Jay Z: The Blueprint 3

Hov. Izzo. Hovito. Great Hova.

Whatever Jay-Z is calling himself these days, perhaps a less flattering name – one preferably given by another rapper – may be just what the doctor ordered…
Why? Because a good ‘ole fashioned diss always seems to bring out the inner Ice Cube/Chuck D/KRS-One in MCs. After all, the origin of hip-hop IS smack-me-and-I’ll-smack-you-back, courtesy of EPMD. And that philosophy bodes well in today’s rap climate where the ego-driven, male-diva rapper intuitively knows that he’s the best ever.

Take Kanye West for example…

Kanye launched his entire career based on an ego-driven need to perpetually “prove” his lyrical genius, and that approach has sustained one of the best and most memorable four-album runs in rap history. In fact, some believe that West’s eagerness, confidence, and arrogance played a large role in Jay-Z’s decision to rejuvenate his career with launch of the “Blueprint” series in 2001.

The Blueprint’s first installment was fueled by a heightened beef with Nas, 2003’s Black Album was Jay’s farewell album (*cough*), 2006’s Kingdom Come was slated as ‘the return,’ and then American Gangster followed almost immediately, starring Hov as Harlem hustler Frank Lucas. No matter which album you choose, all of them were driven by a muse of sorts, and all either good, great, or excellent.

Enter Blueprint 3.

“You talkin’ ’bout who’s hot/ I ain’t talkin’ ’bout that/ I don’t run rap no more, I run the map…”. Jay-Z

Indeed.

“What We Talkin’ About” gets BP3 off to a fantastic start with stellar production and sharp rhymes as Jay attacks cliche phrases and actions. The guitar-twinged funk of “D.O.A.,” the simple, yet very effective, “Thank You,” and the Alicia Keys-assisted “Empire State of Mind” all effectively carry the album to the 50 percent mark. Then add on “Run This Town’s” pulsating beat, plus star power from  Kanye West and pop-princess Rhianna and you’re golden…that is until you get to the back half of the album.

BP3 slips into monotony a bit after the halfway mark with lackluster efforts from producer Timbaland, a seemingly unmotivated Jay Z, and a noticeable departure from the caliber of songs before it.

“Hate” featuring Kanye West sounds more like one of West’s recent experiments and doesn’t have any of the familiar characteristics of previous “Blueprint” works; “Reminder” lacks charisma and sounds uninspired. (**sigh**)

Then you have tracks like “So Ambitious,” which depends heavily on the trademark Neptunes/ Jay-Z chemistry and Pharrell’s signature off-key falsetto. That, when coupled with songs like the plush “Young Forever,” puts a stake in the ground for BP3, but unfortunately doesn’t do enough to save the album from its back-half demise.

Jay-Z has always been a sharp, detailed, witty writer, but ever since his debut album Reasonable Doubt it seems like he’s been struggling with self expression and reflection.

BP3 is no different.

With its redundantly fickle subject matter, Hov clearly wants his roses while he can still smell them – even if HE is the delivery boy. It’s obvious – Izzo is near the close of a relatively brilliant career and has become the Robb Report-reading, trendsetting and trend smashing MC of all MC’s. However, this album falls short of the glory fans have come to expect.

With all the expectation, anticipation and waiting that surrounded the release of this album, the folks in fan-land will walk away from the third installment of the Blueprint trilogy with half the pie. Looks like Hov needs some new enthusiasm.
Rating 3.5/5.0

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