Album review: Jay-Z matured by Obama on 'The Blueprint 3'

September 14, 11:54 PMSan Diego Rap Music ExaminerQuan Vu

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No artist can market themselves better than Jay-Z. Claiming not to be a "businessman" but a "business, man," Jay has nimbly transformed his image from jiggy drug-dealing thug to remorseful corporate gangster to living legend and artiste. So it's surprising that he would've botched the marketing of his latest album, The Blueprint 3. After releasing the street-rap mission statement, "D.O.A.," Jay revealed an album guestlist full of effeminate hipster rappers (Drake, Kid Cudi) and indie rockers (Empire of the Sun and MGMT, at one point). He left his fanbase flustered and confused.

It turns out Blueprint 3 is neither the gritty street album that "D.O.A." suggests. Nor is it an electro-folk, hipster lovefest that Jay's present company suggests. This is his first truly "grown man" album. While 2006's Kingdom Come spent so much energy telling you how "mature" Jay had become, BP3 shows actual maturation from an artist pushing 40 who has now seen a black man take The White House and has gained some perspective for it. His '90s brethren may be stuck trying to rekindle old flames, but Jay knows "the conversation has changed."

This change in conversation means hanging up the gun talk and coke raps and accepting responsibility as a role model. On "So Ambitious," Jay recalls how all the negative, "you'll never amount to anything" sentiments from his elders drove him to succeed. And he offers himself as a model of success for ghetto kids. On "What We Talkin' About," Jay advises the youth to put away the guns or else risk "worrying your moms and burying your best cat/ Talking about revenge while carrying his casket/ All teary-eyed about to take it to a mattress." His wisdom holds the weight of experience but never becomes over-bearing so it holds that much more potency for it. When Jay invites these youth to put down the guns and visit the White House with him, he seems like just about the coolest Big Brother in the world.

This joy over Barack Obama's historic presidency infects much of the album. Besides several lyrical references to the current president, the production frequently oozes warmth and pride and glory. Jay employs big, loud, triumphant synths on the Young Jeezy-assisted "Real As It Gets." "Empire State of Mind" cleverly calls to mind Nas's street classic, "NY State of Mind," only to flip expectations as airy keys and bright strings punctuate an inspirational ode to the city. Chi-town brethren Kanye West and No I.D. handle the bulk of production duties, including the aforementioned "What We Talkin' About" and the fine-dining/ballroom beat of "Thank You." At its best, the production reflects Jay's new sophistication and bubbling elation.

But at its worst, the production sounds like god-awful attempts at youth and radio relevance. The militaristic "Run This Town" is obnoxious enough but Swizz Beatz' repetitive, repetitive "On To The Next One" is even more grating. Timbaland's frantic "Off That" sounds good but it doesn't sound good with Jay-Z on it. It comes off as an unconvincing stab at trance-rap. Jay tries his hand at another radio trend, '80s revivalism, by sampling Alphaville's "Forever Young" for the abortion-inducing "Young Forever." These songs are made more horrible by Jay's tendency to do nothing but list all the reasons why he's so hip and awesome and important. It's basically everything that was wrong about Kingdom Come.

Still, Blueprint 3 does more of what Kingdom Come aspired to do. Though uneven, this album is a warm, positive step for Jay. This is Jay-Z--a little less concerned about his street cred and a little more aware of the world-at-large. Mature. This is where he peeks out of the confines of the hip-hop world and realizes that it may just be bigger than hip-hop after all.