Jay-Z

The Blueprint 3

Roc Nation

Rocks like: The styles of every collaborating artist, with… Jay-Z

The Blueprint 3

Roc Nation

Rocks like: The styles of every collaborating artist, with no Jay-Z

Grade: C+

“Run This Town?” … not anymore. Yes, I said it, and sadly, this album proves it.

Jay-Z, successful entrepreneur, mogul and emcee, just dropped his eleventh studio album, Blueprint 3. Despite its title, the album sounds distinctly different from other Blueprint albums, which included classic tracks like “Izzo (H.O.V.A),” “Song Cry,” “Bonnie & Clyde” and “Excuse Me Miss.”

Luke Steele, Rihanna, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Young Jeezy, Swiss Beatz, Drake, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Pharrell and Mr. Hudson all make appearances on this pop-rap album. In fact, there are only three solo tracks on the entire album, which is extremely disappointing.

Blueprint 3 is actually a mild cop-out. Although there are moments of lyrical genius, the rest of the album uses his celebrity and his wife Beyoncé as a steel crutch. What happened to the lyrical genius that didn’t buy into the pop-rap phenomenon?

Not to say that the album isn’t enjoyable. Who doesn’t like to listen to “Forever Young,” “Empire State of Mind” or “Run This Town?” But it leaves listeners and fans nostalgic for the old Jay-Z. Guess we’ll just have to wait for The Blueprint 4.