by Jewel Devereaux
I have to begin this review by stating that I am and have always been a huge Jay-Z fan. Ever since reasonable Doubt, which was the first of Jay's 3 classics in my opinion. The other two being "The Black Album", and then "American Gangster". These are the albums in which I will judge the Blueprint 3, and the standard that I will judge all Jay's future works.
I have to start by saying that on a scale from one to ten, I'd rate this recording at somewhere between a high seven, or a low eight. Let me explain how I came to this conclusion.
I suppose the first thing people listen for on a Jay-Z record are the lyrics. "Is he coming with that fire?" "Is he dissing this one or that one?" "Is he responding to what other rappers are saying about him on mixtapes and in blogs, or whatever?" I mean that's cool if you like to keep up with the hype, but decent records always musically reflect the times that they are created in. I listen for that, and also if there is a theme or an idea that is trying to be expressed exclusively by the artist. I listen to see how close to the mark they come. Usually Jay-Z comes pretty close on all counts, but a great deal of his work is sullied by overproduction, and trying way too hard to serve two masters, the radio, and the streets.
I guess that's the first refreshing thing I noticed about the Blueprint 3 from the first track, the intro "What We Talkin' About". On this track, produced by Kanye west, and No I.D. Jay-Z let's the listener know that although he is aware of what's happening in the streets, he is not going to waste any of the albums' time rhyming about any of it.Thus depriving his would be rivals and competitors of that much needed name drop that rappers have come to base more than half their hype and record sales on. So immediately you can hear that Jay has only become more lyrically enlightened. The track samples the song "Spirit" by Frederic Mercier an obscure French composer of 1970's early 80's electronica. There's not a lot of production on the track, as the sample makes up most of the song, and the beat. I guess finding rare out of print records and getting sample clearance is passing for production these days, but if you liked the track in 1978, you'll love it now with Jay's flow weaving in and out of it.
The second track is "Thank You" which lyrically may be the most acrobatic of all the 15 songs on this disc. The sample here is Ele E Ela by Marcos Valle. Production on this track is phenominal as it only borrows the lead in horns as it's hook. The beats from Kanye west and NO I.D. are choice on this track. Jay's patented swagger is all over this one. "We are really, really high tonight" I get it.
The third track is the summers anthem "D.O.A." (Death of Autotune) By the time I got the album, I was pretty sick of hearing this one. Initially I was overwhelmed with joy to hear so much live instrumental content on a Jay-Z track. I hadn't yet heard the original track the sample was lifted from. The track is "In The Space" by Janko Nilovicwith Dave Sucky. When I heard this track I was pretty much convinced that NO I.D. is not what I would consider a producer, but more someone with an obtuse knowledge of hidden funk classics. The song is pretty much in it's original form, just chopped up and rearranged, with all the interesting parts left on the studio floor. Hopefully Mos Def will find the scraps and spin them into black gold. Nevertheless Jay's flow on this track is simply dope. It's more percussive than I'm used to hearing him, as he litterally "kills" autotune, and blacking out the sun for T- Pain and Jamie Foxx, and even Kanye, who had planned to make a career out of the bastardization of the annoying pitch control program. One of the records finest tracks.
"Run This Town" featuring Kanye West and Rhianna is the fourth track, and is where the flow of the record becomes stymied. It's the dreaded "radio track". The sample here is "Someday in Athens" by 4 Levels of Existance. It's a horrible 70's psychedellic piece that Kanye West and NO I.D. rescued from the shit pile by sampling the intro guitar riff. There's enough original production around the sample to make it an almost original composition. Jay's flow seems overpowered, and out of place on this track surprisingly considering his prior work with uber nu metal clods Linkin Park. Rhianna's off key vocal delivery makes me cringe everytime I hear it. Kanye West's flow is a little elementary in the way of content, but is seemingly the only voice suited for the track. "We got a table full of broads/ They got a table full of fellas" illllll indeed. Please stop playing.
"Empire State of Mind" is by far my favorite track on the record. It's pretty much where the album ends for me, because I get stuck on this track repeating it over and over again, and then starting the album over again. First, if you're as old as I am, and you grew up on your parents soul music, you immediately recognize the intro to the Moments "Love on a Two Way Street" as the dominant sample on the track. Produced by Al Shux. There are too many ways you could fuck this up, but my hat's off to the producers. The beat is pure old school hip hop. That mid tempo bounce is sick, the tom tom fill? Sick! and Hov's flow is almost home on this one. I'm most impressed at how it's arranged like a pop song. There's even a bridge! I don't know if Alicia Keys had anything to do with the vocal arrangement, but her voice is layered really thick and sweet in every key in the scale. That means that no matter what your range is you can jump in and sing along and not sound like you're assing up a Karaoke stage at the airport Ramada Inn. Most impressive though is how it's a heartfelt love letter to the city of New York City. You can tell in the third verse where Jay's voice is cracking and straining to stay in key with the track. That's how urgent his love is. This shit only used to happen in R&B and blues records. You wish you were from New York when you hear this. Every word of it is true. Commercial hip hop dopeness.
"Real As It Gets" is essentially a Jeezy song that gets stolen from Jay from the beginning. This is one of those songs that showcases how light Jay's voice is tonally compared to most rappers. Produced by The Inkredibles, it's the first track on the disc that has totally original production. It's heavy on synths, and beats, and must be played loud to fully appreciate the choir burried beneath the synths. Don't get me wrong Jay's flow is sick on this one too, but it's musically overproduced, yet has very little to offer in the way of variation in the arrangement. Live bass would fatten this up. They will knock this in the whips and the clubs though. Doesn't really matter what I think. Still one of my least favorites on the disc.
"On to the Next One" Is no doubt the worst track on the record. I love the way Jay-Z brings the swagger on this one. His syncopation with the beat is simply beautiful. It's a shame it's brought down by Swizz Beats godawful production. He samples that kid's chorus from Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." It's how you sample a horrible song and make something even more assed up out of it. Swizz Beats always has that annoying repitition in all of his tracks. It's like some derranged cartoonish clown music. Never really saw what was hot about his beats. This is just awful. On to the next one.
"We Off That" featuring Drake is where the disc starts to get interesting. It's a Timbaland track, so like most of his productions, it's sample free. That's refreshing. It's kind of a techno feel, and Drake's voice fits nice on the hook. Actually, the track stands up pretty nice as an instrumental. Jay is at home on this one "we don't give a fiduck nigga we off that!" Nuff said.
"A Star is Born" is another decent track from Kanye West and NO I.D. It's probably the best of their collabs on this disc. This track creatively incorporates The Mother Freedom Band's "Touch Me" with the duo's nasty drum play. What's interesting is that this isn't kanye's usual drum palette. The arrangement is almost gentle. Jay Z gives a rather witty backhanded compliment to all his compitition, while establishing himself as the zenith of the hip hip game. "Clap for em'". Another dope track. Not as hot as "Lucifer" off The Black Album though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH5VklUizkI
"Venus vs. Mars" may very well be Timbaland's best work on this disc. Another original composition. Jay-Z is at the top of his game here. As he rhymes, you can vividly picture all the things he's comparing on the track. This one seems aimed at the stripper pole though. It's also hot driving music. If you really listen to music on sophisticated equipment, you'll hear that this song is mixed differently from everything else on the disc. I wonder if that was intentional. There's a remix featuring Beyonce' in the works, I just know it.
"Already Home" is my second favorite on the disc, because the production is tight. The sample is the strings off of Gladdy's All Stars' "Mad Mad Ivy". It's a very creative use of a sample, because it becomes almost unrecognizable blended with Kanye and No I.D.'s production. Kid Cudi's voice makes this a sing a long anthem. I find myself singing it whenever I have to wait for anything. Like in the store, or for an elevator. This song pretty much explains in full detail why Hov isn't spitting hot fire, or talking about the block, or beefs with Jim Jones and whoever else. He's honestly not there anymore. This is the P.O.V. of a mogul. I feel him on this track. A bonafide banger.
"Hate" is a nice workout duet between Hov, and Kanye. It's pretty lighthearted in content, but works as an original composition from Kanye alone. I like that it's not overproduced, or too lengthy. Just enough to showcase Kanye's production, and his underestimated rhyme skills. What better way to prove himself than jousting with Jay?
"Reminder" is not one of my favorites either, but I won't turn it off if it's on. It's another original production from timbaland. It's mainly synth and moog driven. At times it seems too heavy for Jay's voice. The flow is present on this one. The swagger is back as well. It's definitely for the clubs. It sounds like it could have worked as a Snoop Dogg, or Destiny's Child track as well. It's got a little too much Dr. Dre/West Coast flavor. Sounds sort of forced.
"So Ambitious" sounds like something left over from "American Gangster" Produced by the Neptunes. The sample is from Minnie Riperton's "Back Down Memory Lane". It's a creative sampling, where the track doesn't depend on the sample. It's smoothed out, and a nice departure from all that club based experimentation. Of course Pharell Williams has to sully the track with his awful nasal singing on the hook. There should be a female on that hook. Maybe Estelle. Jay is in his element on this one. The message is pretty clear. Not a bad wind down.
"Forever Young" is more of a cover or a remix than a sample. It doesn't really sound any different from the original Why Jay decided to close out with this one is a mystery. Aside from the play on his name "Young Hov" there's really no need to bother with this one. Underproduced by Kanye West, this is the albums only real failure. Even so, it's a strategic move, because it will bridge a gap between gen xers and the following generation of Jay z fans. Be prepared to hear this one at weddings and proms for another twenty years at least. It'll also dominate M.O.R. radio as well in my estimation.
So overall, it's pretty good Jay-Z album. It's not really themed, but more so a collection of singles that come across as a gift to fans from the m.c. that graduated to higher status, and doesn't really have to do this anymore at all. So it doesn't quite meet up to "classic" standards, but it fits really snug in between "Kingdom Come, and American Gangster, as it's sort of a mish mash of both of those production sesibilities. If you haven't copped it yet, don't be that cynical oddball without this one on your Ipod. It's worth whatever the asking price is.
My only "Real" disappointment is how Jay ripped off the artwork from Secret Machines "Now Here Is Nowhere" album and nobody said shit. Not even a shoutout. It's a really iconic image that will be swept even further under the rug.
All in all a strong showing from "the best rapper alive". Curious to see how competitors fare in this music market.
Jay-Z The Blueprint 3 - Rating: 7.5
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.