A blueprint is step-by-step plan for success. Every piece of the project is accurately and meticulously outlined, down to every last detail.
On 2001’s “The Blueprint,†Jay-Z perfectly (yet unknowingly) gave Americans an album they needed to help overcome the 9/11 attacks. It was brash, but fun, and, hell, it was everything New York needed it to be.
In 2002, Jay added “The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse†to his canon, enlisting a pantheon of hip-hop producers to craft the album, including Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Kanye West, and Just Blaze. The result was a gritty double-disc with enough Top 40 hits to placate radio DJs and enough deep tracks to satisfy the hip-hop heads.
Now, seven years after The Blueprint 2, Jay has released “The Blueprint 3.†And the basic plan seemed the same: a few club bangers, a dash of rap royalty, and, POOF, classic album, right? Not quite.
This isn’t to say “The Blueprint 3†doesn’t have its moments; it does. But when taken as an album- as it’s intended- the record seems jumbled and awkward, landing somewhere between wildly successful and vanity project.
Tracks like “Hate†and “Venus vs. Mars†reek of excess, while the closing track “Young Forever†dies before it begins, as the listener doesn’t even hear Jay’s voice until 54 seconds into the song.
Naturally, the lyrics are on point; Jay wouldn’t have gotten to where he is at the top of the game based on beats and production alone. And yes, there are some redeemable tracks. “Already Home†and “A Star is Born†feature Common-esque hooks topped with the freewheeling, lovable Jay, and the clarinet work on “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)†proves that Jay still has the gall to pull off woodwinds.
The problem with this album is the overall plan. In other words, the blueprint is flawed.
B-
