Jay-Z | Blueprint 3

The Reign of Hov Continues | Friday, the third installment of Jay-Z’s Blueprint series dropped, proving once again that he is one of the last great MCs still creating relevant music.

With most of the early nineties rappers either dead, in jail, religious, or gone the way of Diddy, Jay-Z has been left to create and define good hip-hop.

Like The Blueprint 1 and 2, which brought us such classics as “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Bonnie and Clyde”, the new album brings a new bevy of for-sure hits. A veritable tribute to New York City, it has already spawned two hits, the first being “ D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” where Jay dogs out all those out there who use the popular sound correction program to keep themselves in tune. The second, “Run this Town” features both Kanye West and Rhianna, two heavy hitters in their own right, in a video that is reminiscent of  the Mad Max inspired “California Love” video from the days of Tu Pac. It is by far the most radio friendly hit on the album, already in heavy rotation on your local Hot 97 station.

By far, though, the greatest track on the album is “Empire State of Mind”  featuring Alicia Keys, which Jay-Z recently performed as the closing number of the 2009 VMAs. A love song to the city that made him famous, he gives shout outs to NYC staples like Deniro, the World Trade towers and even Ms. Wintour herself, “Now you’re in style, Anna Wintour gets cold in Vogue”. Combined with the powerful wailings of Miss Keys, the song makes you want to wave your hands high and get your lighters up.

No Jay-Z album would be complete without a host of guest stars, from the well-known to the up-and-coming. You’ve got your familiar regulars like Pharell, Swizz Beatz, and two songs with the talented yet egomaniacal Kanye West, as well as songs with Kid Cudi, Luke Steele, and Hip-Hop’s current new golden boy, Degrassi alum, Drake. The result is an album that varies and spans the sounds of hip-hop, while creating new steps forward for the genre.

It is a good thing that retirement didn’t suit Jay-Z. Sure to be on the list of best albums of the year, “The Blueprint 3″ is a must for all those who pride themselves on being both music aficionados and culturally relevant.

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