Jay-Z's rollercoaster of a post-retirement recording career flips back and forth with each release, coming up short and surpassing expectations when least expected. On 2006's Kingdom Come, everybody expected The Black Album plus one. Instead we found an overproduced, under-rhymed pop/rap album. Then the subtly released, unofficial soundtrack American Gangster contends for defining gangster rap album of the last five years, while he ironically declared, ""It's only entertainment."" A modest statement coming from his realist release since The Blueprint, but on The Blueprint 3, it comes to fruition.
Heavy on production, hooks and help from friends, Jay-Z's latest can't help but show flashes of brilliance when balance is struck, but overall, keeps itself mediocre.
Assisted by the first two singles, the front half dominates the lackluster conclusion and sparse middle of the album. ""What We Talkin' About,"" features glamorous production similar to Kanye West's ""Flashing Lights,"" and relies on some of Jay's most animated rhymes on the album. ""D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),"" the first single, rides a stomping beat and slightly sophisticated production tailored to Jay-Z's often-lurching flow. Rihanna can't help but dominate ""Run This Town,"" which is more than supported by Jay's verses, even if Kanye disappoints in every way.
""Empire State of Mind,"" the fifth and best track on the album, also marks the conclusion of the stellar start to The Blueprint 3. Alicia Keys lays down an intoxicating hook more unassuming than Rihanna's and more reflective to match the tone of the song. Jay finds a rich source of inspiration for rhymes in his home state, and the production matches perfectly, painting a picture of him contemplatively walking back through his old neighborhood.
However, the next several tracks come crashing down around him as he relies too much on his supporting cast. Young Jeezy kills ""Real as it Gets"" with verses of utmost simplicity and predictability. ""On to The Next One"" speeds up the exact same beat as Lil' Wayne's ""A Milli,"" one of the least creative songs from Tha Carter 3. And Drake's contributions to ""Off That"" are forgettable at best, but luckily, these duds are the exception rather than the rule.
The second half holds the more imaginative and substantive tracks when compared to the single-ready hits that start off the album. ""Venus vs. Mars"" rides an understated but very reliable beat from Timbaland, and ""Hate"" is easily the best contribution by Kanye, and by far the most creative song on the album. ""Already Home"" and ""So Ambitious,"" the latter produced by the Neptunes, portray Jay-Z as a loyal and worthy collaborator as he follows the hooks and beats given to him, and fleshes them out into stellar tracks.
Yet as consistent as Jay-Z is, The Blueprint 3 rarely finds him trying to do something truly meaningful with his raps. Still immaculate at giving his rhymes the freedom to organically create form and structure, he is truly Samuel Taylor Coleridge's reincarnate in the rap game. But this doesn't give him an excuse to lack substantive content, which definitely plagues the lacking half of this album, where he relies on the work of others to make up for his uninspired subject matter.
Regardless of these flaws, The Blueprint 3 fits snugly between Kingdom Come and American Gangster. Showing glimpses of both the glossy former and the raw latter, he has created an amazingly love-hate record. Impatient to hear some and eager to skip a handful, Jay's latest is undeniably a worthy chapter in his catalogue, while remaining equally as imperfect.
