** Jay Z

HARD KNOCK LIFE . . .

(Roc-A-Fella)

n the wake of the Notorious B.I.G.'s untimely passing, NYC's Jay Z lays claim to the office of the player presidency. Keeping one foot planted in commercial pop and the other grounded in underground hip-hop, Jay Z emerges as a lyricist with amazing potential, combining wit, style, and charm with a perspective that can be menacingly cool and collected. Hard Knock Life has already spawned two hits that are currently vying for top-dog spot on rap radio: the title track, a brazenly campy, infectiously memorable number, takes its hook from Annie (the musical), of all places; and for the club crowd, the anthemic "Can I Get A" is drenched in bouncy funkiness. Unfortunately, Jay Z wastes his skills on far too many uninspired hip-pop tunes. He may be the poster child for black (market) capitalism, but rhyming about your Rolex gets you only so far. Outstanding songs like "It's like That" are drowned out by hackneyed fare like "Money, Cash, Hoes," "Ride or Die," and "Paper Chase." Selling records is no sin, but Jay Z sells his own talent short, which leaves his Hard Knock Life sounding more like a soundtrack for Life on Easy Street.

-- Oliver Wang