Jay-Z is and will always be the icon of hip-hop; from the quintessential Jay-Z album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to the prolific ‘The Blueprint’ and now to the “Tres Piece” – The Blueprint III. Expectations were alarmingly high for this album given that it is the third coming of the classic “Blueprint,” but is everyone forgetting that “Blueprint II” really wasn’t that good? Jay addresses these expectations bluntly on the opening track “What we talkin’ ‘bout”

“People keep talkin' bout Hov take it back
I'm doin' better than before Why would I do that?”

There’s nothing fans can say to that; let the man do his thing. He still makes good music, even if it isn’t as consistent as it used to be.

‘What we talkin’ ‘bout’ is also the track which has created the most anticipation down here in Australia because Jay-Z has come out of left-field and recruited Empire of the Sun’s quirky vocalist Luke Steele to provide the chorus. It doesn’t work too well. Whilst the mix of a disco-esque beat, Hov’s clever rhymes and Luke Steele’s eccentric voice does grow on you it is ultimately average at best. The chorus interrupts the flow of the song, and flow is what makes Jay’s tracks work.

On to the next notable track, ‘Death of autotune,’ the controversial first single which has done well to anger pop singers such as T-Pain. Jay-Z flows brilliantly over the aggressive rock-esque beat with a sweet sing-a-long hook; this one is a winner. ‘Run This Town,’ the second single has been a very successful single and not without reason.

However, it’s the next song which is the crowning moment of Blueprint III. ‘Empire state of mind’ with Alicia Keys providing a perfect hook; A celebration of New York City, which I dare say surpasses Nas’ classic ‘N.Y state of mind’ as Hip-Hop’s best New York City anthem.

Young Jeezy provides an impressive verse on ‘Real as it gets,’ Swizz Beatz samples Justice’s ‘D.A.N.C.E’ for ‘On to the next one,” and both Drake and J Cole do well on the tracks that they are featured on. A few pitfalls however as problem child Kanye West falls a bit flat on the track ‘Hate,’ and Timbaland gets cliché on ‘Venus VS Mars’ but that is negated by Jay-Z’s creative lyrics.

Jay filled this album with tracks which could satisfy both the radio and loyal fans; from the opener to the closing ‘Forever Young’ which is built around the chorus of the Alphaville song (of which Mr Hudson does a superb job re-creating) – this album is sure to please any discerning fan of hip-hop and may even win over some naysayers.


Review Score: 8.5/10