Editor’s note: “The Blueprint 3” doesn’t hit shelves until Sept. 11, but the album can be streamed online for free as part of MTV’s “The Leak.” Here’s the early review.
Jay-Z would make a good architect with all of the blueprints he’s creating.
With a title that feels like more of a marketing strategy than anything else, “The Blueprint 3” is another comeback album from Jay-Z. Unlike the first “Blueprint,” which only featured one guest appearance from Eminem, this album is stocked like a cabinet in preparation for Y2K. Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Pharrell, Kanye West, Young Jeezy and others lend their voices, with the oddest appearance coming from Luke Steele, half of the Australian dance-pop duo Empire of the Sun. There were rumors of electronic sensation MGMT collaborating with Jay-Z for this album, but it appears — unless they were involved on the production end — the collaboration didn’t make the cut.
The album opens with the hypnotic “What We Talkin’ About,” the track with Steele. It has a decent opening, although Steele’s voice is underutilized to the point of disappointment. The track, like the rest of the album, runs longer than necessary.
Second is the catchy “Thank You,” in which Jay-Z thanks his dedicated fans all over the world. The beat consists of blaring horns and a laid-back vibe that fits Jay’s rhyme. Certainly one of the strong points on the album, this should’ve been the lead track.
Many people questioned whether Jay-Z had anything relevant to say with this album. The answer is, not really. He drops names of other emcees on “A Star Is Born,” frequently tells us he’s on top — fakely stating he’s had 10 No. 1 records — and talks about New York City in an all-too-familiar city track with “Empire State Of Mind.” Alicia Keys guests on this song, and her vocals are more than welcomed as they soar above the airy beat. But then, it happens.
Keys sings, “put your lighters in the air.” I quickly snap out of it and feel taken for a ride; someone is trying way too hard.
To support my feeling, on the next track, “Real As It Gets,” Young Jeezy chants, “put your hands in the air,” “put your sets in the air,” and “put your money in the air.” By now my arms are feeling a bit tired, and Jay-Z is quickly losing my attention.
The album hobbles along to “On to the Next One,” a Swizz Beatz production, which sounds like almost every other song that Swizzie has produced, but Jay-Z has fun with it, proclaiming, “no I’m not a Jonas, brother I’m a grown up/I’m not a virgin, I use my cojones.” It’s a definite party track, and its placement on the album is refreshing.
West makes two uninspiring appearances — one on the less-than-exciting new single “Run This Town” with Rihanna, and one on “Hate,” one of the worst songs of 2009 thus far. The beat for “Hate” sounds like Kanye drank a bunch of Coca-Cola and belched into the microphone while saying the word “haters.”
This album won’t affect Jay-Z’s status in any way, and it shouldn’t, but calling an album “The Blueprint 3” is way too ambitious after the first one was so critically acclaimed. It’s a muddled effort, with a few strengths and too many weaknesses to recommend.
Correction: A misspelling in Jay-Z’s named in the headline was corrected.