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Album Review: Young Jeezy’s “TM:103″

by K1ng Eljay December 19th, 2011 @ 1:55pm

Rating: 7 / 10

It’s been an interesting ride for the Snowman, so it’s only fitting that his latest album is released around Christmas. Young Jeezy’s third album, TM:103 (Hustlerz Ambition) is finally upon us to listen to and dissect, but the pressure may have been too much for even Jeezy to top his last incredible LP, “The Recession.” Combining forces with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Freddie Gibbs, Jill Scott, Lil’ Wayne, and more, TM:103 delivers another solid dose of street music, even if it is initially underwhelming.

It becomes all too evident that the bar was possibly set too high during the first half of the LP. Some songs are charismatic enough to work, but most of the tracklisting (pre-Jill Scott) seems to be uninspired. “Waiting” is possibly one of the weaker introductions that Jeezy’s ever crafted, but thankfully it’s saved by the production and his verses. “OJ” is another average track that’s elevated solely by features from Fabolous and Jadakiss. 2 Chainz does his best, but even “Supafreak” falters in more than one area. This trend continues for a majority of the project, but things change dramatically halfway through.

From the moment that Jill Scott spits a verse on “Trapped,” until the end of the project, we see Jeezy in an almost artistic-like zone, cranking out incredible songs one after another. “Trapped” goes directly into the T.I.-assisted “F.A.M.E.,” which transitions into “I Do” with Jay-Z and Andre 3000 (sidenote: did Jeezy get this hook idea from Kenan, Kel, and Orange Soda?). Even the aged singles of “Ballin’” and “Lose My Mind” seem to gather renewed energy from the sequencing, making them sound much fresher than reality. Jeezy then closes it out with arguably one of the best songs on 103 with “Never Be The Same,” which has Jeezy going adlib-less to relate his thoughts for the finale.

There are serious flaws with TM:103 when compared to his other work, or even with other albums and mixtapes that have dropped this year. The reemergence of redundant topics (even moreso than his last two albums), the heavy reliance on features (12 of the 18 total songs on the deluxe edition – including eight of the last nine – have features), and even at times, the uninspired production all could be held as faults. Even with those flaws, this still could’ve been a classic Jeezy album – if the first half of the songs were more spirited.

It’s painful to say, but this is nothing more than a good album. Unfortunately for most Jeezy fans, we needed a great one, and this isn’t it. Don’t get it twisted; this is still a solid album, but it falters to reach the standards he set for himself out of the gate. Here’s to hoping that Jeezy has more tricks up his sleeves in the future.

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[...] from Jay-Z, Andre 3000, T.I., 2 Chainz, and Fabolous among others. You can read our review of TM103 here. Share AllHipHop.com:DiggShare on Tumblr « Wiz Khalifa [...]
http://thatsglitchy.com/2011/12/20/music-young-jeezy-tm-103-hustlerz-ambition-review/ Music | Young Jeezy TM 103 Hustlerz Ambition Review | That's Glitchy

[...] it out of the ball park with this. Critics and bloggers think it’s just pretty good though. AllHipHop.com gives it a 7 out of 10. Rap Genius says 4 out of 5. We Are Rap gives it a 3.5 out of 5. Jeezy is [...]
http://celebrityspot.org.ua/young-jeezys-thug-motivation-103-a-review-roundup/ World Music News » Blog Archive » Young Jeezy’s ‘Thug Motivation 103′: A Review Roundup

[...] AllHipHop: It becomes all too evident that the bar was possibly set too high during the first half of the LP. Some songs are charismatic enough to work, but most of the tracklisting (pre-Jill Scott) seems to be uninspired. “Waiting” is possibly one of the weaker introductions that Jeezy’s ever crafted, but thankfully it’s saved by the production and his verses. “OJ” is another average track that’s elevated solely by features from Fabolous and Jadakiss. 2 Chainz does his best, but even “Supafreak” falters in more than one area. This trend continues for a majority of the project, but things change dramatically halfway through. [...]
http://www.wayuphere.com/2011/12/young-jeezy-thug-motivation-103-hustlerz-ambition-full-album-stream/ WayUpHere – Young Jeezy – Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition (Full Album Stream)

[...] leaning mainly on words, which serve him less well, even if they’re better organized. AllHipHop: It becomes all too evident that the bar was possibly set too high during the first half of the LP. [...]
http://hollywood1.info/2011/12/21/young-jeezys-thug-motivation-103-a-review-roundup/ Young Jeezy’s ‘Thug Motivation 103′: A Review Roundup | Hollywood 1

[...] AllHipHop: It becomes all too evident that the bar was possibly set too high during the first half of the LP. Some songs are charismatic enough to work, but most of the tracklisting (pre-Jill Scott) seems to be uninspired. “Waiting” is possibly one of the weaker introductions that Jeezy’s ever crafted, but thankfully it’s saved by the production and his verses. “OJ” is another average track that’s elevated solely by features from Fabolous and Jadakiss. 2 Chainz does his best, but even “Supafreak” falters in more than one area. This trend continues for a majority of the project, but things change dramatically halfway through. [...]
http://djvenomnyc.com/?p=19508 Young Jeezy’s ‘Thug Motivation 103′: A Review Roundup | DJ VENOM – ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, MUSIC, EVENTS & MORE!

[...] AllHipHop: It becomes all too clear that a bar was presumably set too high during a initial half of a LP. Some songs are charismatic adequate to work, though many of a tracklisting (pre-Jill Scott) seems to be uninspired. “Waiting” is presumably one of a weaker introductions that Jeezy’s ever crafted, though thankfully it’s saved by a prolongation and his verses. “OJ” is another normal lane that’s towering only by facilities from Fabolous and Jadakiss. 2 Chainz does his best, though even “Supafreak” falters in some-more than one area. This trend continues for a infancy of a project, though things change dramatically median through. [...]
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[...] Young Jeezy’s Thug Motivation 103 (Def Jam) remains at number after selling 63,232 copies in its second week. TM103 opened strong last week with 232,000 albums sold in its debut. The third and final album in the Thug Motivation series contains features from Jay-Z, Andre 3000, T.I., 2 Chainz, and Fabolous among others. Read our review of TM103 here. [...]
http://www.hot108.com/blog/2012/chartwatch-drizzy-weezy-jay-yeezy-kick-off-2012/ Chartwatch: Drizzy, Weezy, Jay & Yeezy Kick Off 2012 | Hot 108 Jamz

[...] Young Jeezy’s Thug Motivation 103 (Def Jam) remains at number after selling 63,232 copies in its second week. TM103 opened strong last week with 232,000 albums sold in its debut. The third and final album in the Thug Motivation series contains features from Jay-Z, Andre 3000, T.I., 2 Chainz, and Fabolous among others. Read our review of TM103 here. [...]
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[...] Get It: Thug Motivation 101, released in 2005, up to his most recent fourth studio album, TM103, which dropped last [...]
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[...] Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, was released in 2005, up to his fourth studio album, TM103, which dropped last [...]
http://geturswurve.com/2012/08/09/getplugged-young-jeezy-named-sr-vp-of-ar-at-atlantic/ Young Jeezy Named Sr. VP of A&R at Atlantic |

[...] album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, was released in 2005, up to his fourth studio album, TM103, which dropped last December. This entry was posted in GETPlugged and tagged Atlantic Records, [...]
http://hrmg1.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/jeezy-signs/ Jeezy Signs « hrmg1

[...] album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, was released in 2005, up to his fourth studio album, TM103, which dropped last December. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]