Album Review: Jay-Z - 'Blueprint 3'

Before I begin let me say two things-

1. If you didn't know, BP3 got leaked to the internet over last weekend and Jay-Z himself has told everyone to enjoy it.

2. If you did download it MAKE SURE YOU GO AND BUY IT!
 With that out of the way... Let me begin!

From the beginning of The Blueprint 3, Jay addresses a few things that have caught his attention since he's been away (What We Talkin' Bout) in an indirect direct way (oxymoron I know). Many new hip hop fans may feel like Jay had his time and is still talking about the same things he always was, but it's not what you say but how you say it and, no one does it better than him when when it comes down to it.

The bulk of the Production is handled by Timbaland, Kanye West, No I.D. and the Neptunes. What Jay-Z has done this time around is have quite a few guest appearances and on first look this can be a bit worrying, but fear not as a lot are merely chorus/hook guests. The line-up includes- Young Jeezy, Alicia Keys & Swizz Beats, Drake and Birminghams very own Mr Hudson to name a few.

'D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune) and 'Run This Town' were just a prelude to what the original Mr Carter had instore.

Many rappers fabricate what they have and haven't done but, that's not the case here. From restaurants, bars, clothing lines and a basketball team Jay-Z only speaks the truth which is what makes every song so authentic.

Back on 'Reasonable Doubt' a young Shawn Carter finessed a knack for witty word play and metaphors and as he releases album number 10 (11 if you include 'Roc La Familia') he raises the bar once again.

On 'Venus Vs. Mars' Jay-Z spits-

'Shawty plays piano/ Me I play with white keys/Shawty from the South, oh I think she likes me/ Shawty like 'Pac, me Big Poppa, screaming HIT 'EM UP/ I'm screaming WHO SHOT YA...'

and that's just one of the memorable lines which, come back to back on every track.

In my reviews I usually suggest some stand-out songs, but for this album I have to put forward the the whole disc as I can't seperate the tracks although Jay and 'Ye collaborate nicely on 'Hate'

With all of his different business ventures a lot of critics wrote off Jay-Z, but he returned with 'American Gangster' and silenced them all and just like then he has returned at a time when music was beginning to stagnate. As long as he keeps releasing at this level of quality the hip hop and mainstream audience will pay attention!

There are very few artists who can have such longevity and span generations, one died on March 9th, 1997, one past away recently and the other will release 'The Blueprint 3' on September 11th so make sure you go copp that!

Jay-Z will be performing at The Roundhouse in Camden on September 17th and will also be joining Coldplay on tour later this month.


If you missed it first time>>>>>