Editing Jay-Z (section)

===2005–2007: ''Kingdom Come'' and ''American Gangster''===
[[File:Jay-Z concert (cropped).jpg|thumb|Jay-Z performing in 2006]]
On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's [[Power 105.1]] annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert was entitled the "I Declare War" concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. As he had previously "declared war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events, many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out assault by Jay-Z upon his rivals.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1509668/09152005/jay_z.jhtml|title='I Declare War!' Jay-Z Says He's Going To Air Some Rappers Out Onstage|access-date=May 21, 2024|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=September 15, 2005|publisher=MTV News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415231154/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1509668/09152005/jay_z.jhtml|archive-date=April 15, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as president and CEO of [[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]], complete with an on-stage mock-up of the [[Oval Office]]. Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of [[Roc-A-Fella]] records artists, as well as [[Ne-Yo]], [[Teairra Marí]], [[T.I.]], [[Young Jeezy]], [[Akon]], [[Kanye West]], [[Paul Wall]], [[The LOX]], and [[Sean Combs|Diddy]].<ref name="allhiphop">{{cite news|url=http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2005/10/27/18130470.aspx |title=Hip-Hop Harmony: Jay-Z And Nas Officially Dead Beef |first1=Seandra |last1=Sims |first2=Houston |last2=Williams |publisher=AllHipHop.com |date=October 27, 2005 |access-date=August 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731112956/http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2005/10/27/18130470.aspx |archive-date=July 31, 2009 }}</ref>

At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and [[Nas]]. The two former rivals shook hands and shared the stage together to perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is Yours".<ref name=mtvnews2>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1512432/20051028/jay_z.jhtml|title=Jay-Z And Nas Put Beef To Sleep in Onstage Show of Unity|access-date=May 21, 2024|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=October 28, 2005|publisher=MTV News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401050322/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1512432/20051028/jay_z.jhtml|archive-date=April 1, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006, titled ''[[Kingdom Come (Jay-Z album)|Kingdom Come]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/6293.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083146/http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/6293.html|url-status=dead|archive-date= September 29, 2007|title=Jay-Z preps ''Kingdom Come''|access-date=September 13, 2006|last=Welte|first=Jim|date=September 13, 2006|publisher=MP3.com}}</ref> Jay-Z's comeback single, "[[Show Me What You Got]]", was leaked on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the [[FBI]] to step in and investigate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pr-inside.com/legal-action-to-be-taken-over-jay-z-single-leak-r21513.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071007230649/http://www.pr-inside.com/legal-action-to-be-taken-over-jay-z-single-leak-r21513.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date= October 7, 2007|title=Legal Action to be Taken over Jay-Z Single Leak?|access-date=September 13, 2006|date=October 9, 2006|publisher=World Entertainment News}}</ref> Jay-Z worked with video director [[Hype Williams]], and the single's video was directed by [[F. Gary Gray]]. The album features production from [[Just Blaze]], [[Pharrell]], [[Kanye West]], [[Dr. Dre]] and [[Coldplay]]'s [[Chris Martin]] (single entitled "[[Kingdom Come (Jay-Z album)|Beach Chair]]").<ref name="sfgate">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=8934|title=Jay-Z Ends His Retirement With Star-Studded Comeback Album|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=September 15, 2006|access-date=September 16, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323023620/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=8934|archive-date=March 23, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mtvnews">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1540898/20060914/jay_z.jhtml?headlines=true|title=Jay-Z's 'Retirement' Is Finally Over: New Album Due In November|publisher=[[MTV News]]|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=September 14, 2006|access-date=May 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608181053/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1540898/20060914/jay_z.jhtml|archive-date=June 8, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, enough to be his "biggest sales week ever" as ''Billboard'' reported.<ref name="billboardkingdom">{{cite magazine|last=Hasty|first=Katie|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/jay-z-reclaims-his-kingdom-with-no-1-debut-56552/|title=Jay-Z Reclaims His 'Kingdom' With No. 1 Debut |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061204072424/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003465594 |archive-date=December 4, 2006 |magazine=Billboard|date=November 29, 2006|accessdate=May 21, 2024|url-status=dead}}</ref> This album has sold 2&nbsp;million copies in the U.S.<ref name="riaacertification"/>

Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled ''[[American Gangster (album)|American Gangster]]'' on November 6, 2007. After viewing the Ridley Scott [[American Gangster (film)|film of the same name]], Jay-Z was heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler.<ref name="newyorktimes">{{cite news|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/arts/music/20jayz.html|title=For Jay-Z, Inspiration Arrives in a Movie|access-date=May 21, 2024|first1=David M.|last1=Halbfinger|first2=Jeff|last2=Leed|date=September 20, 2007|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207172627/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/arts/music/20jayz.html|archive-date=February 7, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
The album is not the film's official soundtrack, although it was distributed by [[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]].<ref name="hiphopdx">{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5728/title.jay-z-to-release-american-gangster|title=Jay-Z to Release 'American Gangster'|access-date=September 20, 2007|author=Shake|date=September 20, 2007|publisher=HipHopDX|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212064021/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5728/title.jay-z-to-release-american-gangster|archive-date=December 12, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Jay-Z's ''American Gangster'' depicts his life in correlation to the movie ''American Gangster''. At the start of the album's first single, "[[Blue Magic (song)|Blue Magic]]", Jay-Z offers a dealer's manifesto while making references to political figures of the late 1980s with the lyric: "Blame [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] for making me to into a monster, blame [[Oliver North]] and [[Iran-Contra]], I ran contraband that they sponsored, before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert."<ref>{{cite web|last=Biddle|first=Sam|url=http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2007/11/14/new-vibrations-american-gangster-jay-z-37973/|title=New Vibrations – American Gangster|publisher=The Johns Hopkins News-letter|date=November 15, 2007|access-date=February 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729111717/http://www.jhunewsletter.com/2007/11/14/new-vibrations-american-gangster-jay-z-37973/|archive-date=July 29, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Also notable about the "Blue Magic" music video was Jay-Z flashing €500 notes; [[Harvard Business School]] professor [[Rawi Abdelal]] called this a "turning point in American pop culture's response to globalization." The album has sold 1&nbsp;million copies in the U.S.<ref name="riaacertification"/> On January 1, 2008, Jay-Z resigned as president of Def Jam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2007/12/24/19046792.aspx |title=BREAKING NEWS: Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam |publisher=AllHipHop.com |date=December 24, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816220858/http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2007/12/24/19046792.aspx |archive-date=August 16, 2011 }}</ref>