Live Listen: Blueprint 3

I'm writing this as I listen to the Blueprint 3 for the first time. So take this with a grain of salt if you will as my opinion may change after a few more listens.

What We Talkin' About (feat. Luke Steele)

I'm feeling the beat and Hov's rapping like he's got some stuff to get off his chest to the haters. He's dropping some slick lines in there too which includes those barbs he was throwing at Dame and Jaz-Ho in those concert a capella rhymes. Not that this is one of them but I liked this line...

"You stuck on being hardcore, I chuck the deuce up!"

Hov went in on this shyt. If the beat to this song was like "What More Can I Say" people would probably love it a lot more than I think they will when they hear it.

Thank You

Heard this earlier today. I liked it. Let's see how I really feel though, lol. This joint also has a beat that I think could be better. Jay is on-point with the lyrics (which looks like it's going to be a theme, but that's not a surprise) but this beat leaves something to be desired. Maybe it's too simple for me. Maybe less will be more in a few more listens. Last verse on this song is killer.

D.O.A.

SKIP! I already know how I feel about this one. I like it better than the other "pre-Sept. 11" releases/leaks I've heard so far.

Run This Town

*Pictures Rihanna in the video while fast-forwarding to Yeezy's verse.*

Seriously though, Rihanna was looking OFFICIAL in the video. Much like the "Forever" verse, if you write down and read Yeezy's verse on this track you will see why I say he's been dropping some MAJOR verses lately.

Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)

This was the first joint I listened to when I "found" the album earlier. I haven't listened to the album all the way through yet (obviously) but this is going to be one of my favorites if not my favorite. I already know. Beat is sick, Hov's verse is mean. Keys' does what she does...LET'S GO HOV!

I'm in the zone right now. I'm also wishing a D.C./P.G. artist would make a track similar to this. No shots Wale.

"I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can"

"If Jeezy's paying LeBron I'm paying Dwayne Wade!"

This is gonna kill on HOT 97 "up top". WATCH!

Real as it Gets (feat. Jeezy)

I was excited to see that Jeezy was on the album so I've been looking forward to this track. Jeezy kicks this one off and doesn't sound horrible which is a WIN for him. When you think of Jeezy and Jay on a track you probably think "Lord I hope Jeezy don't sound too bad". If it was just Jeezy you take it for what it is as far as rhyming ability, but throw him on a track with someone like Hov and you just hope he doesn't sound so bad that you like the song less, lol. Sorry Jay (Jenkins). Jay's second verse is something serious.

Hov's the audio equivalent of braille. That's why the feel me..."

Overall, I like this joint.

On to the Next One (feat. Swizz Beats)

Off the title, I'm thinking this is a veiled diss toward Mashonda. Swizz, if you're like me as much as people say you look like me then you're better than that, lol. Let me listen first though before I draw that conclusion.

Swizz got the party vibe going....SHOWTIIIIME!

This.Shyt.Is.Gonna.Rock.In.MIAMITHISWEEKEND! LET'S GO! This joint just siced me!

"No I'm not a virgin, I use my cahonas"

"Ya'll should grow the eff up, come here let me coach you!"

"Meanwhile had Oprah chillin in the 'jects...MJ on cellphone, Obama on text...Ya'll should be worried bout what Imma do next!"

Off That (feat. Drake)

Heard this one already too. Not very impressed by this and I maintain that Jay did not want to take the chance that Drake would out-rhyme him if he let Drake have a verse. Did you notice Jay's absence from that "Forever" track? Too much young hunger on that track for him to take the risk of: 1) being out-down by Drake, Wayne, or Yeezy, or 2) letting Marshall get another killer verse off on a song with him. Especially w/the phrase "Em murdered you on your own ish" easily retrievable from our subconscious. Not that I believe Em murdered Jay-Z on that song because if you go back and listen to "Renegade", he really didn't. Anywho, I like the point Jay's trying to make in this song but I'm just not feeling the beat like that. 2 minutes in...SKIP! I'd rather take my chances and see what J. Cole does on the next joint.

A Star is Born (feat. J. Cole)

Only Jay-Z could get the top two freshmen in the game on his upcoming CD (Drake and J. Cole). Yes, I know who Kid Cudi is, WOMP! Ok, maybe Yeezy and Weezy could also get them, but you get the point.

What Jay is doing on this track is so effing SMART. Gotta respect this dude's intelligence. Second favorite track so far even before I hear J. Cole.

Hearing J. Cole come in on the last verse reminds me how Memphis Bleek used to sound. It was kinda eerie actually. Notice how I said "used to"?

Venus vs. Mars

Heard this already but want to hear it again. Shyt is dope! I can see a dope video coming for this one already. Starring Cassie because of the shaved hair line. Or better yet, starring the girl with the two bee stings. Let Kanye direct it and Amber Rose play the leading lady role. Jay doesn't even need to be in the video actually, just let the lyrics narrate.

Already Home (feat. Kid Cudi)

For the record, I think Kid Cudi is decent/alright. I'm not excited about him like I am about Drake and J. Cole though. My favorite Kid Cudi song is "Welcome to Heartbreak" which should tell you something considering it's Kanye's song and Cudi's just featured on it. "Day N Nite" is cool and I like it but it's not "Simba" or "Successful".

Anyway, I'm feeling the beat on this joint off the break. BUT, not really feeling Cudi's singing so much. Let's get past this pre-verse chorus and get to the raps already!

Ok, I'm feeling a little meh about this song now. I liked the beat at first but now it's kinda wearing thin. And the Cudi chorus isn't really helping.

"H-O-V, I got my own lane already!"

Ok, the last verse redeemed this one for me. Won't be on my list of favorites from the album though.

Hate (feat. Kanye West)

I heard this one this morning and I was definitely feeling blahzay about it. Yeezy is still holding down his verses on these joints with Jay though, that's for sure. I like the idea of them going back-and-forth but not feeling the overall flow they're using. The whole "aaaayer" sound gets old. I'm glad the song is relatively short.

Reminder

Heard this one before and wished that Jay didn't waste the solid lyrics on this subpar Timbaland beat. This sounds like some shyt I could make on my casio joint at home (if I had one). Timbaland and Dr. Dre are both over-rated at this point if you ask me. Especially Dr. Dre. Sorry West-coasters and Dre loyalists. The Doctor is sounding more like a Nursing Assistant these days, with the exception of that beat he did for Em's Mariah Carey diss.

So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell)

Pharrell's singing already. FML! This guy and his friggin' singing! The beat is mean though Pharell, perhaps that's what you should stick to. And right when I'm vibing to the beat, Pharrell comes on singing again, GAWD!

I know I like the song overall but I don't necessarily like Pharrell's singing. I definitely like the message of the song and I'd imagine Pharrell's singing on this joint might grow on me. *MIGHT*

Young Forever (feat. Mr. Hudson)

As soon as the beat comes on I realize this song sounds exactly like I thought it would, some futuristic ish. This song is a perfect example of how I think Kanye has rubbed off on Jay-Z. The first time I heard about Mr. Hudson it was on Yeezy's blog. This beat sounds like a pre-"RoboCop" beat from Kanye's last CD. Seriously, put this track on 808s and Heartbreak and make it Kanye feat. Jay-Z and well, there you have it. That isn't to say I don't like the song because I think I do...I think.

OVERALL:
After my first listen I'd say the CD is decent/ok maybe even good. Jay's verses are sharp for the most part but the production value on this CD just isn't where I think it could be or where we're used to seeing it from Jay-Z. But now that I think about it he's been going in a different direction with his production since Kingdom Come (maybe even The Black Album). If Jay would have used Kanye, Swizz, 9th Wonder, and the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League exclusively for production on this album I bet it would have been way better to me off the first listen. But what do I know other than what I'd like to hear?

And speaking of production value, that is a big part of why I think Rick Ross has the best album so far this year in mainstream hip-hop. His choice of beats and his lyrics are both solid. Jay has dope lyrics (better than solid, by far) but his selection of beats leaves a bit to be desired. Yes, I said that Officer Ricky's CD is better. At least in terms of the overall sound/flow of the CD.

But again, this is my first listen. Based off this you might not think Jay-Z is my favorite rapper ever and I think he's the G.O.A.T., but it's like Jay and 50 say, the bar is set higher for them. Wrong or right, that's definitely the case even though I could NOT give less of a shyt than I do about anything 50 Cent does musically at this point. Funny thing is that I'd argue the bar is set just as high for Kanye at this point but even with an AutoTune'd CD, he delivered.