After a two year album hiatus, Hip-Hop heavyweight, Jay-Z is back with his 11th album, “The Blueprint 3″. The album (which was supposed to be released next week but pushed up due to constant leaking), finds the rapper/entrepreneur telling you that he is bored with the current state of hip-hop and then some.
LISTEN UP:
In his infamous big brother style “do as I say not as I did” tone, this album sheds the transparency of Cristal and fast cars and trades them in for the executive life. You know the kind where you’re so high above the game that it really doesn’t matter what kind of music you put out? Most obvious on the horn-heavy “Thank You,” the Brooklyn native still proudly carries New York’s biggest borough on his back but is more content in his position at the top of the rap game.
Much like the lackluster “Run This Town,” “Venus vs. Mars,” and “D.O.A.” some of the album is a bore but beneath the musical dilapidation, lies an undeniable swagger (yes I said “swagger” but only for Hov). “Empire State,” accompanied by the vocals of Alicia plus her ever-present keys is a reflective account of a journey to the top. Then there’s the amazing Swizz Beatz production of “On To the Next.” Complete with the background stylings of a clap beat, drums, a hint of snare and quiet possibly a xylophone what sounds like an instrumental smorgasbord that wouldn’t mesh well, bonds together quite nicely.
Throwing in a little something for the kiddies that he can no longer relate to, by way of “Off That” featuring Drake, Jay continues on his braggadocios stride. Unfortunately he missteps as Drake seems a little too young an impressionable himself to comprehend the hook he’s singing. “So Ambitious” might be just that to the average listener, but for those inspired by the stratospheric production style of Pharrell and his Neptunes team, it’s right on track.
As a complete body of work The Blueprint 3 lacks the conceptual gumption of American Gangster, but plays on the avant-garde experimentation of the badly received Kingdom Come. Produced mostly by Kanye West, there’s little wonder that it comes off a tad conceited (be sure to listen up for West getting extra lazy with his feature on the song “Hate”). On the plus side, Jay kept Beyonce off the record, as she never seems to work as well being featured on his songs, as he does on hers. Upon a second listen songs like “Young Forever,” featuring Mr. Hudson are far less off-putting than the first go ‘round. So if you’re looking for tall tales of drug dealing, life in Marcy Projects, or bottle-poppin in the club, this is definitely not the album for you. But like it or not 11 albums in Jay has come a long way, so why not give credit where credit is due?
Top Picks: “Empire State of Mind”, “On To The Next” and “Reminder”
Make sure you pick up your copy of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 in stores or online today.
Ermm the album is okay. Its definitely not Jay’s best sorry.
I will always be a fan! Sounds good
great review. I agree with Concrete Loop the album was really lackluster and I’m glad I didn’t actually buy it this go round. Jay dont need to $$$ anyway!
It’s a pretty decent album. I love Jay, but I really hope this is it.
Brian your wrong. Beyonce is on this album. She spits the hook on “Venus Vs. Mars”. And i like this album, this fella done said everything that could be said. So now he’s just giving u the BLUEPRINT on how he got to where he is. I think it makes alot of sense actually. Its to the point where he can basically put out ANY type of record he wants.
@ 5. Brian didn’t review the album, make sure to check the posted by section. And I thought Cassie was on the hook for that Venus song? 2nd of all Jay-Z could have done better than this. I don’t like it that much.
Didnt listen to it. DONT SUPPORT HIS MUSIC! Jay-Z is apart of the ILLUMINATI. People will soon wake up!!!!
always was a fan of hova…lol
good luck on album sells =]
i like Jay-Z but i’m defo not gettin this album… out of all the songs that have come out/leaked i’ve only liked 3 (and only two of them are gonna be on the album).
sorry, not getting it. i think i would if Beyoncé was on it though lol.
I Love Already Home ft Kid Cudi and the one with Pharell .. Overall an decent album..
“So Ambitious” and “Empire State of Mind” are my favs. it’s an okay, album.
Love Empire State of Mind
I’m a big Jay fan…wish he would’ve came a little harder….I understand him keeping it grown, if that’s the case he should’ve came out with something like “The Black Album”….hands down the worst Blueprint period….miss the old Jay….flow was nicer…and I’m not talking bout the content (drugs, etc)….I’m talking the story line….Major flop to me sorry Jigga….
cant hate on this man or his long ass Rhapsody commerical…lol
I actually own a few of Jay-Z’s previous albums cuz I always admired how he spit, but this album Im definitely gonna pass by. He and Beyonce overdo it by not showing their craft rather they just put out whatever over a hook and call it a day.
This is ok. Im still waiting for Bonnie and Clyde part II, that would have fit in nicely on this album.
A GREAT ALBUM PERIOD! The wordplay is witty and the beats and unique. Empire State of Mind is an instant classic. This is album is not a waste of money by far.
I will always been a fan of hovs!!1
The album is a classic and way better than Kingdom Come, if you little kids like Soulja Boy and Drake I don’t expect you like this album. Lyrically this is Jay best album work.
Top 5 tracks
Empire State of Mind
Already Home
Thank You
Death Of Auto-Tune
On to The Next One
For me, the album is worth the purchase. And I don’t find any of it lackluster. I’m curious to see how you’ll rate Raekwon’s and Kid Cudi’s horribly boring albums.
This album is not for youngsters looking for hot beat. This album is for lyrics. Love it Love it Love it!!!!!!!!!!
I just bought the album and im very happy about it. there is even some behind the scenes stuff. I Love it. Really great hiphop album.
The album isn’t bad at all.
I absolutely LOVE—”On To The Next One”, “A Star Is Born”, “Hate”, and “Young Forever”
Everything else is mediocre.
Sorry, young rappers, Jay-Z’s whole “Blueprint” thing was a trick. These albums don’t show a path to success. They show how Jay succeeds, why he cannot be duplicated. And “The Blueprint 3″ (Roc Nation) is the most untouchable of them all.
Put aside that no one else could nab Kanye West to produce the bulk of the tracks or get Alicia Keys to sing a memorable hook. Though they’re part of what makes this so special, in the end, it all rests with Jay, whose rhymes are as pointed as ever and whose flow proves to be more flexible than ever before.
He out-Ems Eminem on the quirky “Thank You.” He outpaces hip-hop’s leading edge by twisting the Europop-influenced “What We Talkin’ About” and “On to the Next One” around his style. But most important, he tops himself, both as he takes a victory lap as hip-hop’s reigning champion – on “Run This Town” and “Empire State of Mind,” where he declares, “I’m the new Sinatra” – and when he pushes for change.
Though Jay-Z is known for his party anthems, he’s actually at his best when he speaks out on what’s irking him – whether it’s his campaign against AutoTune on the hard-hitting “D.O.A. (Death of AutoTune)” or the takedown culture on “Hate,” where he and West egg each other on, pushing each other to try wilder approaches.
But it’s “Off That,” where Jay takes on race-baiting and pushes back at Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh, that shows his best skills. It’s both pointed (“It’s 2010, not 1864,” he deadpans) and still lighthearted enough to remain accessible.
It would be great if that touched off a run on well-crafted, well-meaning hip-hop, but Jay-Z’s latest “Blueprint” is so good that it’s almost impossible to follow.
Actually, the album credits Cassie as the background vocals on Venus vs. Mars.
Love Jay. Was late for work just to get the album.
I love Empire state of mind and forever young. I actually love the whole album. HE worked a year on it and paid 5 million for it!! Im in the store tomorrow to buy it!! cant wait.
Why don’t these artists just let rap die instead of COMPLAINING about it and continually trying to “change the game”? Rap is not even CLOSE to enlightening (anymore), plus it’s not even real music. Kids today need better role models. They don’t know the difference between fiction and fact..ALL rap today is fiction—- fictional characters, fictional situations and fake voices. Art imitates a fictional life (in the studio), and real life imitates that fictional art (in the streets)…..be real for the kids. Change the world DAMMIT!
TO: 5.wtf?
*****1stBrian didnt write the review Latifah.Muhammad did! Which was a great review BTW!!
******2nd Beyonce isnt singing the hook on Venus VS Mars.. CASSIE is! As she has been for the last few Jay-Z albums. Read the credits..
Click here for the album booklet scan (http://www.hiphopstan.com...um/showthread.php?t=11807)
The album is hot! A Star is Born is my favorite track
I couldn’t disagree with you more. While I don’t think this is his best work, its still better than 99% of commercial rap that has been coming out. Lyrical he’s on point even on the songs I do dislike. I do admit there are some low points in the album, but overall its a mature rap album. Some kids may not get into it, but who cares they have tons of bad music to steal online.
Jay Z’s biggest problem is that he has to compete against himself. Expectations are always high for his albums.
Ehh I don’t know how I feel about BP3 yet…
Gonna listen to it in full at Rhapsody.com THEN decide if I wanna buy
@ 7, sho you right. And the word “Hova” is just slipping off the tongues of the ignorant, as if it ain’t a thang. How are you going to make a play on words to compare your finite, INSIGNIFICANT human self to the CREATOR of the Universe? How dumb. Art or not, you’re playing with fire, know that.
It will sell the first week regardless, giving him another no. 1 album and putting him up there in the history books. I’m sure that show Friday will be a sell-out.
I love the album the only Bad song is hater and the problem I have is a couple of beats and a few hooks other than that I love the lyrics the flow the content the direction everything is on point he most def doesn’t need to stop rapping at all all he needs is to make better hooks and stop fucking with timbaland and work with producers that actually want to give jay their best effort and he’ll surely come up with another classic because blueprint 3 confirmed for me that he indeed still has a lot to say and that he damn sure knows how to say it!
I’m a Jay-Z fan always…BP3, that’s what’s up!!!!!!
Jay’s final verse in “Empire State of Mind” is about Rihanna. Listen closely.
@7 AND 32 IF JAY-Z IS SO EVIL THEN WHY DO YALL CONTINUE TO COMMENT ON HIM YOU CONSPIRACY PEOPLE LOOK UP JAY-Z ALL DAY ON WEBSITES,YOUTUBE,BLOG SITES,F.A.N SITES???….MAKING COMMENTS FROM THEORIES YOU SAW ON YOUTUBE AND SHIT BUT WHY DO THAT..
YALL CRAZY PEOPLE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THE LYRICS THAT YALL CLAIM TIE TO THE ILLUMANANTI NAZI MASON SHIT BUT WHAT ABOUT HIS LYRICS ON PRAYIG TO GOD,THE BLESSINGS HE RECIVED AND WANTING TO DO GODS WILL,AND WANTING TO GO TO HEAVEN,AND ASKING GOD FOR FORGIVNESS WHAT ABOUT THOSE LYRICS HOW COME YALL DON’T MENTION THAT OR THE MANY TIMES YOU SEEN HIM HAVE CHURCHES IN HIS VIDEO’S HOW COME YALL DON’T MENTION THAT? DOES THAT NOT MATTER
TO THE PEOPLE THAT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE DO YOUR BRAINA FAVOR AND IGNORE THEM BECAUSE THEIR ALL SPEAKING IN CIRCLES AND AT THE END OF THE DAY THERE IS NO REAL PROOF I MEAN NO INTERVIEWS OR NOTHING NO NOTHING JUST THEORIES
YOU ARE GETTING BEYOND YOURSELVES I’M TIRED OF SEEING YALL FLOODING BLOGS WITH YALL THEORIES UNTIL I SEE SOME CONCRETE PROOF I MEAN PHOTO’S OF HIM IN SOME SECRETE ILLUMANATI LOCATION OR SOMETHING THAN YALL CAN STOP THE BULLSHIT FIRST HE WAS A NAZI,THEN HE’S A UNCLE TOM,NOW HE’S 3 MASON,THEN HE’S HALF MASON,THEN HE’S G MASON,HOW MANY MASON’S IS IT??????????? AND WHY IS JAY ALL OF THEM?
UNTIL SOMEONE COULD STOP FLIP FLOPPING ON WHAT KIND OF MASON HE IS AND LINK SOME “F-A-C-T-U-R-A-L SHIT TOGETHER AS FAR AS I’M CONCERN YALL CAN FALL BACK!
I like the album… Not sure what album you guys and gals are listening to but it must not be The Blueprint 3. Did you hear “Thank You”, “Already Home”, “On to the Next One”, …. the two singles holding down the radio…. the album period…
People please LISTEN to an album before writing or giving a review.
And that means more than once.
HEARING someone’s art while half sleep on your way to work on cheap ipod earbuds or low enough to not hear it at all on your $2 work speakers is not a good look.
Purchase this instant classic and bump your system with it….
Let the lyrics and bass fill your ears; the horns and violins make you move your feet and bop your head like great hip hop does.
Be easy with the unwarranted hate, this dude been holding up Hip Hop far to many years for this.
But like he said…
“Oh… They want fall, Fall from top, They want me to drop, They want to stop, They want me go, I’m already gone, the shit that I’m on, I’m already home.”
Live, Love and Learn….
I’ve liked a few of the tracks I’ve heard.
And Beyonce IS on the album. Check out the track Venus Vs Mars, she sings on the chrous!!
Poor Jay Z, every single with the exception of 2 are not up 2 par.
His first mistake is not putting his wife on any 1 of the tracks that features women.
Akeys sound just like – the girl who sings american boy – dang what is her name – estelle something I think.
OOh well at least he can say he can still sell out the garden. Thanks CL for the free mp3. I’ll get the rest for free from the net.
Poor Jay, but he’ll have some good remixes – hopefully.
He should have named it something different. there is only 1 BluePrint!
@21
THATS THE CRAZY PART THO, IT CAN APPEAL TO YOUNGSTERS FOR ITS BEATS, BEACAUSE THE BEATS ARE PHENOMENAL
BUT NOT ONLY IS THE BEATS PHENOMENAL BUT HIS FLOW AND LYICS ARE AS WELL
ITS A SINGLE READY ALBUM WHICH IS VERY HARD TO DO FOR A HIP HOP ALBUM AND NOT MAKE CHEESY HIP POP RECORDS BUT HIP HOP RECORDS THAT JUST APPEALS TO THE POP WORLD
THIS ALBUM IS FLAWLESS JAY Z GETS 4 STARS OUT OF 5 FROM ME
STAND OUT FOR ME WERE
A STAR IS BORN
FOREVER YOUNG
SO AMBITOUS (YO THIS TRACK IS CRAZY THE WHOLE VIBE OF IT TAKES ME BACK TO THE REASONABLE DOUBT ERA)
AND IF I HAD TO PICK ONE MORE WHICH IS SO HARD TO DO CAUSE THEY ARE ALL SIMPLY GREAT ID GO WITH ON TO THE NEXT WHEN HE DROPPED THAT LINE
“I DONT GET DROPPED I DROPPED LABELS”(REFERRING TO HIM DROPPING DEF JAM AS HIS LABEL)
I WAS LIKE WOW THIS ALBUM IS TO FUGGIN GOOD TO BE TRUE
AND IF NOT OTTN THEN THE TIMBALAND SENSATION VENUS VS MARS
BUT BACK TO MY POINT THIS ALBUM IS NOT ONLY A SUPERBLY PRODUCED ALBUM, BUT JAY Z LYRICS RHYMES AND FLOW IS JUST AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER
@latifah – im hoping u plagarized somebody’s else’s critique of BP3 b/c that comment
“ON THE PLUS SIDE, HE LEFT BEYONCE OFF THE TRACKS”!!!! should have been deleted from your comment. I swear u CL commentators hate on beyonce more than the bloggers & that’s shameful!!!
You’re opinion of Beyonce or lack thereof will not change hundreds of millions of her fans so u mindswell quit trying to convince her fans otherwise!
Some of you will like anything he puts out so it doesnt surprise me anymore. Who do you think listen to hip hop now? Kids, no real conscience adult puts up with this kind of music…
When does albums release on Friday’s?
hundred of millions of fans??
I Simple love it. Hov is so above the gibberish rappers of today just saying something that ryhme like pac he ryhmes an if you listen also makes sense. I got the album sunday and I simply love it. He even addressed some of the bloggers in HATER an REMINDER.
cL ALWAYS goes wRoNg when Brian doesn’t do the album reviews! NEXT!!!!!!!
“Hov is a blackberry gold, shorty is a sidekick”…
I like his album! Im still gettin’ my rotation on…so I’ll save my comments!
@44 yeah I said it! who are you latifah??? hundreds of millions of fans!
Its funny how most people think in order to review or critique something you have to think negative. Blueprint 3 is its own album. Comapring to old Jay-Z a;bums is pointless. So many times people talk about an album in comparative to the last albums. It is its own body of work. The album is great music. I see a lot of people saying I wish Jay would have went harder. What does that even mean? The lyrics and flow is as relevant to his life as they ever were. This is not a speech its a piece of art. Don’t judge the body of work by how well you can piece it together with his life. To creatively convey a story or true emotion is the goal. Your critques have nothing to do with the music. Blueprint 3 great album.
EWWWW!!!!!!!!!! NEXT!
I think this is an amazing review. Don’t be mad be respectful.
Jay-z is the fuckin best man hands down!
ill defitnitely be coppin his album
and haters please stop it damn!
give the man his props
@ 37—-One of my points is the fact that no one really knows anything about the essence of these artists—especially the rappers. They’re actors and actresses, even when they’re interviewed they tend to “stay in character”……masquerading, something exclusive to the dramatic arts, has come to be expected in the music industry today. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ll be laughing my @ off if these rappers keep their acts up well into their senior citizenship…gangstas and players…pishhhh Please!
lol @ hundred of millions of fans…
i like it…but i’m grown.
i will be watching the concert on FUSE….NYC stand up!
the lyrical content on this album is untouchable, Empire state is ill, hate is ill Kanye not being lazy its a different style and it works hard, ‘Forever young’ is just song cry classic and the intro song is ‘Take over’ classic, this album cannot touch BP1 but its still a hot album
Jay presale tickets went on sale today @ 9 am to 11:30
and the tickets were sold out before public sale at 12. That is some BS. No way in hell they sold out that damn fast. The brokers and label have most of the tickets. The garden is too damn big for the tickets to sell out that damn quick in 2 hrs. I am heated.
Jay Z is bored with the current state of hip-hop and we’re bored with him, LOL
Weak album. That is all.
@ 57, maybe they did…in NY…i mean BK alone could sell him out. No doubt his highest level of relevancy is right at home.