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    "headline": "Jay-Z’s comeback album Kingdom Come turns 20 on November 21 after a 680,000-copy first week",
    "description": "Jay-Z's Kingdom Come, released November 21, 2006 as his comeback from retirement, sold 680,000 US copies in week one and debuted at No. 1.",
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    "keywords": "Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Kingdom Come, Roc-A-Fella Records",
    "articleBody": "Jay-Z’s Kingdom Come, the album that ended his three-year “retirement,” turns 20 on November 21. It sold 680,000 copies in its first week in the US and went straight to No. 1, his ninth chart-topping album. That ninth No. 1 tied him with the Rolling Stones for the third-most No. 1 albums in US history at the time. Jay-Z himself later called it his worst album. Why it was a comeback The Black Album in 2003 had been sold to fans as his farewell. The video for its single “99 Problems” ended with him going down in a hail of gunfire, a scene he described as the end of Jay-Z and the rebirth of Shawn Carter. He even planned to put out the next record under his birth name before settling on the famous one. When Kingdom Come arrived on November 21, 2006, through Roc-A-Fella and Island Def Jam, it brought a heavyweight production team: Dr. Dre produced four beats and mixed every song, his first big role on a Jay-Z album. Just Blaze and Kanye West returned, joined by The Neptunes and Swizz Beatz. Chris Martin of Coldplay co-produced and sang on the closer “Beach Chair.” Guests included Beyoncé on “Hollywood,” Usher and Pharrell on “Anything,” John Legend and Ne-Yo. The numbers, two decades on The opening was huge, and the fall was steep. In week two the album slipped to No. 6 with another 140,000 copies, about 79% fewer than its debut week (140,000 is roughly 21% of 680,000). By August 2009 it had sold 1,510,000 copies in the US, which means close to 45% of everything it sold in those first three years came in launch week. Critics were lukewarm. The album drew a weighted score of 67 out of 100 from 23 critic reviews on a leading review aggregator, and many singled out “Minority Report,” Jay-Z’s reflection on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as the standout. It still earned a Grammy nomination for best rap album, a prize that went to Kanye West’s Graduation. How it fits the Jay-Z story In hindsight, Kingdom Come was a bridge. A year later came American Gangster, and the comeback became a second career rather than a victory lap. The business side of that career is its own story, as our look at Jay-Z’s Tidal going from a $56 million buy to a $297 million deal shows, and his recent SoFi Stadium tribute to Nipsey Hussle shows the stage side. The record’s four singles were “Show Me What You Got,” “Lost One,” “30 Something” and “Hollywood.” “Lost One,” produced by Dr. Dre, touched on his split with Roc-A-Fella co-founder Damon Dash. The album was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA on December 14, 2006, just 23 days after release. Its 20th birthday falls next Saturday, six days after Drake’s Take Care turns 15. Further reading Wikipedia: Kingdom Come (Jay-Z album) Image: araza123, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our Editorial Desk. How we work.",
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