As rapper Jay-Z prepares to enter the next phase of his career, as president of Island Def Jam records, the documentary Fade to Black showcases the triumphant end of the last phase of his career – last fall’s record-breaking farewell concert at Madison Square Garden (the show was the first hip-hop show in the Garden's history to sell out within two hours). But like it's ambitious star, Fade to Black isn't content to be just another concert film. It also gives viewers take a peek inside the making of Jay-Z's 'final' CD, The Black Album.

A lot of concert films, try as they might, often fail to capture the excitement of the live show. Yet, when it comes to the concert footage, Fade to Black is nothing if not energetic. First off, Jay-Z chose to have real musicians backing him up. ?Love of The Roots served as his music supervisor, with the Illdelfonics as his band and up-and-coming R&B diva Jaguar Wright on backing vocals. The band added a richness and a realness to the show that just could not have been duplicated with just a DJ. Also adding to the mix was a who's who of hip-hop: P. Diddy, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Ghostface Killah, Twista, Foxy Brown and even R Kelly shared the stage with Jay-Z- a true hip-hop dream team. Directors Patrick Paulson and Michael John Warren used the frequent audience interactions to show the energy that flowed from Jay-Z to the fans and back again. The love is there and you can definitely feel it.

While the majority of Fade to Black is devoted to the farewell concert (and rightly so), there is a substantial amount of time devoted to backstage shots of some of Jay's guest and to the making of The Black Album. Most of the backstage footage falls flat and makes the pacing of the film somewhat uneven. There are one or two funny backstage moments (a few comments from Ghostface Killah and a possible wardrobe malfunction by Foxy Brown), but most of the backstage banter makes it clear that the real action is on the stage and not behind it.

The making of The Black Album scenes are at times insightful and thought provoking; but this is another area where some fat could have been trimmed. Similar to the stage show, Jay is surrounded by the best of hip-hop producers from Rick Rubin to Pharrell to Timbaland to Kanye West. Watching a song like 99 Problems come together was a fascinating example of how inspiration and collaboration work together. Yet, for every one of those moments there are others that just languish (Do we really need to know what video games Pharrell likes to play?). Wisely, the majority of the film is devoted to the concert and with Fade to Black, Jay-Z definitely left on a high note - leaving the concert audience and the movie going audience wanting more.