It’s been more than a minute since I’ve bought a CD, main reason being the gigs of mediocre albums stocking my iTunes library, and plenty more shitty ones, but The Blueprint 3 was one of those rare albums that I felt the need to go out and purchase and here’s why.
I’ve had the chance to listen to BP3 a number of times, and I must admit, at first I was rather disappointed. There was nothing that really caught my ear the first time through. I mean sure, I stopped and let the head nod to a few of the singles I already had the chance to appreciate, but nothing really hit me as a slugger. A few days went by where I really didn’t listen to it that much, however on Monday I figured I’d at least give Jay the attention he deserves and sat down with this album to give it my undivided attention.
Let me tell you, this album is what I’d call a creeper, and no not in that “guy with the perv stache who smiles at you” sense, but in that “damn, how did I miss this before?” way. In his eleventh album, HOV manages to break the mold. Now I’m not saying that his previous work is any less, hell Reasonable Doubt and The Black Album are two of my all time favorites, but with BP3, it appears that Jay has “got it” again. He’s making music that will stand the test of time rather than be the hottest club banger (albeit “On to the Next One” is more like a B side of a late 90s Ruff Ryder track). But tracks like “Empire State of Mind” (although now slightly ruined thanks to the mental image I’ll now have from Ms. Mama), “A Star is Born” (make sure you follow up on J. Cole), and “Already Home” will be listened to for years to come.
But don’t worry, this isn’t some album that will go over people’s heads, Jay made sure it’s got a bit of everything for everyone; Run This Town will please the radio listeners and will provide the last few Kanye supporters with fodder stating that he “out rapped” Jay – can’t lie though, “What you think I rap for, to push a fucking Rav-4?” is a hot line. “Real as It Gets” holds it down for the inner G’s in all of us, and “So Ambitious” will give the cool kids something to like for a few months before others catch on. There’s even one for the bedroom in “Venus vs. Mars”, which by the way just makes you want to get the shoulders in on the action.
Overall I have this album coming in a close third to The Black Album, and I guarantee you that I may be the only one saying this now, but like a fine wine, give this a while to breathe and they’ll all begin to come around.
Do yourself a favor and buy this album, support those who are pushing forward.
Tags: Blueprint 3, Hip Hop, J. Cole, Jay-Z, Kanye West
Want to see how the cover was made? Check out the BP3 Cover Shoot – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ1i0olf4Ik
I concur… and way better than that Kingdom come garbage. Can’t wait to see what Jay does with these songs when he coems to Van, always a dope live set! GUARANTEED.