The American Gangster The American Gangster The American Gangster is a 1992 American crime documentary film directed by Ben Burtt and written and produced by Ray Herbeck Jr. The documentary is narrated by Dennis Farina and explores the lives of America's gangsters like Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, Al Capone, and Bugsy Siegel. It was directly released on VHS in 1992 and later released as part of a DVD box set in 2006. "The American Gangster" is a documentary that chronicles the formation of the first generation of American gangsters. The documentary explores the illegal businesses involving gambling, prostitution, and defiance of prohibition
American Gangster (album) every song is based on a specific scene from the film. In an interview on the "Charlie Rose Show", he elucidated the inspiration behind the album: Although Jay-Z says "American Gangster" was inspired by the movie, songs such as "Say Hello" touch on the topics of censorship and the Jena 6 controversy. Jay-Z also drew on personal memories he had not touched on in a while, specifically memories from his early life when he lived in Brooklyn, New York City, New York's Marcy. "American Gangster" was made available for digital download in its entirety, at Amazon.com, Roc-A-Fella's website, and Rhapsody