“Visualized Greatness?” – Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 Album Review (9.3.09)

Posted on Thursday, September 3, 2009
Tags: Album Review , blueprint 3 review , Jay-Z , the neptunes , timbaland

“Visualized Greatness”: Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 Album Review
By Queen Princess

“I’m ballin’ out of control can you hear my sneakers?” – Jay-Z

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I think we all are expecting The Blueprint 3 to be great. Honestly the Rhapsody commercial where he went through most of his album covers won me over. Depending on if you’re a Jay-Z fan or a Jay-Z stan, you’re opinion of greatness will definitely be different. I happen to be a Jay-Z fan, that’s it. Not enthusiast, not obsessed amper, nor am I an ex-resident of the Marcy projects. However, I think The Blueprint 3 is genius. The concept of going back to the basics isn’t only good for Christina Aguilera. In order for hip-hop or music in general to embody longevity, this concept has to be applied. Artists should learn what music came before them, learn how the music impacted people and learn how to create so that their music will stay alive. Jay-Z’s concept is also in the cover art. The white instruments piled up are symbolic for taking it back to the roots of music and producing an album with a classic approach as artists, real artists did back in the day. The red lines are an ancient symbol for the number three.

The songs in my opinion aren’t farfetched for Jay’s style but they’re very different in sound. “Already Home” featuring Kid Cudi has an ominous sound that reminds me of something great like a triumphant scene in a movie. “So Ambitious” featuring Pharrell and “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys are about two different things, but both deliver an encouraging message. “So Ambitious,” expresses the thought that each individual should be just that and brag about themselves every once in a while. “Empire State of Mind” which pays homage to his city, none other than NYC, tells the story of the place where the surroundings and lights alone can inspire a person. He’s spitting so hard at one point that it sounds like dude is of breath! The track titled “A Star is Born” features newcomer J. Cole and shouts out all the artists that are doing it big. Real talk, that’s what hip-hop needs. After Big and Pac, rappers praise Jay-Z, so I think chanting lyrics “Clap for em, clap for em” is a personal backing for all the “nice” rappers and musicians out there to keep hip-hop going. If you’re a fan of Jay-Z’s song “Beach Chair” featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin, then you’ll definitely like “Young Forever,” featuring Mr Hudson. I will admit that I wasn’t too fond of “Hate,” so I guess that song is about haters such as myself? Whatever.

Like the Timbaland produced “Dirt off your shoulder” brought the bounce to The Black Album, the Swizz Beatz produced “On to the Next One” gets you boppin’ this time around. The album opener “What We Talkin About” is produced by Kanye West. It has a big sound that captures your ear. The drums aren’t too hard hitting, instead the keyboard, guitar riffs and bass complete the song. Jay brings a new approach to rapping about relationships on “Venus vs Mars.” At first I thought it was about him and Sasha Fierce but the second verse said otherwise. Almost all of the tracks have such a commanding sound that’s unlike anything out there. Just know that an album including the production of Ye, Timbo and The Neptunes is going to be crazy. It’s like a family reunion. I can’t pinpoint why this album is so awesome. Maybe it’s the flow, maybe it’s because he’s a veteran. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t have to work with the popular artists to make his album a winner. Whatever it is, just know that Jay-Z accomplished the task of creating a classic album.

Support the man!

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