Guest Blogger

Das Racist Review Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3

Stephen Blackwell :: Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 4:30 pm

Jay-Z  | The Blueprint 3 | Roc Nation

Himanshu Suri: In this short-attention span, micro-blogging Twitter world the three-step trajectory goes: Album leak, Twitter go buck, opinions made. It’s a shame that I hated this album before I heard it. Then I heard “Empire State of Mind” slowly grow into an anthem on the NY radio and began to perk up at the mention of that McDonalds uptown near City College and freaked out imagining what Bjork would sound like on it instead of Alicia. As everyone’s discussed “Run This Town” into the ground I’ll leave that one alone but I will say the sample source, Greek psych-rock band 4 Level’s of Existence’s “Someday in Athens” is equally worth digging up on the Internet. To me the standout track is really “On to the Next One” though. Dude really flipped Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” into THAT beat? Overall this shit’s okay with me!

Victor Vazquez: The “lights will inspire you” line on “Empire State of Mind” still makes me cringe each time I hear it, but it does help to imagine Bjork singing it now. But on the real, that song is kind of almost the new Juicy, corny (but hella pretty) R&B hook and all. But yeah, “On to the Next One” is definitely the one.  Rapping about taking the richest black woman in America to Marcy Projects and texting the first black U.S. president? That’s very crazy to think about. Jay-Z might be the closest thing we have to Michael Jackson right now.