According to Yahoo! Music journalist Angus Batey, American Gangster used "a selection of beats built from '70s soul and funk" to reflects "the period setting; lyrically, its primary theme is an investigation of the evolution of the gangsta archetype, looking at how the drug dealer became a semi-sympathetic outlaw figure, examining the contradictions inherent in those who chase the American Dream on the far side of legality, and ruminating on what this period of US history might yet come to mean".[7] Jay-Z stated that almost every song is based on a specific scene from the film.[5] In an interview on the Charlie Rose Show, he elucidated the inspiration behind the album:
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Meanwhile, Raymond Fiore of Entertainment Weekly, gave a negative review of the album, saying that the pairing of Linkin Park and Jay-Z "comes off like a sanitized nonevent."[9] At the 48th Grammy Awards, the song "Numb/Encore", a mash-up of "Numb" by Linkin Park and "Encore" by Jay-Z, won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.[16] 2ff7e9595c
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