BP3

The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z's eleventh album, is an assortment of aristocratic verbal blasts and top-notch production. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart in its first week.
Each track is woven tightly around Jay's impeccable delivery. From the stately "Thank You," a celebration of the rapper's hubris to the blitzkrieg on autotune, "D.O.A.," the Blueprint 3 is remarkable, despite the commercial qualities it presents.

Jay-Z teams with protege Kanye West, audio wizard Timbaland and the innovative Neptunes among others on the album. Fans looking for a mirror image of the original Blueprint should look elsewhere.

While the Blueprint 3 does not play it safe as the thoroughfare ride, American Gangster, nor is it boiled down like Kingdom Come, there are memories of vintage Hova on the fifteen track colossus.

The heavy bass "So Ambitious," feasibly the best track on the album cleverly shadows his seat in the hip-hop music genre. "Empire State of Mind," thumps the original Blueprint's magic with Alicia Keys glistening within the stenciling of Jay's New York anecdotes; "Real As It Gets," partners Jigga with Young Jeezy, where they both show off their wit over an Inkredibles vibe and "Venus vs Mars," is a potent composition of innuendos toward everything from Britney Spears to Pepsi.

The final track, "Young Forever," is a perfect close to an album that is rhythmically admirable. It has a breezy feel as Jay touches on the recent criticism about someone his age still rapping.

While The Blueprint 3 may not stay in line with previous Hova projects, it stands out as an album by a media mogul whose foot is on the accelerator and sees no braking in the future.

Final Grade: A-