Jay-Z: "Blueprint 3" Review

I remember last year when details about Blueprint 3 first started to leak.  Timbaland was giving interviews talking about how he was planning on producing the CD almost single handedly.  Somewhere along the way, Jay decided to roll w/ Kanye to do the bulk of the album instead.  This must have left Timbo a tad bit salty, because the three beats of his that made it on to the album are NOWHERE near his usual hotness.  I'm not saying they're wack, but the duo that brought us classics like "Big Pimpin", "It's Hot", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", etc, should have been able to put together something memorable.  Instead, we get two decent songs, and one forgettable song.

Don't let that fool you, tho.  Timbo's half assing-ness aside, the production on BP3 is magnificent.  The Kanye/No ID tandem works really well, and we all know what 'Ye is capable of when left to his own devices.  Swizz's contribution is a head nodder as usual, and Jay blacks out on almost every single song.  J. Cole puts up a dope guest verse, and so does Kanye (on both songs he gets a chance to).  Simply put, it's a great album with dope beats and dope rhymes.  Whether the general Hip Hop public will offer the same warm reception that welcomed universal Hov classics like Blueprint 1, Black Album or American Gangster remains to be seen.  But I listened, and I loved it.

Sidenote: Sleeper hit on the album is "Real As It Gets" featuring Jeezy.  Hov if you're reading (lol yea right), PLEASE make that a single!