This Ain’t for iTunes, This Ain’t for Sing-a-Longs

Before he spent even one day in retirement, Jay-Z predicted he would eventually come back to rap when he said, “When I come back like Jordan wearing the 4-5.” The problem was when Hova finally did make his return with Kingdom Come, he wasn’t wearing a Bulls uniform, he had already skipped to the Wizards phase of his career. And the follow up wasn’t that much better. For his third stab at a comeback, is drawing up another Blueprint, the first of which came out exactly eight years ago today, the same day the Twin Towers fell.

Apparently the new Blueprint for Jigga is indie music (which we can probably thank the newly emo-loving Kanye West who produced half the album), the album even open up with a guest spot from one half of the alternative group Empire of the Sun on What We Talkin’ About. The album is then bookended with a guest electro artist Mr. Hudson on Young Forever that borders 80’s new wave cheesedom.

And Jay-Z really needs to avoid songs about age (remember how he tried to convince us that 30 is the new 20?) because it only emphasizes how old he is in a genre based on youth. And by including next big things Drake and Kid Cudi on a couple songs, it is hard not to think of Jay playing the part of Mathew McConaughey in Dazed & Confused. The multiple Frank Sinatra references do not help either. Which is a silly comparison anyway, Sinatra was a triple threat, Jay-Z is barely a single threat anymore.

The Blueprint 3 can best be summed up by the first unofficial single D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune). You get really excited at the concept and if anyone can put a death nail in the vastly over abused studio, technique, it is Jay Hova. But when you actually heard the song you wanted to like it more than you actually did. The lyrics don’t actually kill Auto-Tune, it is at best a flesh wound. And the lame hook is amplified considering he is the third act this year to lift the Steam chorus behind Wale and Kristinia Debarge.

What Jay does have going for him on The Blueprint 3 is his best post-retirement song Run This Town featuring Rihanna and Kanye (well it is either that or Brooklyn (Go Hard)). It has his most adventurous flow in recent memory but still not as tongue twisting as when he spit over Timbaland beats on the original Blueprint albums. Sadly though there really is only one more song of note on the set, the Alicia Keys assisted Empire State of Mind. Maybe it is time Jay-Z complete his Jordan prophesies and begrudgingly resigns to the front office position for a crappy NBA team. On the bright side he will have time to lower his handicap like MJ.

Song to Download – Run This Town

The Blueprint 3 gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.