Jay-Z is one of the wealthiest rappers of all time, has his own multi-million dollar clothing company, is married to one of the most beautiful women in the world, and he makes sure that everyone knows it with The Blueprint 3.
The final installment in the Blueprint Trilogy was released Sept. 8 nationwide and sold 476,000 copies in its first week. This is Jay-Z’s 11th studio album to top the Billboard charts, giving him the most number one albums of any solo-artist, passing Elvis Presley’s record of ten number one albums.
Jay-Z brought in Kanye West, No I.D., The Neptunes, Swizz Beats and Timbaland to produce. Most of the beats on the album are more modern than Jay-Z normally uses, but he is able to combine new-age music with his old-school style rapping.
Despite the infectious sound and style that is typical of a Jay-Z album, the lyrics leave much to be desired. While the words flow smoothly and incorporate a clever rhyme scheme, most of the songs are as insightful as a Britney Spears album.
The first two singles to come off the album, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” and “Run This Town,” accomplish nothing but stroke his own ego. In “Run This Town” he boasts with a self-centered swagger “my whole team got dough/so my Bankhead is lookin’ like millionaires’ ‘fro.” It is lyrics like these that make the rap legend seem like he has run out of song material.
Nevertheless, the album was well-received by the fans and “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys has been the number one song on iTunes since its release.
With Keys doing the hook, Jay-Z takes listeners on a lyrical journey through the streets of New York. While the song is filled with his trademark arrogance, it still makes for a great listen.
Featured on the album are up-and-coming artists Drake and Kid Cudi. Drake, who has been receiving attention for the mix-tape he dropped last February, is featured on the song “Off That.” Kid Cudi, whose debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day released this month, is featured in “Already Home.”
The Blueprint 3 is somewhat disappointing, but it is still a Jay-Z album and the caliber of the album’s production makes it a quality record.
