People seem to be quite surprised when learning that I’m a fan of Jeezy. Which makes perfect sense, since I’m that typical “head” whom many of the iGeneration would throw into the “old head” category.
But it’s true. I’ve been a fan of Jeezy ever since I cautiously navigated through the Atlanta trapper’s 2005 mixtape, Trap or Die, and his follow up debut album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101.
2006 was a pretty big year for releases, and my iPod (remember these relics?) was filled with an eclectic mix of everything from the Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury, T.I.’s King, The Roots’ Game Theory, J Dilla’s Donuts, Busta Rhymes‘ The Big Bang Theory, Ghostface’s Fishscale and Jeezy’s sophomore album The Inspiration.
While not as groundbreaking as Thug Motivation 101, The Inspiration was a fairly solid album, driven by production from a few key individuals responsible for reintroducing the Atlanta trap sound to the mainstream, including Shawty Redd, DJ Toomp’s soulful, stadium-filling, cinematic sounds and his longtime collaborator Don Cannon.
While the majority of the album — which charted at #1 on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums — took a dark approach to what life was like in the trap, The Inspiration also had brighter moments, including the inspirational single “Dreamin” featuring the wonderful Keyshia Cole and the album’s title track/closer, “The Inspiration (Follow Me).”
Check out a few favorites below and sound off on your memories of the album below.
