Album Review: The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z

Upon immediate reaction, it's blatantly clear that The Blueprint 3 is far from Jay-Z's best work. With that said, it's far from his worst, avoiding the many missteps and snore-inducing tracks of its preceding projects, American Gangster and Kingdom Come. The big question–is Mr. Carter spurting out all this braggadocio with nothing to back it up? Or does he live up to the hype that would warrant a Blueprint trilogy?

Well, when he's spouting laughable lines such as "No I'm not a Jonas Brother, I'm a grown up. No I'm not a virgin, I use my cojones." on "On To The Next One", the answer to that question is uncertain. Thankfully, the song is saved by the sparse, slow-grinding Swizz Beatz production, which samples Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." beyond recognition.

If you're skeptical of the album's many guest spots, you may find it comforting to know that most of the guests are demoted to hook duty. This can work magic, as is the case for Alicia Keys' cameo on "Empire State of Mind". Then there are points where it inspires further suspicion. Were newcomers Drake and Kid Cudi thrown to the background out of fear that they'd outshine their predecessor?

Then there's the question of hypocrisy. Jay-Z gets crotchety about the state of music on the grouchy "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)", and then he sports an obviously auto-tuned Rihanna for the album's second single "Run This Town". He boasts about being ahead of the game, yet his collaborations with Timbaland and Pharrell Williams sound like they're straight out of a time capsule. And sampling Alphaville's "Forever Young"? Ouch, just ouch. That's so 1990s.

Cunty comments aside, it should be noted that this is Jay-Z's most consistently enjoyable project since The Black Album. He may not be able to rock the party like he used to, but the 40 year-old rapper has remained relevant throughout the fifteen years of his solo recording career. It's kind of like he's the Madonna of hip-hop. And with an upcoming album that he says will be his "most experimental" to date, we're itching in anticipation. If we wind up disappointed, it's because he's already set the bar so high.

– Dewitt