At this point in his career, Jay-Z has zero problems. His president is black, his wife is Beyonce, and his bank account is bulging. He pals around with Natalie Portman and Chris Martin. He’s a philanthropist and former CEO. When he rapped in 2006 that he wasn’t “a businessman, I’m a business, man,” it was a viewed as a clever piece of braggadocio. Now, it seems a rather mundane detail -- a depressing fact of life about one of hip-hop’s most legendary lyricists. Like that of 2006’s comeback album, Kingdom Come, the theme of The Blueprint 3 seems to be, “I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
The lead single, the crotchety “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” was a bit of a red herring. The remainder of the album finds Jay trying to make peace with his surroundings and his peers. “A Star Is Born” is an entertaining overview of the past 20 years in hip-hop, but Jay-Z is taking great pains not to offend anyone. The author of "Takeover" suddenly has nothing but nice things to say about everyone, and, ultimately, the track is reminiscent of Nas’ “Last Real N**** Alive,” except without the insight or the tension.
“Empire State of Mind” doesn’t so much channel Nas’ “N.Y. State of Mind” as it does Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” It doesn’t revel in the city’s grime, trying to find the roses in the concrete, but instead reveals what it’s like to be rich and middle-aged in the richest city in the world. It’s as if the New York Tourist Bureau commissioned Jiggaman. He goes to the Yankees game, drinks mai tais courtside at a basketball game and fantasizes about tripping the referee. It isn’t a horrible song, per se -- the production is catchy in a generic sense, and Jay-Z retains his killer flow and his keen eye for detail -- but, as with a handful of tracks on the album (see also “Young Forever”), it sounds like it was written in collusion with Oprah Winfrey. And when Jay does attempt to channel the hustler persona, it largely backfires (see "Venus vs. Mars," where Jay-Z adopts the "shawty" slang to embarrassing effect, or "Real As It Gets," where Hov is outshone by Young Jeezy).
And while thematically Jay-Z is stuck in a very comfortable rut, he’s rarely been as stylistically restless. This is probably the biggest sonic departure since the large gap between the grimy N.Y.C. boom-bap of Reasonable Doubt and the mid-'90s flash rap of Vol. 1. This time, Jay-Z adopts a more rock-centric sound, think clanking guitars and washed out synths.
Like a fine wine, Jay-Z has mellowed as he has matured. And if you’re a connoisseur of fine wine, you might imagine that The Blueprint 3 is a great hip-hop album. But if you gravitate toward Patron and pints, I suggest you check out his catalog material.
“Empire State of Mind” doesn’t so much channel Nas’ “N.Y. State of Mind” as it does Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” It doesn’t revel in the city’s grime, trying to find the roses in the concrete, but instead reveals what it’s like to be rich and middle-aged in the richest city in the world. It’s as if the New York Tourist Bureau commissioned Jiggaman. He goes to the Yankees game, drinks mai tais courtside at a basketball game and fantasizes about tripping the referee. It isn’t a horrible song, per se -- the production is catchy in a generic sense, and Jay-Z retains his killer flow and his keen eye for detail -- but, as with a handful of tracks on the album (see also “Young Forever”), it sounds like it was written in collusion with Oprah Winfrey. And when Jay does attempt to channel the hustler persona, it largely backfires (see "Venus vs. Mars," where Jay-Z adopts the "shawty" slang to embarrassing effect, or "Real As It Gets," where Hov is outshone by Young Jeezy).And while thematically Jay-Z is stuck in a very comfortable rut, he’s rarely been as stylistically restless. This is probably the biggest sonic departure since the large gap between the grimy N.Y.C. boom-bap of Reasonable Doubt and the mid-'90s flash rap of Vol. 1. This time, Jay-Z adopts a more rock-centric sound, think clanking guitars and washed out synths.
Like a fine wine, Jay-Z has mellowed as he has matured. And if you’re a connoisseur of fine wine, you might imagine that The Blueprint 3 is a great hip-hop album. But if you gravitate toward Patron and pints, I suggest you check out his catalog material.
- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.
1st...
"do you fools listen music, or do you just skim through it?"
What the hell. Jay Z himself expresses my opinion best:
"Hov on that new shit n*ggas like how come
N*ggas want my old sh*t, buy my old album
N*ggas stuck on stupid, I gotta keep it moving
N*ggas make the same sh*t, me I make the blueprint"