeezy’s fans that they can expect an updated sound of the trap music they fell in love with.
Young Jeezy “Amen” (Produced by Shawty Redd)
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 