This is Jay-Z’s 11th solo album.
While Jay-Z manages to display his lyrical prowess, he falls well short of the expectations that many had.
“The Blueprint 3” is a solid effort; however, it is far from a classic.
Unlike many of Jay-Z’s previous albums that feature a blend of thought provoking story-telling and mainstream pop songs, “The Blueprint 3” seems complacent with simply having mainstream and radio-friendly songs.
At times it seems as though Jay-Z relies heavily on rhyming ability to carry him through songs as opposed to delivering an actual message.
Although Kanye West and No I.D. produced more than half of the 15 tracks on the album, the quality of production does not wane on the other end with the help of prominent producers such as The Neptunes, Timbaland and Swizz Beats.
“The Blueprint 3” also features artists such as Young Jeezy, Drake, Kanye West, Rihanna, Alicia Keys and more.
Jay-Z experimented with a number of different styles on this album and in the process created an album that has a very contemporary sound; however, the end result is an album that is predictable but not boring.
Marcus CunninghamCopy Desk Chief
Carter is not in rare form on this album still displaying greatness, but as an artist he has reached the plateau of his lyrical greatness prior to this album. This is not a knock on Jay-Z; this is just saying that he has already excelled to the highest point of his rhyming ability.
He does however successfully take advantage of mentioning current events like Barack Obama, being courtside at NBA games, and indirect references of his marriage in his rhymes.
Jay-Z masterfully matches the correct lyrics to the correct beats.
The beats are the needle. Jay-Z’s lyrics are the thread and that has remained consistent among his releases.
However, it is obvious that this is not an album that Jay-Z’s main goal was to come out with a new creative sound or one that is that of a hungry artist trying to put a stamp in the world of hip-hop.
With majority of the production by Kanye West and a few beats by Timbaland and The Neptunes, Jay-Z enlists an all-star cast of artists featuring West, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Young Jeezy and others.
Carter has managed to regain the spotlight and take over as the front-runner to laying out a blueprint for a successful album, although not a classic like several of his others.
LaTasha MilesSports Editor