Jay Jenkins aka Young Jeezy, a member of Rap’s reigning ‘Trap Music’ generation returns with his sophomore album ‘The Inspiration’; an effort which is indeed an inspiring shot at those cynics who claim Hip-Hop is dead.

Jeezy opens with the aptly titled intro, ‘Hypnotize’ and please believe the self-proclaimed ‘Snowman’ will have you in a trance for the 15 tracks that follow.

With those trademark “yeeaaaaaaaaaaah” and “aayyyyyyyyyee” adlibs scattered entertainingly over his raspy verses, this album is everything you’d expect from a rapper outta the A… only he trades the incessant references to gimmicky dance routines for a welcome dose of relevant content.

He describes himself on ‘Hypnotize’ as ‘street smart with a little book sense’ and he successfully manages to find the middle ground between ‘hood credibility and good old fashioned intellect.

On ‘I Luv It’ he recites the typical rags to riches story, a common formula to achieving that ghetto fabulous fame. And he does briefly fall into rap-by-numbers territory, following over-used conventions on ‘Go Getta’ and ‘3.A.M’, recruiting R. Kelly and Timbaland respectively… now where have I heard this before?

But that same old same old feeling you may well get, is thankfully short lived.  On ‘The Realist’ he responsibly condemns ‘liars, phoneys and fakes’, but it is ‘Bury Me A G’ that truly identifies Jeezy’s gifted wordplay. On this, one of the album’s stand out tracks, he stages his own assassination with an eerie authenticity, reminiscent of Tupac’s many premonitions. He refers to death fearlessly, with the nonchalant expectation that his late homies will sneak him in heaven’s back door because “they know I hate waiting in line.”

On ‘What You Talkin’ Bout’ he tells an autobiographical tale of progression, delivered over some fittingly triumphant horns from the production house of ColliPark and Outkast. But one of the album’s more significant collaborations sees Young Jeezy team up with the sensational Keyshia Cole on ‘Dreamin’, an inspirational tale that shows a reflective Jenkins referring to his mother’s damaging drug habit and his concerns about fatherhood.

T.I. makes a successful, albeit predictable guest-appearance on ‘I Got Money’, an egotistical track that sees two of the South’s finest recite an exhaustive list of their cars… YAWN.

Jeezy at times sounds uncomfortably like The Game but emerges as a strong contender for street-status in his own right. The rookie who we first met on 2005’s ‘Thug Motivation 101’ has confirmed himself as a future Hip-Hop veteran. ‘The Inspiration’ has its flaws but is undoubtedly a necessary contribution to any ATL enthusiast’s CD collection.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Top Tracks:

4) J.E.E.Z.Y

10) Bury Me A G

11) Dreamin’

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