The Solution (Beanie Sigel album)

The Solution is the fourth studio album by rapper Beanie Sigel. It was released on December 11, 2007. The album features production from Dre & Vidal, Reefa, and The Runners, among others. Guest appearances include Jay-Z, Ozzy Osbourne, R. Kelly, Ghostface Killah, and other notable musicians. the album gained a metacritic score of 72 out of 100 based on 10 reviews.

Background
The Solution is Sigel's first album after re-signing with Roc-A-Fella Records. After his 2005 album, The B. Coming, he took a one-year hiatus from music and returned to recording in 2006. Speaking on the album Beanie Sigel said : "I’m an emotional guy, in a good sense. A lot of people say [my music is] depressing, but I say its reality. At that time it was cool because I was at a depressing stage in my life with my legal issues and everything. I had a lot of songs that I felt needed to be out there. It was more conscious than depressing. But this album is just me listening to what’s out there and trying to go far left, away from what’s going on. It’s me making that hard music. This is just life experiences and things that I go through. I just try to put out good, relevant music. Not to knock what anybody else is doing, but a lot of that music don’t be relevant to any type of situation."

Guests
R. Kelly is featured on the first single "All the Above", while rapper Styles P is featured on "U Ain't Ready 4 Me". Jay-Z makes an appearance on the track "Gutted", while Diddy, Ghostface Killah, and Peedi Crakk hook up with Beanie on "Shake It For Me". Scarface is also featured on the song "Rain (Bridge)" with R&B artist Raheem DeVaughn, who also appears on "Prayer". Beanie Sigel jumps into unfamiliar territory by featuring an Ozzy Osbourne sample on the track "The Day" and a James Blunt sample on "Dear Self (Can I Talk To You)".

Production
Production originally included producers like Scott Storch and Sha Money XL, but those tracks were cut for songs produced by  Eric Hudson and Chad West. Production team Dre & Vidal produce Five of the Thirteen tracks on the album with help from up and coming Dirty Harry and Don Cheegro (Harry and Alex) and The Runners produce the lead single "All the Above". Reefa produces two tracks including "Gutted" featuring Jay-Z. Cool and Dre and Dame Grease each produced one track each. Notably absent from The Solution is primary artist and producer Kanye West.

Track listing
Sample credits
 * "I'm In" embodies portions of "One More Chance / Stay with Me (Remix)", written by Etterlene Jordan, Mark DeBarge, Christopher Wallace, Sean Combs, and Rashad Smith. It also contains samples of "Make Me a Believer", written by Luther Vandross and Nat Adderley, as performed by Luther Vandross.
 * "The Day" contains samples from the Black Sabbath recording "War Pigs", written by John Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terence Butler, and William Ward. It also contains interpolations of "Hail Mary", written by Tupac Shakur, Rufus Cooper, Katari Cox, Joe Paquette, Yafeu Fula, Bruce Washington, and Tyrone Wrice.
 * "Dear Self (Can I Talk to You)" contains samples from the James Blunt recording "No Bravery", written by James Blount, Lukas Burton, and Sacha Skarbek.

Reception
The Solution received generally positive and exceptional ratings after its release. As CD Universe puts it, Beanie "hit the ground running" with this album. As iTunes' review points out, however, "The Solution displays a lyrical mastermind who nonetheless faces an identity crisis when it comes to marketing himself. The album jumps from radio crossovers (“All of the Above”) to concrete body slams (“U Ain’t Ready for Me”) to party songs (“Shake It For Me”)." The album's message failed to maintain itself to its title, and made various direction changes in its delivery, going between very conflicting topics. But As Chris Gaerig praises, "What Beanie Sigel lacks in sheer marketability he makes up for with a vicious flow and an ingenuity rarely seen from an artist of his caliber." The album's composition and featured vocals comes together to make up for the lack of message and consistency; Tracks like "The Day", "Gutted", and "All the Above" stand out perfectly in the album, while adding an upbeat, surreal sound and inspiring lyrics.