The Blueprint 3

Before I start this review I'd just like to point out The Blueprint 3 is Jay-Z's 11th Number One album in the American Billboard Chart. This means Jay-Z has now overtaken Elvis as the solo artist with the most number one albums, ever, in the history of charted music. Only The Beatles have more Number One albums than Jay-Z! That's an awesome achievement for Jay and hip-hop in general. Congratulations.

I've been a Jay-Z fan since I bought Reasonable Doubt back in 1996. Few artists from back then have managed to keep their new music relevant. It really hasn't been a problem for Jay. Each new album is a special even and it's not hard to understand why when, 13 years into his rap career, he's still making albums of such high quality.

All of the tracks on this album are good. Most people will mention the tracks that have been released as singles but I want to talk about one that might get less attention. It's track number 9, "A Star Is Born". In this track he talks about the… more »

Before I start this review I'd just like to point out The Blueprint 3 is Jay-Z's 11th Number One album in the American Billboard Chart. This means Jay-Z has now overtaken Elvis as the solo artist with the most number one albums, ever, in the history of charted music. Only The Beatles have more Number One albums than Jay-Z! That's an awesome achievement for Jay and hip-hop in general. Congratulations.

I've been a Jay-Z fan since I bought Reasonable Doubt back in 1996. Few artists from back then have managed to keep their new music relevant. It really hasn't been a problem for Jay. Each new album is a special even and it's not hard to understand why when, 13 years into his rap career, he's still making albums of such high quality.

All of the tracks on this album are good. Most people will mention the tracks that have been released as singles but I want to talk about one that might get less attention. It's track number 9, "A Star Is Born". In this track he talks about the rappers that made a big impact on the rap game and gives them credit. He points out those that couldn't quite stay on top without actually saying it. Jay-Z is just that talented. He compares 50 Cent's impact on hip-hop to that of a hurricane, he mentions Eminems flow on 'Renegade' saying it was awesome, he mentions DMX, Lil Wayne etc etc. This is Jay talking about what these people did, the effect they had on hip-hop, and how he dealt with it, countered it as best he could and tried to keep his spot at the top of the game. It's genius.

That's just one track and there's so much you can take from it. There's 14 others on this album to contend with.

This is a great album that you should have in your collection.