Label: Roc Nation / Warner Music

Reviewed by: Raa Daddy

They only consider you "one of the greats" when you’ve left the land of the living. Rarely do those still breathing get the accolades of those passed, yet the term legend is not used loosely when describing Sean Carter. Eleven #1 albums pretty much speaks for itself. From Marcy to Madison Square and back Jay-Z is hands down the best that ever did it. The Blueprint 3 is the climax of this masterful series and the result is a near classic. The album starts off very hood with Thank You and the critically panned, yet purist supported D.O.A. Jay just tells it like it is on the opening cuts and it’s the same as it ever was. The latter is one of the grimiest Jigga jams of all time and is proof positive Jay still got the streets on lock. The flavour of Empire State Of Mind is incredibly addictive. He tips his fedora to the city that made him and delivers the ultimate ode to the Big Apple. What sets Jay-Z apart from your average everyday rapper is the fact that he’s not afraid to take risks to elevate the game. Timbo nails the target with the futuristic banger Off That, where Drake and Jay trade off about how they are so ahead of you in every way possible. Humility leaks through on A Star Is Born, which is an interesting move for a man of Jigga’s magnitude. He goes through a who’s who of emcees who, in his opinion, made a difference in Hip-Hop music and gives them their props. One of the illest concept tracks we’ve ever been blessed with in years is Venus Vs. Mars, which should help send chills up your spine off Jay’s intricate delivery and message. The perfectly plucked violin strings on Already Home are overshadowed only by Jigga’s incredible lyricism and there are honestly too many quotables to highlight just one. Reminder is another example of perfect wordplay from the man who needs no pen to pen classics. If the saying, you’re only as good as your last hit, rings true, Jay-Z has little to worry about.