Jay-Z – ‘The Blueprint 3′ Album Review
So the album leaked was sent out to several world renown taste makers today. I was one of the fortunate individuals to have received a copy for review purposes. I guess the powers that be heard I was a dope blogger who also happened to be a long-time Jay-Z fan. A lotta songs have been flying around on the Internets. Some of them had me worrying whether the BP3 was gonna be straight basura. Being the rap icon that Shawn Carter is, I kinda needed to like this, or just be mad at the world for the fact that an era just came to an end. So I gave it a coupla lissen to’s. How does it fare? Does Jay need to really retire for good this time? Let’s see.
What We Talkin’ About f. Luke Steele (prod. by Kanye West & No. I.D.) - I was expecting a grand intro kinda song like the one they had on the original Jay-Z “Blueprint” album to ease us into this bish. Instead, Jay jumps straight into the thick of things. The track is a driving beat with some synth sounding keys, kinda like on some “Scarface” vibe. I dunno who Luke Steele is (should I?) but the hook he sings reminds me of some Cali sounding song you might hear on a Snoop Dogg joint. It’s about what people are talking about when they’re talking about Jay and how he’s tired of of all the gossip and fake beef. Hov makes sure to fling shots at Game, Jim Jones and my buddy Damon Dash by saying how he doesn’t need to be flinging shots their way, being how he’s bigger than all of them. He also claims he can no longer rap all the time about selling drugs, especially since he now gets personal text messages from President Obama and what not. Even though this is his 3rd post retirement album, it’s the first in which he’s openly embracing the fact that he’s rap’s first relevant 40 year old rapper in the history of rap. Plus the fact that he’s a multi-millionaire closing in on a billi. He spits: “I don’t run rap no more, I run the map.” I’m glad he’s sounding more confident about his age, his distance from the project hallways. I like this.
Thank You (prod. Kanye West & No I.D.) - The track reminds me of A Tribe Called Quest when they were on top of their game. Hov tries a new flow which is kinda weird, but he doesn’t fail. Song is a faux thank you to cats talking about how great Jay is. On the last verse, he connects the events of 9-11 to the demise of some of his foes, about how he was gonna end some cats but they were experts at killing themselves. It’s a bit tasteless, and I see how some might get real sensitive about the subject matter, but this is rap, and whoever he’s talking about, Jay murders them so effortlessly. Some of his old sarcasm, the shit that made him great, peeps out. I’m realizing now that we will never hear anything sounding close to the old Yung Hov that we’ve come to love so much. It’s official, this is Olde New Jay. Dude is evolving, moving forward. A lotta people won’t like where he’s going. I’m all about forward movement. So far so good.
D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (prod. No I.D.) -- You already know. I dug this from when it dropped. Sequencing wise, D.O.A. sounds better in context of an album playing out in its entirety. I still love the album long play format. Fans will like, haters won’t. Nothing more to it.
Run This Town f. Kanye West & Rihanna (prod. Kanye West & No I.D.) -- To repeat, you already know. Like D.O.A., this sounds better on the album as opposed to being a stand alone single, there’s more urgency to this. I liked it then, I like it more now. At this point I’m getting nervous, only because I was expecting hot basura, but so far, I’m really digging ‘The Blueprint 3′. Kanye still murders him on his own shit though.
Empire State of Mind f. Alicia Keys (prod. Al Shux) -- Beat starts off smooth. Jay’s flow sounds like he’s been sounding for the past 3-4 years, no extra special shit here. Talking about how much he’s from, how much he loves New York. If this were a lesser song, his flow might annoy me, but by the time Alicia Keys comes in to thug the hook out, I’m sold. Keys fucking kills this bish. Call me partial, but I smell the city, my city on this here. Vibe feels really good, like something you might have heard on the first Blueprint on account of how soulful the song sounds, but more soft rock soulful as opposed to Stax soulful. Song reminds me of New York City circa ‘79. Yeah, I go that far back, what? Best line “I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can”. Say what you will, but he did. Five songs in, so far so good. I’m getting more nervous for the fact at how I hate getting let down. Fingers are in crossed mode, how I want Jay to win. I really am loving Alicia Keys.
Real as It Gets f. Young Jeezy (prod. The Incredibles) - I’m really expecting the worst, but it hasn’t happened yet. This joint here sounds like a throwaway Jeezy joint, with Jeezy on it. At first I’m ready to call this one muerto, especially since Jeezy sounds like he either recorded this 3 years ago or phoned this one from the Atl to NYC but… Jay comes in and his voice provides a great contrast to Jeezy’s. The chord progression, the soulfulness kicking in, the earnestness in Jay’s lyrics, I like again. Jay murders Jeezy on his own shit. Recognize this as an album filler though. Not in a bad way.
On to the Next One f. Swizz Beatz (prod. Swizz Beatz) -- I stopped liking Swizz right after his classic DMX album Hell Is Hot… and from how this starts, I’m sure this is where the fuckery starts. Beat comes off real simple in an old school way, Dougie Fresh The Show sounding bells and all. Jay spits simple too. Highpoint is when he raps about how he had Oprah chilling in the hood sipping on some quarter waters, like only he could. Also spits “I don’t get dropped, I dropped the label.” Funny. Sounds like they wanted to re-create the magic that 99 Problems was. It’s not. Nothing to write home about, mos def another album filler. Might like it better if I give it more lissen to’s. Sounds like they might like this down south. No shots.
Off That f. Drake (prod. Kanye West & Timbaland) -- When I heard this last week, I was so ready to throw in the towel. I still don’t like this here, but honestly, it sounds better once again in context of the album as a complete body of work. Reminds me of something from Diddy’s last album, Press Play which I thought was dope. Then again, I’m expecting that electro shit from Puff, not Jay. Saving grace is how it doesn’t kill the album the way Nas does when he has a potentially good album, then slides in some spaced out bullshit that ends up killing my vibe and bringing me down off’a my high for good.
A Star is Born f. J. Cole (prod. Kanye West & No I.D.) -- I don’t really dig the track here, sounds too hokey for me, but… the song is crazy. Jay does something he’s never really done before, and drops a dedication song to fellow rappers that did it big. Jay’s usually a selfish dude when it comes to sharing the shine, but in the spirit of progression, which is really the major underlying theme of BP3, he really gives love to some of rap’s greats. Shit, he bigs up Mobb Deep’s accomplishments. Really. He also surprises me with the love he gives the conglomerate that was the Wu. J. Cole, as dope as he is, spits within his means. He doesn’t murder Jay on his own shit. I like it. Once again, so far so good.
Venus vs. Mars (prod. Timbaland) -- Fuck! Timbaland goes in the back room, drops whatever drugs he needed to, comes back and redeems himself on this bish. Really, Timbaland kills this. Can’t wait to hear this in a club. Rap wise, Jay drops simple verses talking about the differences between well, Venus and Mars. Like someone said on Twitter, Jay’s rapping like he doesn’t wanna scuff his shoes up. I can relate though.
Already Home f. KiD CuDi (prod. Kanye West) -- A goofy sounding ass song that sounds dangerously like something leftover from Kingdom Come or American Gangster. Kid Cudi doesn’t help with his goofy ass on the goofy hook. I don’t like. I do give props to Jay for finally owning up to the fact that he’s a camel. Really.
Hate f. Kanye West (prod. Kanye West) -- Kanye murders Timbaland on his own shit beatwise. ‘Ye and Jay trade verses with the LL Cool Jay from “Going Back To Cali” flow. Jay also borrows a bit from Kanye. Jay really shines when he kicks in with the speed flow he used to kick back in the ’80’s. Crazy how I really just said from the ’80s. Thats a long time ago. Truthfully, I dunno how I feel about this track, especially since it sounds like something from Kanye’s “808’s And Heartbreaks” album. I’m sure Dallas Penn will dig it though.
Reminder (prod. Timbaland) -- So glad I didn’t listen to this when it leaked last week because I’m sure I wouldn’t have liked it. Not crazy, it’s actually meh, but appreciating how Jay is “reminding” cats how they need to kiss his ring for the work he’s put in the game over the past 20 something years. Filler. Doesn’t take away from the totality that is the BP3.
So Ambitious f. Pharrell (prod. The Neptunes) -- Grown man sounding Neptunes beat. Slow, slinky, big sounding horns. Skateboard P sangin the hook. Shots fired Dash’s way. I like. I’m certain Byron Crawford will hate this, as well as the album.
Young Forever f. Mr Hudson (prod. Kanye West) -- An incredible remake of the song “Forever Young” by Alphaville. Sick 80’s top 40 pop track, think Sting. In a good way. Plus there’s a bit of Autotune in the hook, but ’80’s sounding autotune as opposed to Ron Browz autotune. Hov is being extremely honest here in how he wants to live forever young, how he will never be forgotten. This sing is BIG. Like stadium status. Like light your lighters in the arena BIG. I’ve already heard how some cats really hate this song. I’m thinking pop. I’m actually thinking Grammy. Let’s see. Great song though, and a great way to end The Blueprint 3.
Final Analysis: I will be honest in saying that I’m a big Jay-Z fan. But because of that, I’m ready to call dude on when he drops rubbish like that god awful “Welcome To Hollywood” song he did featuring Beyonce. I was so ready to tear this up, from what I was hearing with the leaks. I like The Blueprint 3, especially since it sounds like one of Jay’s most honest records. Honest in that he embraces growing older, more away from the streets. Honest in how he doesn’t rap like how he used to. Honest in how rap as a whole kind of bores him, but in being the artist he is, he can’t give it all up just yet. This is the official 40 Year old Jay-Z album, no more speculating. I can see where some might throw him under the bus, especially since there’s minimal scrunch face moments, but like a veteran and pro that he is, Shawn Carter put together a good sounding album as a whole. Being that I already shared how I felt about BP3 on Twitter, I already see the hate coming. In the end, Jay fans will like and appreciate this, and the critics and haters will hate and tear this apart. Which is sad, because with The Blueprint 3, you see the possibilities that exist once we allow our favorite rappers the opportunity to age gracefully. Jay-Z the artist has aged gracefully. Not his best, and definitely nowhere near his worse, I co-sign BP3 and gladly add it to my music collection.
As should you.
Can’t wait to see Byron’s take on this.
@DJ NITTI
Valid points in your 2nd last post…
1. i was not trashing Oprah per say but merely stating that for all the billions of dollars she has, i feel she could be doing so much more for black people (not talking about handouts but hand ups)
2. Jigga is a brilliant musician but is not a hip hop ambassador at all (not positive with his messages about black people etc) – it is a fact bro… as for the 9/11 benefit its a sign of his market survey because that will get him more mileage than doing a benefit for the hood.
3. Chuck D – is hip hop through and through and is the closest to perfect (morals and all that positive things he advocates) as a positive voice… AND if we want him as a voice then we should vote with our money (that’s how capitalism works)
4. On the choices of selling drugs because of poverty – come on fam… we have to raise our standards as black people because that right there is copping out… I WILL NEVER RESPECT A HUSTLER ABOVE THAT DUDE THAT STAYS IN PUTTING IN WORK (LEGALLY) SO HE CAN GET OUT THE HOOD…
5. i dont see fifty as being less guilty of perpecuating that rap gangsta persona ish, i was merely pointing out the fact that dude has achieved as much as jigga in the corporate world in terms of having big money deals
6.
@SbuJah, what’s up my brother!
Truth be told, I have a Love/Hate relationship with Jay Z. Like you, I feel he has a platform and that he could do much more with it but at the same you must realize that if he start talking about social issues, empowerment, etc., he’ll lose at least 80% of the audience and that’s just a fact. He has expressed his frustration with that it in his music numerous times. Honestly the masses don’t want to be schooled and once an artist tries they to teach them or uplift them they reject them, it’s sad but that’s our fault as a people, we love and thrive off of ignorance. He could do 100 songs like “Minority Report” but still everyone wants “Big Pimping”, it’s sad commentary on us as a people.
I like Jay Z more for nostalgic reasons more so than than for anything he has done lately. He’s an incredible rapper and even at age 40 can rap circles around most of these young rappers but his subject matter doesn’t move me as much as it use to. There’s only but so many ways I can hear about how many records he’s sold, how much money he has, etc. But I still think that on the records where he isn’t talking about how long he’s “held us down” or how many #1 albums he’s had, he can be brilliant, it’s just that those records are so far and in between now. I mean the man lives in a bubble these days, what can he really rap about that would be relevant to most of his fans? What can he rap about? Vacations, shopping sprees, business meetings, etc, he’s so far removed from the life that his fans live that his subject matter is limited now. Shit, Diddy is more hood than he is at this point. What I like most about him at this point is that he’s showing older Hip Hop fans how to carry themselves, I think everybody was tired of seeing 30 year old men trying to look and compete with their teenage kids. What he’s trying to do now has never been done and that’s to make a 40 year old rapper still relevant and I for one hopes he succeeds, because Hip Hop needs that balance. A little maturity in Hip Hop would definitely benefit us all. To all who say he’s too old and he just needs to retire, then complain about the state of Hip Hop maybe y’all should consider what the alternative to that is. The alternative is to let a bunch of little boys with diamond encrusted remote control cars as emblems on their chains take over Hip Hop. I’m not taking shots, let them do what they do, obviously they have a lot of fans so somebody can relate to it but I can’t and I would hope than when others look at Hip Hop that’s not the first thing they think of. For this reason I hope BP3, OBFCL2, etc. are a success because to me Hip Hop is not just music. it’s a culture, a code that we live by and we can’t just put our culture in the hands of its youngest members and expect it to thrive.
I also like the fact that he’s not answering The Game and all the others taking shots at him because that beef bullshit was not only ruining Hip Hop but also sending such a terrible message to the youngest and most impressionable fans. If the 12 and 13 year old fans constantly see these grown men, their role models, constantly just fighting over the smallest little name calling what message are they getting and when they emulate that they’re going to end up in jail. For them to see someone of Jay Z’s stature be grown up and self-confident enough to ignore and not pay them no mind is such a great message for them.
However my problem with Jay Z is his character. I don’t respect him as a man, in my opinion, he has no loyalty. I believe in the old saying, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” and there’s too many people from his past saying the same thing. I know we’ve all seen the videos of Dame Dash acting like an idiot and insulting everybody and I’m sure to a certain extent he’s getting what he deserves but at this point it seems like Jay Z’s blackballed him from the industry and that’s just plain wrong. Even if he never deals with him or talks to him again I don’t think he should totally destroy someone that helped him get to where he is today, under any circumstances. Unless someone stole from me or something in that realm I can’t imagine doing that to someone who was that close and so vital to my initial success. I’ve had falling outs with people who were very close to me but if I saw them drowning there’s no way I could let them drown. With the connections that Jay Z has he could indirectly, through third parties, or whatever at least put Dame in position to get some money. And what happened to Biggs? Then there’s Jaz-O, who if he’s not going to fuck with then he shouldn’t diss him in his songs, I mean if he’s not going to answer The Game and others who are really saying foul shit about him then why mention Jaz? Jaz gave him his start and for that he should be eternally grateful. There’s no loyalty to anybody it seems. Even Memphis Bleek, his so-called protege, ok so his records don’t sell but give him a position in one for your companies or something. When I saw Memphis Bleek rapping on that Fructis shampoo commercial, still rocking the Rocafella chain,I felt sorry for him (see it here –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVRkYBp4pjA ) He didn’t even give Bleek a label deal under Roc Nation, come on that would just be a tax write off to Jay Z, poor Bleek is independent now. Of course Bleek won’t bad mouth Jay Z because he probably lives off those two or three times a year Jay Z calls him to perform with him but that’s bullshit. I know Bleek cried when he heard “A Star is Born” with J.Cole off of BP3, Bleek officially got replaced, he knows that’s “Coming of Age 2009″. To a lesser degree there’s Beanie Sigel and the rest of them that Jay Z left out to dry. Then there’s the street dudes that Jay Z himself has mentioned in his songs (“DeHaven introduced me to the game”) who have come home and he never looked out for (see if for yourself here –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV48SbsddQY ) . Jay Z is DeHaven’s kids’ Godfather and he can’t extend is hand? I may be too cynical but even is marriage to Beyonce seems to be just a chess move. I think he knew that would get him in the tabloids. There weren’t any paparazzi following Jay Z around until Beyonce came into the picture. It just seems like Jay Z uses people and when he has no use for them him he discards them, I can’t respect that. He’s not obligated to help no one, it’s his money, his life but if anyone helped him on any level then the right thing to do is to reciprocate. Jay Z is worth almost half a billion dollars now and he can’t help the people that helped him? It’s not right. He doesn’t have to give them money out of his pocket just put them in position to make money. Remember if he goes into partnership with any of them on a venture and it flops it’s just a tax write-off anyway and if it makes money terrific, it’s a win-win. There’s really no reason not to help those that helped you.
But again, even having said all that I stand by my initial statement that Jay Z is the best Ambassador that Hip Hop has right now and we shouldn’t tear him down because if we do we might not like who America chooses to represent Hip Hop. I think you and agree on more than we disagree. We agree that there’s better people like Chuck D to represent Hip Hop but I hope you agree that that’s not really plausible. You can’t be the face of Hip Hop and not have a hit for over ten years, that’s just not realistic. I’m sure we also agree that many of these other rappers would make us look ridiculous (can you imagine T-Pain on the cover of Time magazine with that ridiculous “Big Ass Chain” and one of his stupid hats?) and THEY will do that just to pain us all in a bad light. Here’s where we disagree, in my humble opinion I feel that Jay Z even with all his flaws is the best Ambassador to Hip Hop that we have, the lesser of all the evils. When I walk past the newstand I’d rather see Jay Z on the cover of Cigar Aficionado than all these other dudes on the cover of High Times, it makes us look better as a people. But I just think that we look at the role of Ambassador differently and that’s where most of our disagreement stems from. I see the Ambassador as the face of Hip Hop, meaning the when people, who are not listeners of Hip Hop, think of Hip Hop they think of Jay Z, a respectable businessman, husband, philanthropist, etc. (that’s not to say he’s great at any of those things). I would much rather they have that vision than one of a drugged up, tattoo-covered, big chain wearing, pants saggin, dude talking about his Mom gave him a gun to deal with bullies at nine years old, I know you agree that it makes all of us (and our mothers) look ignorant? And if someone who isn’t part of the Hip Hop community , let’s say a cop who grew up on Rock and Roll and doesn’t understand Hip Hop pulls us over and we’re listening to Hip Hop and the first vision that pops into that cops head is that off the drug addicted, etc, etc, etc, then he’s going to give us a much harder time and we better be careful cause if we make one wrong move we might get shot 41 times. Same thing with a judge, if they have that negative vision of Hip Hop whenever a black person stands in front of them we’re in trouble. However if by chance that cop or judge just saw Jay Z’s interview with Bill Maher or David Letterman or Oprah, etc. and saw an insightful, articulate black man, who although he did some illegal things in the past has been able to become a respectable member of society, that might change their perspective a little bit on black people in general and that helps us all as a people.
I don’t know about Dame or Jaz-O but it seems Like he shitted on Dehaven. I’m not saying he has to take care of the guy for life. It seems like they were really close and Jay was his seeds Godfather. Where I come from you throw that man a hand especially when your in a position like Jay is. Jay even contradicts himself on BP3
“Real As It Gets”
“when my n*gga get home, i’m gonna send him a Lear,
for all the time he been down, get him right up in the air,
with a couple of broads get him right up in the air,
mile high club get him right up in there,
send my n-gga some gear like he never missed a year,
by the time you hear this song, he’ll be standing right here”
“What We Talking About”
“As far as street guys i mean we was dealing crack,
thats how the game goes, i don’t owe nobody jack!
grown men want me to sit em on my lap but i don’t have a beard and Santa Claus aint black,
i repeat, you can’t sit on my lap, i dont have a beard now get off my sack”
So which one is it?
@DJ NITTI
My dude i hear you and cant disagree on so many of the points you have raisesd… BUT, its our fault my man… personally… i dont respect hip hop fans, myself included (i know thats strong). but hear me out, in any other genre a solid dude like RAKIM or CHUCK D would be richer and more respected than jay z…
thats why the rolling stones & ac/dc (As of May 2009 their last album sold 5.8 million copies worldwide and it is the second-best selling album of 2008) are multi hundred million album selling groups to this very day. white folks appreciate their own. black people dont…and we have low standards and do not value our elders/originators.
so for me i cant buy that jiggaboo is the best embassador for the genre… no sir. yes its not realistic for me to expect a chuck d to be on the GQ magazine and all but when i see jigga i just cant accept that he is the best we have. and when you say is not plausible then i say its our fault (the real fans of the genre) and there is something we can do about it… money talks my dude and i just wish when RA drops he gets all the support he deserves cause if his album doesnt move we the fans would have buried another great MC.
some parting shots! do you know who buys the most hip hop records? white folk!… do you know that when a masta ace goes to europe he gets more appreciation for what he does out there? they even know his lyrics my dude. but i bet the skinny jean wearing mofos think he is washed up but dude is nice with his.
@SbuJah
Touche my brother. You know what’s funny my brother that we started on such a bad note and now I actually find myself look forward to your responses, lol. And I’m glad that we have found a way to respectfully agree to disagree. I knew we wouldn’t change each other’s minds, and that’s ok, but we would find that we have more in common than we thought.
The sad part is that if you go to any old school (and I hate that term, rather say legend or classic) event the majority there are white people (like 90%), to be honest they’re the ones keeping classic Hip Hop alive, it’s sad that we don’t appreciate our own. You’re absolutely right when you say “we don’t respect our elders/originators”. When white people are a fan of an artist or group they’re a fan for life, pretty much. But we, as a people, keep looking for reasons not to like people, we can’t even enjoy an artists new album because we’re to busy sitting there looking for reasons why the artist fell off, wtf? It’s like we’re grading artists on each and every album. I don’t care how good an artist is every album will not be a classic, that’s unrealistic. And God forbid if two artists drop their albums at the same time because then we sit there and compare the two artists and usually pick one over there and shit on the other, as if we couldn’t enjoy two artists simultaneously, why? I don’t really hear fans of other music comparing artists the way we do, looking at Sound Scan numbers, picking sides and one over the other, etc. And it’s not just music, we do it with all our leaders (political, religious, sports, anyone).
I think our two biggest problems, as a people, is that we’re too negative and we’re too competitive. I say we’re too negative because we think, act and speak too negatively. That shit really affects your mind state and the quality of life we live. If you walk around all day looking for what’s wrong, trying to find fault in everything, how the fuck you expect to ever be happy? The brain can only process one thing at a time, you can switch between thoughts quickly but you can only truly process one thought at a time. So if you’re too busy always looking for something wrong, nine times out of ten you’ll miss the good things happening around you. And we do that all the time, I know cause I did it until I made a conscience effort to stop and only then did I notice everyone else doing it too. We need to stop focusing on what we don’t like and focus on what we do like. That’s why there’s so much alcoholism and drug use in our community, everybody is trying to be happy but don’t know how. Well step 1 to being happy is to change our attitudes and stop looking for what we don’t like and focus on what we do like.
The second major issue is we’re too competitive for our own good, we always wanna battle, argue or worse yet fight over bullshit. And I’m not just talking rappers or these die hard fans that want to kill each other over arguing about if 50 Cent is better than Rick Ross or Game, but also in our everyday lives. We’re constantly competing against each other and in the process trying to always bring each other down. It’s not like it’s friendly competition or a rivalry, it’s like we want to kill each other for nonsense. That’s great for sports, and that’s probably why we excel in that field, but overall in life, it brings us all down. There’s a time to compete and then there’s a time to work together, we can’t always be ready to kill each other.
God damn… DJ Nitti is pretty much telling it the way it should be. I feel like because Jay is where he is, it’s almost in style to find some reason to dislike him now. When really, his story is one that should be admirable- as someone who literally went from being a future convict or corpse to a mega-successful musician. Even if I wasn’t a fan of his work, I wouldn’t deny that the dude worked hard to get where he got.
It’s really not his job to feed every person whose hand he shook 20 years ago or continue supporting people who’ll turn around and run a whole dis campaign on him the minute he doesn’t give them what they want. If you’ve ever noticed the people who are still cool with Jay as opposed to those who are not, you’ll notice a pattern. The ones who are also happen to be people who weren’t sitting around depending on him to carry them forever- even Bleek, who Jay spent years bigging up, realizes that at 30 years old, he can’t sit around and depend on Jay for everything. Look at Sauce Money, who didn’t achieve what Jay achieved but still has had no beef with him at all- because he made his own way in the industry and made his own money. The ones you see mad at Jay are either dudes who are 40 years old still on the block (DeHaven) or 45 years old still talking about the time back in ‘84 when he bought Jay a hamburger (Jaz).
That’s not to say Jay doesn’t have some people he may have left in the wind, but you can’t really just use them as examples when there’s just as many that he’s still cool with who were around from the get-go. Just cause he doesn’t have them under his wing all the time doesn’t mean they’re not still cool- because in reality, they’re not SUPPOSED to be. They’re all adults…
-D!
fyi, Swizz only did one joint on Its Dark And Hell Is Hot, that’s not his album
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Well, I listened to BP3 from start to finish, and I have to say it is well put together.
I mean, it not what we want from the Jay, in terms of his classic sound. But see, this classic sound does not push the envelople, so he has to take a new route. We can hope for him to return to his prime.
In my opinion, my humble opinion, his new direction has more to do with his elevation to a new level of existence. For example, the conversations he had with Dame in 98 will not be the same conversation he has with his new group of friends–the urban socialites. And if you are in the know, you know who, or what, an urban socialite is. And if you do not know, then here is a basic composite: He comes from the hood (non-race specific), but his parents were well educated, and surprisingly so, they decided to remain within close proximity to the hood (non-race specific), and he grew up there under the same conditions as everyone else, with a slight edge of course, upon his high school graduation he went off to an Ivy, pick an Ivy, any Ivy, upon his return to the hood he begins to reevaluate his neighborhood with a different outlook, in some cases, yes in some, he begins to shun past beliefs, so now, and only now, has he learned a new way of thinking in which he decides to preach, and damn near shove down the listeners throat. Or, he could be a second, or first generation suburbanite who simply refuses to understand urban life, both past and present, and he will let it be known that he does not who or what you are, by nature or conditioning. Now, this is not to put anyone down, it is just an observation. So, Jay picked up their ways, and then decided to inject it into his music. For example, the whole “Im not Santa Clause” line in his first track oozes with the whole “I cant save the hood” mentality I have seen in so many urban socialites. They get that piece of paper, both collegial and monetary, and forget everyone else, even their family.
And when I mention non-race specific, I mean a hood is a hood, whether you are in a grimmy part of Besonhurst or Bed Stuy. So, these urban socialites come in all colors, shapes and sizes.
Bottonline: Jays music reflects his new existence. And honestly, we should welcome it, because he is giving us some insight into the future, both for the hood and society as a whole.
How can you defend that Jeezy crap in the least? Do you throw your hands up in the air and go HEY! driving the kids to school? At least half this album is straight up muerto in a horrible way; not sure why, besides nostalgia, a sharp-eared listener like yourself would pretend otherwise? Jay is a flabby fuck in a world full of yes men, exactly what he does not need if he really wants to be an ah-tist now. HEY! (No Memphis Bleek.)