Kanye West gets the production credit here, but all he does here is cue Alphaville’s “Forever Young” – best known for its prominence in the film “Napoleon Dynamite” – and let Jay karaoke.ĭespite surrounding himself with A-list producers and guests, Jay lacks much of the fire and creativity that fueled masterpieces like the original “Blueprint.” After three installments, it’s clear Jay needs to go back to the drawing board. Album closing “Young Forever” is intended as an uplifting anthem, but is cornier than an all-occasion greeting card that suffers from the P. There aren’t many points on “Blueprint 3” as hollow as this, but there are enough that it can’t be excused as an isolated incident. Toss in a reference to his estranged father, and this is basically every Jay-cliché in one verse. Using this strained metaphor, Jay is able to reference his past as a drug dealer (now nearly 15 years ago), brag about his sexual prowess and remind everyone about his bank roll. James and Florida Evans let the good times roll.” I hits it from the back, Shorty like the front, Started at the window, then the bedroom wall,
Mars:”īody like a coke bottle, I crush it like a Coke can, Instead, Jay drops a dated Mac/PC comparison and gives us this in “Venus vs. Now when I bring the Nets I’m the black Branch Ricky,įrom Brooklyn corners, burnin’ branches of sticky.” That song contains one of the best verses in Jay’s cannon: There’s nothing as fun and clever as “Brooklyn Go Hard,” his contribution to this year’s “Notorious” soundtrack. Remove the EP’s worth of solid cuts, though, and Jay’s post-retirement secret emerges: he’s having problem finding new things to say. Young Jeezy nicks part of “Public Service Announcement” for his opening verse in “Real As It Gets.” Jay responds with one of his most convicted performances on the album. “Hate,” a chorus-less mic battle between Jay and West, has fire in the belly. The strongest song on the album, the town fathers can immediately add it to the overflowing Big Apple hymnal. “Empire State of Mind,” Jay’s duet with Alicia Keys, completes the album’s early run through its three consecutive singles. “Run this Town,” Jay’s collaboration with Rihanna and Kanye West is another in a long line of classic summer singles. No ID supplied an excellent track for “D.O.A. The album gets off to a strong start with “What We Talkin’ About,” which continues the hard feel of “American Gangster.” Just because “Blueprint 3” isn’t as bland and unfocused as “Kingdom Come” and “Blueprint 2,” doesn’t mean it’s a triumph. Similarly, it splits the difference between Hova’s uninspired comeback “Kingdom Come” and “American Gangster”’s return to form. It falls between the pared-down masterpiece of the first “Blueprint” and its guest- and lard-laden sequel. “The Blueprint 3” manages to split the differences in both of these lineages. It’s also the third album since Jay “retired” in 2004.
“The Blueprint 3” is not just the third installment in Jay-Z’s “Blueprint” saga.
0 kommentar(er)
