I am gonna settle the score once and for all about my criticism of Jay-Z.
People always ask me what I have against Jay and before I approach "The Blueprint III" I guess I will take a brief second to address my angst against one of the greatest emcees of all time and quite possibly the "best rapper alive".
Let me begin by saying that Jay-Z is one of the most influential characters in hip hop. The majority of us (hip hop fans today) grew up listening to Jigga's anthems and I am not exempt. I enjoyed "Big Pimpin'" and "Hard Knock Life" just as much as any other kid growing up in suburban Atlanta.
However, the "new" Jay-Z has perturbed me.
I think Jay-Z lost me with "Kingdom Come" when I could see the signs of an
imminent downfall. The production was not nearly as good as his prior albums, the compilation of the songs themselves weren't well down in my opinion and the project itself felt rushed and lacked that Jay-Z factor we all have come to love.
Honestly I was upset by the project overall, because I STILL believe "The Black Album" should have been Jay's curtain call and bridge to his new life as CEO of DefJam and owner and operator of RocNation. He did his BEST work period on that album, got the greatest producers in the game to give him their best work, and the album was brilliant in all aspects. I felt misled when news came out that Jay would be giving us a new album and when I heard the first single,"Show Me What You Got" I knew that the project would flop. His music sounded like it was aimed toward an older demographic and this is when the Age Conversation stemmed over Jay-Z's relevance in the game. We all remember Dipset taking shots at Jay for wearing a "coofie" and I believe "Kingdom Come" had a lot to do with that.
I will give Jay credit however for signing J Cole to RocNation as well as Wale. These two artists have great potential and look to have longevity in the hip hop game. I honestly think if J Cole continues on the path he is now, he will top Jay's illustrious career as an artist. He's really just that good. I have a hard time understanding why Jay-Z pushes his new project the Blueprint III rather than helping his artists excel.
The Blueprint 3 has been a long awaited project, with many people often raising questions about if it would be done and if it would actually exist. My dislike for the overall project comes for a number of reasons.
One-he has other artists he should be promoting and working on getting national acclaim and spotlight
Two-he has no need to put out another album. At this point I question his motivation or need to bombard us with more reasons of why he is the greatest rapper alive or of all time or how much money he has in the bank
Three-He's lost touch with his fan base. The hip hop audience can no longer relate to Jay in my opinion as seen in his "millionaire lifestyle", and unsettling videos such as "Onto The Next One".
But I digress. This blog is less about Jay-Z's career and more about my interpretation of what I think of his latest project "Blueprint III" and by no means think that my latest gripe about Jay-Z the PERSON, has anything to do with my approach to Jay-Z's music as an ARTIST. He is still very talented.
Track One-What We Talkin' About
This track is more so about Jay-Z dismissing the bs, that likely critics like me mention about him all the time. The instrumental, as Jay-Z often does to instrumentals, plays second fiddle to his lyrics. His splendor as an artist is far superior than the instrumental that becomes for less of a better word, background noise.
Track Two-Thank You
Jay-Z takes the modest approach in this song. Even in his attempt to be "modest", Jigga still reminds me of how great he is and how much he's done. Jay-Z mentions emcees whose taking shots at him and dismisses them in this record. The production of the track is average, but again, used to emphasize Jay's voice as oppose to the record itself. A lot of flashiness here and you can sense that the humility Jay expresses here is not genuine. He is a legend in hip hop and uses a fake sense of humility to portray the fact that he's done a lot of great things and subliminally addresses emcees that have lashed out against him.
Track Three- Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keys)
Probably the best song on the entirety of the record, Alicia Keys is the perfect vocalist to pull off this song. The song is an anthem and is a catchy tune for anyone listening. There is crossover potential across many genres and appeals to a number of audiences. However, with everything that is good about this track, Jay does make a few controversial statements in this song that have you scratching your head a little.
"Hail Mary to the city you're a virgin/ Jesus can't save you/ Life begins when the church ends"
Now I'm not one to be uber religious but even I am considered about the nature of this lyric sorely because of the need for this song and how popular it has become. It has become overlooked and many people try to disgard the lyric but clearly this has implications that clearly dismiss many people's religious beliefs. I just don't understand why this was necessary for the concept of the song, why Jay didn't make the artistic decision to go with something different upon realizing how the lyric would be perceived, and why would Jay-Z discredit Jesus for having the ability to save anyone? Again, I think Jay-Z has somewhat gained a sense of invincibility and has decided that he can say anything and his audience is numb to it that they will rock along anyway. I personally disagree with Jay. I think Jesus CAN save you, and life doesn't begin when the church ends.
Track Four- Real As It Gets (featuring Young Jeezy)
Again, Jay has compiled the project of the great feature. Jeezy shines in this track, but growing up in Atlanta, a part of me wants the "Can't Ban the Snowman" Jeezy versus the commercialized studio album Jeezy that we get packaged and sent to us to sound similar in just about every song we here him on. Jeezy still thrives and the two make a great tandem on this track but the track is lukewarm at best. A little better than average production, but nothing really jumps out at you.
Track Five- On To the Next One (featuring Swizz Beats)
This is probably the best production on the CD. Swizz Beats puts together an absolutely crazy track and it in fact carries the song. The hook is just enough to keep you interested and Jay gives you more floss rap and this is the first song you pay more attention to the track than the actual rapping of the song.
However, again a dope song is overshadowed by a disturbing music video. The video has come up in many conversations with images of freemasonry and other concepts that have people again, scratching their heads wondering if Jay is part of some higher, elitist secret society and sending subliminal messages. Here: see for yourself....
Do your research and look into it for yourself.
I'm not promoting any ideas or beliefs, I am unsure on the subject myself, but I'd like to know what people think. Again, I wonder if I find this video entertaining, artistic or just plain disturbing....
Track Six- Off That (featuring Drake)
Timbaland on the track and Drake on the hook brings this Jay song to the next level. This song has crazy energy and Jay shows his versatility. I like to think of this song as Jay-Z's approach to the "futuristic movement" that is taking place in the South. In the South, people are futuristic, and Jay well, he's off that. He's already ahead of the game. Many people wanted a Drake verse on this track, but Drake is only along for the ride on the hook.
Track Seven- A Star Is Born (featuring J Cole)
This song is my favorite on the record solely because of the verse J Cole spits. If I could I'd post all the lyrics here to J Cole's verse but I want you to experience it for yourself. The track has crazy energy as well and I especially like that Jay shows his appreciation for the other emcees in the game. He even honors Nas and "Illmatic", which we all know Nas was not a big fan of Jay during the Illmatic days. Jay-Z impresses me by addressing every major figure in the hip hop game, however, it is quite puzzling to think that he thinks so highly of Drake in this song, when his OWN artist J Cole is on the track!
"Drake is up next/Watch what he do with it"
Track Eight- Venus vs Mars
Jay-Z uses another Timbaland masterpiece to paint this analogy about how he and his girl are opposite. I have a hard time trying to diagnose this song because it is unclear whether the two of them are together or if they are apart or just different but Jay uses Venus vs Mars to show how men and women are different particularly in his life. The song is more so a great track more than great lyrics aside from the mentioning of products in his rhymes. I wonder do they pay him for the free publicity?
Track Nine- Already Home (featuring Kid Cudi)
I love Kid Cudi and he seems to never disappoint me in any capacity. The same is true for this song. I think Jay-Z probably does his best work in this track. This song embodies where he is in the game right now. Jay-Z is in his own lane and he is an icon in his own right. He even addresses the fact that he's often picked on for resembling a camel. Jay-Z is "already home". He's done everything there is to do in hip hop. Therefore, he is already home. The question just raises the question,"What's next for Jay? You're already home!"
Track Ten- Hate (featuring Kanye West)
This is a PSA to all artists featuring Kanye West; don't DO it! West is a monster on the track, both from a lyrical standpoint and from a production standpoint. Jay-Z again comes strong in this track lyrically and as you're listening to it you get the sense Jay is warming up thru the record. He gets better and stronger with each track. Jay addresses the haters in this track and even seems to embrace them. Clearly he is motivated by the hate- it seems to be a driving force.
Track Eleven- Brooklyn Go Hard (featuring Santigold)
The second New York anthem of the album, this time featuring Jay's borrough, Brooklyn. This song was the first single off the record and the record is heavy. It has a feeling of the old Jay we love. The Santigold feature helps liven the Brooklyn theme and mantra, but you either love her or hate her verse when she begins to rhyme. It is different to say the least, and not what you'd expect from a song about Brooklyn, NY. Again, Jay-Z goes in on the track better than the majority of the songs on the record, but it seems as if Jay steps it up for the songs based around New York and his hometown. Jay-Z is the single force responsible for keeping New York hip hop relevant in hip hop and this song is one of the many reasons why. Without the presence of Jay, there is no one really ready to take the torch.
Track Twelve- Reminder
A friend of mine sent me this song to prepare me for the Blueprint 3 before it dropped. Jay-Z spends a lot of time on this album addressing the critics and the haters and this song is the epitome of that. He attacks the people that talk/write about him and mentions all his greatness and accomplishments. It is evident that Jay-Z was in a creative space where he was irritated by the media attention around his age and about what many people think is his decline in the music game as an emcee. So for those who are doubting him or are starting to forget the impact he's had on hip hop this last decade, here's your reminder. Thanks Jay. As if we really needed one. Is this the best content he could come up with?
Track Thirteen- So Ambitious (featuring Pharrell Williams)
Pharrell's track is crazy and his hook is just as good if not better. The record jumps out at you with the horns and drums going everywhere throughout the track. Jay-Z delivers as well as he often does about his struggles and being ambitious to accomplish his goals.
"I can't base what I'm going to be/Off of what everyone isn't"
I think the Jay-Z/Pharrell Williams collaboration is just as good as any on the record.
The only difference is that I find the two equally contributing on this track whereas on the others I feel the feature either tops Jay's contribution or Jay didn't need the feature or the feature brought very little to the table. But on this track, Jay-Z and Pharrell have an unparalleled chemistry that makes this track one of the best on the record.
Track Fourteen- Young Forever (featuring Mr Hudson)
Like Santigold, Mr Hudson is another artist you wouldn't expect Jay-Z to work with. And just like with Santigold, Mr Hudson brings that needed aspect to this song. Jay-Z's lyricism is average at best, but the hook and track carry this song to great heights. When I first I heard this song and read the title of the song, I wondered if this track was a reaction to the criticism he'd been receiving about being one of the older emcees in the game, but quite honestly it has nothing to do with that at all. Jay-Z is talking about how his music and career is forever young. It's true. His music will live on forever and be forever young.
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