Jay-Z-Blueprint 3 Review

Here's the track list, graded song by song in order, followed by the wrap up of the album as a whole with a grade from A to F.

What We Talkin About-It was a little surprising for rap fans when they saw Luke Steele was on a Jay Z album. For those just catching on, this is the track where Jay KIND OF talks about Game and sparked the beef, simply because Game has been waiting an eternity to take advantage of a possible beef to occur. Takes a shot (sort of) at Jim Jones too. Dope song though. 4.5/5

Thank You-An ode to the fans, Jay claims it’s their song. However, I would have preferred a better quality song. Beat is pretty legit, but the rhymes are very pedestrian. 3.5/5

D.O.A- Real jazzy beat, and despite this track “is not for z100” it was all over the radio being played repeatedly when it initially dropped on Hot 97. This song definitely caused concern for rappers who rely on auto-tune, but didn’t kill anyone’s careers. 4/5


Run This Town- Rihanna shines on this, and I don’t know if people are just sick of Kanye West and don’t want to admit his talent, but he definitely out performs Jay-Z lyrically on this track. He seems to take it more seriously while Jay is more concerned with saying “awwh”. Excellent choice for a single, as these are 2 of Jay’s biggest artists. 5/5


Empire State of Mind- A new york anthem. Jay raps over silky piano and raps about his childhood experiences living in the big city. A good story telling recollection of past events and a taste of what new Yorkers are like. Alicia Keys can sing incredibly, but her vocals seem forced to overpower. Even though it’s a little loud, she still gives a great performance and is a good touch to an already very good song. 5/5

As Real As It Gets- pretty hot beat, but talking about being real is almost as played out as ‘swag’. Especially when you get generic Jeezy verses and Jay on cruise control. Maybe it needs more listens, but it’s just not a standout. 3.5/5

On To The Next One-Real solid beat provided by Swizz Beats. Jay talks about his dominance on the charts is never good enough and the public always wants more. Other than that, On to the next one… 4.5/5

Off That ft Drake -Only real complaint is not giving Drake a verse. Some people dismissed this song too early. It’s a pretty cool, up-tempo track that both Jay and Drake’s flow rides nicely over the always futuristic sounding Timbaland beat. The repetitiveness in Jay’s verse at the end is kind of annoying but a chill song that bumps in the car. 4.5/5



A Star is born ft J Cole

The Flow cold as the shoulders of gold diggin hoe’s when a broke nig approaches.
Told ya’ll I’m focused man, I’ll let you mah fuckas soak it in and clap for em.

- Kanye West and No ID provide a soulful beat with a very catchy chorus. Jay-Z recounts a number of big names artists and their respective rises of fame. Basically for one song he does what Game does too often, name drop. Before you give up on the lovefest, the Roc Nation newbie , J Cole comes in and spits possibly the most insightful and quotable verse of any guest on the album, although there are few. Maybe I feel a little biased because I’ve been rocking with J Cole for a while but his flow fits the beat perfectly and seems to be a blossoming star. This is kind of the passing of the torch, and what better way than outshining Hov on his own shit. 5/5

Venus vs Mars- This is one of the most underrated songs on the album. Jay contradicts scenarios with every line from male and female perspectives and Timbaland laces a laid back but hard track with good balance. Some of Jay’s more clever lines on the album 4.5/5

Already Home ft Kid Cudi- I’ve been very critical of Kid Cudi and his actual singing prowess. He seems to lightly apply his talent, but here he gives a very impressive performance over one of the hardest beats on the album. Jay seems focused on this track and goes back and forth with Cudi on the chorus. Jay addresses some of his haters and their criticisms of him. They should think about this as a potential single after a few others come out. 5/5

Hate- Unfortunately, Kanye dragged some his 808’s leftover material onto Blueprint 3. Both Kanye and Jay try too hard to seem like every line is significant, but it’s kind of just an uninspired, boring effort. It’s an attempt to wave at the haters. Instead it’s a forgettable track. 3/5

Reminder-Hot beat provide by Timbaland, but it’s a braggadocios song that doesn’t move anyone lyrically too much. He actually takes shots at Joe Budden and at Jim Jones on the track, which is humorous. The rest isn’t. 3.5/5

So Ambitious-Thrilled someone decided to make a song about being ambitious. Pharrell provides a nice beat and they both talk about how their unconventionally styles and originality has lead to their incredible levels of success. 4.5/5



Young Forever-Hov talks about his legacy, Mr Hudson shines as this is a pretty dope track.A nice way to end the album, where Jay finds himself introspectively reflecting. 4/5






Overall, this was definitely a deeper initially realized. That doesn’t mean there aren’t holes in the album. There are some very good tracks that have a lot of replay value “Empire State Of Mind”, “Already Home”, and the few features that are on the album do a good job. J Cole shines on “A Star Is Born”, Mr Hudson, Kanye’s West’s protégé, shines on “Forever Young” and Kid Cudi really delivers on “Already Home.” However, there are definitely some missteps. Hate, is a very generic song that doesn’t really deliver on any level. There are definitively some provocative tracks and there’s certainly without question a statement hidden within this album. It’s not his most lyrical assault, but what Jay-Z uniquely does on this album, as he does with most, is blended a compilation of songs that will appeal to anyone. Problem is when you get so much fame, it limits your lyrical content, who dominantly (in his prime) relied on recounting his troubled past. Having said that, there’s tracks for the hardcores, for the masses, and everything in between. To his credit, the production is on point. Tracks from Timbaland, Kanye West, No ID, Pharrel and others, there’s hardly any dull moments. However, these tremendous beats don’t overcome some lackluster efforts on the album Hate, Real As It Gets and Reminder (even Run This Town) Jay just raps in cruise control and begs the question. Do people just accept Jay-Z’s music now as incredible music no matter the quality of the actual product? Meaning, even if it’s terrible material, Jay has such a cult following that his supporters will back it no matter what it sounds like, and it convinces the masses to think it’s “The Best” the genre has the offer? I say hardly. OB4CL2 is better, Slaughterhouse album had more depth, but Jay has the biggest following, therefore more people will see this as a better album, quality be damned. It’s a well thought out album, but it’s not a classic. Better than Kingdom Come but not better than Jay in his prime. Maybe a step above American Gangster. He’s stayed relevant, but he’s suffered a few kinks in his armour. This album scored a 64/75, which equals out to an 85, therefore the album get’s the B grade. Again, not classic, but pretty damn good.