Having been lucky enough to see Jay-Z in concert before he 'hung up his mic', I think I am in a good position to give a review of this DVD. The film is based on the Madison Square Garden performance in 2003, shortly after the realease of The Black Album.
The film is narrated by the man himself and he talks about some of the highlights and events of his career, leading up to the release of the album and this film.
It is very well directed, with production and backstage scenes interspursed with the show, which covers songs from several of his albums. The backstage scenes arent the best, but the production clips are good, as you get to see how the songs are put together and the end product. The producers include Kanye West, Pharell and Rick Rubin, but in my opinion the best scene is when Timbaland plays Jay-Z the 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder' beat for the first time, and the track develops from then onwards.
Several of the songs are accompanied by a band, who are very good at playing Jay-Zs songs, but sometimes lack the impact that the tracks played by the DJ have, but can't really criticise the tracks or sound quality.
The DVD has several other artists on the front cover, including Common, Twista and P. Diddy, some of which appear for varying lengths in the show, others in interviews. This part could be could be made more clear as you do not see some perform them and may be disappointed if you are a fan. Otherwise the guest appearances are pretty good.
The crowd, including a number of celebrities and artists, are shown regularly throughout, and sing some of the choruses with help from Jay-Z. There are even clips of fans outside rapping.
One of my favourite sections is the tribute to Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac (which he also did at the concert I went to) as the crowd showed appreciation for these and other artists no longer with us.
The extras include the 'Encore' video, which is shot at the concert, the trailer, a 'mastering' deleted scene, and the story behind the film, which mostly includes more interviews and clips of the concert.
The special features are reasonable but it is the main film which is the main selling point of this DVD. Overall I wouldnt hesistate to recommend this item to fans of Jay-Z or hip hop in general, especially as it can be found quite cheaply having been out a while now.
Below is a list of the tracks performed, hopefully I havent missed any as there are quite a few and they interchange quickly.
What More Can I Say Public Service Announcement H to the Izzo Jigga What Feat. Memphis Bleek Big Pimpin Hard Knock Life B.I.G and 2Pac Medley - Hail Mary, Ambitionz of a Ridah, Mo' money, Mo' problems You me him her Feat. M Bleek, B Sigel What we do Feat. Freeway, M Bleek, B Sigel Rock the mic Feat. Freeway, M Bleek, B Sigel Is that your chic Feat. Missy Elliot Twista acapella Crazy in love Feat. Beyonce Baby boy Feat. Beyonce Summertime Feat. Beyonce and Ghostface Killah Dead presidents Aint no n* Feat. Foxy Brown Can't knock the hustle Feat. Mary J Blige Song cry Feat. Mary J Blige Best of both worlds Feat. R Kelly I just want to love you Feat. Pharrell Encore December 4th
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Ji .. Good to see someone take constructive comments on board to up-date and improve reviews. Very good job and certainyl helpful to me. Jealous that you have seen him live ... I went and seen Kanye in Birmingham last month with a load of mates - Lucky we didn't get shot and I am glad to hear the 2 security fellas are on the mend !!
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