“Please don’t bow in my presence. How am I a legend? I just got ten number one albums, maybe now 11.”
No one ever said Jay-Z was subtle, and this has never more true then on his new album, “The Blueprint 3.”
The man who has hailed himself and been hailed by others as the “King of New York” comes out in late 2009 swinging for the fences with his impressive 11th studio album in 13 years.
“The Blueprint 3” flows together with the swagger, confidence and poise that you would expect from a Jay-Z album, with a few curve balls along the way.
“What We Talkin’ About” opens up the album, with a unique guest appearance from Luke Steele of “Empire of the Sun.”
It’s not your typical cameo from Jay-Z’s former albums, but nonetheless, it gets the CD going in the right direction.
Not wasting any time, “The Blueprint 3” rolls right into the three singles off the album: “D.O.A.,” “Run This Town” and “Empire State of Mind,” featuring artists Kanye West, Rihanna and Alicia Keys.
The three tracks have the commercial appeal of rap ballads and end up being the backbone of the album.
As “The Blueprint” continues, Jay-Z brings in the troops with noteworthy appearances from Young Jeezy, Swizz Beatz and Drake on the latter half of the CD.
They all provide a unique feel and vibe, weaving together an eclectic, yet very effective progression.
Easily dismissible is “Venus vs. Mars,” a feeble attempt at being clever and witty. In this song, Jay-Z raps, “Shawty got Britney, shaved her whole head up.”
Finally ending “The Blueprint 3” is “Young Forever,” an interesting peak into the diversity of Jay-Z’s musical preferences.
The song samples the ‘80s smash hit “Forever Young” by “Alphalive” and shows a different side of Jay as he raps cool, calm and collected to a mellow beat.
While there are a few dull moments on the album, for the most part “The Blueprint 3” comes off as a very strong effort.
Eleven albums and still running makes you wonder: at this pace, is there anything Jay-Z can’t do?
Zach Fraser can be contacted at zfraser@ut.edu.