Album Review: Jay-Z- 'Blueprint 3'

September 2, 12:22 PMNY Hip-Hop Music ExaminerSamantha Greaves

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Blueprint 3 in stores (09.11).

Jay-Z returns with his 11th studio album Blueprint 3 and the fans may agree that the album was worth the wait. Blueprint 3 is the third volume to a collection that got its start on September 11th, 2001. Though the day was traumatic, the album added a little musical relief to the hearts that were broken due to the tragedy.

Blueprint 3 will definitely stand out from the rest with its superior production and signature sound. While some may flock to the album to get an ear full of Jay-Z’s lyricism, the beats on the 15-track album will be the icing on the cake.

The album opens up with “What You Talkin’ About” that features Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun. The song, that Jay briefly debuted during a show in Vegas, has a strong presence of live instrumentation paired with minor synthetic sounds. In the track that vexed a couple of Hip-Hop artists, Jay-Z addresses Jim Jones, The Game, Dame Dash, and Jaz-O; those of whom have been very vocal about their thoughts regarding the rapper. On “Empire State of Mind” that features Alicia Keys, the beat stands as one of the most harmonic pieces. Alicia Keys adds just the right amount of polished class to the track and shows that the collaboration between her and Jay was a pair-up long overdue.

“Run This Town” that features Kanye West and Rihanna stands as one of the tracks on the album that needs no introduction; the beat and the artists commands attention on their own.

 The production for “Real as it Gets” that features Young Jeezy is simply timeless showcasing its classic sound by way of the natural instrumentation. As always Jeezy is an ideal feature on any track because of his bigger than life and identifiable voice. “A Star Is Born” which features J. Cole is one of the celebratory tracks on the album. Like many Hip-Hop albums made by Hip-Hop artists who have defeated the odds to attain success, Jay boasts about his success while shouting out some of his peers who have reached the top of their games. With a catchy chorus in hand, Jay raps “Got so many different monikers but only one Jay/They come, they go/Some real, some foe/Some friends, some hoes/But no I goes nowhere this Hov.”

With all of the criticism that Jay has been under, a song about the “haters” was not a surprise to see Jay cover. Titled “Hate” that features Kanye West, the rappers dedicate a song to the haters with paced lyrics that are packed with punch lines. Kanye does his part with adding his signature animated verses and Jay does what he does best, brush his shoulders off.

Blueprint 3 shows Jay-Z’s ability to stand on the shoulders of a giant and walk a line that is unfamiliar to the vast majority. Though some of the songs may be seen as outcasts to what dominates the radio waves today, they bring diversity to the table and shows what happens when you combine an album that holds good lyricism and superb production.

Stand-Out Tracks: “Thank You”, “Empire State of Mind”, “Run This Town”, and “A Star is Born”.

Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 is due for release Friday, September 11th. You can listen to a stream of the album in its entirety before you purchase by visiting rhapsody.com/jay-z or mtvleaked.mtv.com starting September 1st.