KING OF HIPHOP?!?!?!?!?!?!

Hip-hop’s crowned king is at it again with what is quite possibly his most anticipated album to date, the Blueprint III. A brief History of the Blueprint trilogy gives us the Blueprint in 2001. The Blueprint which debuted on September 11^th 2001 against the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks and just like a phoenix through the ashes, and dust of the twin towers at ground zero the Blueprint rose to the top of the charts and is widely held has Jay-Z’s greatest studio album and is considered a classic not only by Hip Hop’s standards but music as a whole. The Blueprint saw the introduction of new producers Kanye West and Justblaze both of who have gone on to be renowned in the industry.

In 2002 Jay-Z released The Blueprint II: The Gift and The Curse. While the LP was commercially successful it was criticized for having a much more “Pop” tone. The album shot through a range of emotions from party tracks on The Gift, disc one on the album, like “03 Bonnie and Clyde” which featured now wife Beyonce. To tracks with much darker tones on “The Curse” like “Guns ‘n Roses” which featured Lenny Kravitz.

Fast-forward to 2009 again with the ominous backdrop of the memory of 9/11 set a midst a benefit concert for those affected by the brutal attack by terrorist on 9/11, a charity night reminiscent of 2003’s “Fade to Black” charity concert. The Blueprint III is set to be the biggest musical event of the year.

Not one to shy away from controversy Jay-Z declares the “death of Autotune”, a now popular, but overused studio tool that makes even the worst of voices sound sonically enjoyable without any real melody. Jay-Z has receive criticism for the record from other artist in the industry claiming he is “knocking the hustle” of up and coming artist who rely on the tool to create sonically tolerable music. Jay-z issues a “Reminder” to his detractors that they have to get “Off that” “Hate” and “Onto the next one” This is “As Real As it Gets” you can’t stay “Young Forever” you have to step up and become “So Ambitious” that a “Star is Born” and realize that you don’t have to steal someone else’s plate at the dinner table because your “Already Home”. If you don’t understand “What we Talkin About”, then you need to get an “Empire State of Mind” and realize that we “Run this Town”, we don’t need to pit “Venus vs. Mars” here so there is no need for any apologizes for your previous offenses to the God MC a simple “Thank you” will suffice.

The Blueprint I featured two up and comers who went on to be stables in the Hip-hop community. The Blueprint III also features to highly gifted new comers: Drake on “Off That” and Kid Cudi on “Already Home”. Only time will tell if Jay-Z’s Blueprint III will be another platform that launches the careers of two of Hip-Hops most promising stars while cementing his place as the “G.O.A.T”. (Greatest Of All Time)