Z - The Blueprint

Still In The Game
by: tom reiter

How many ways can one person brag about themself?

Apparenlty Jay-Z has no shortage of things to say about himself.

Jay-Z again serves up an all-you-can-eat buffet of his ego on his latest release, Blueprint. Listening to Blueprint from start to finish will have you loostening your belt because you've had too much of it. What else is there to expect from one rap's biggest stars?

That aside, Jay-Z still manages to piece together an album that won't dissapoint any fans. Of course, he throws in a couple of jams that are guarenteed hits to keep on him on top of the rap game, such as "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "IZZO (H.O.V.A.)." But he sneeks a few surprises in also, like the moody "Song Cry" in which Jay-Z gets true over a sample from "Sounds Like A Love Song" by Bobby Glen.

Jay-Z reserves the guest appearances for the production end of Blueprint. Timbaland was brought in to produce "Hola' Hovito." If you didn't read the liner notes, you wouldn't have known it was a product of Timbaland, since he abandons his usual programmed beats and centers the song around a thick guitar riff and stiff drums. Track Masters come through again, producing "Jigga That N***a," on which they supply a tweaked and tight track made for the club. Jay-Z only has one guest rapper, Eminem, appear on "Renegade." Jay-Z shows his raw talent when he strays from his usual dose of ego-attitude rapping to clone Eminem's more edgy flow. Blueprint also has two hidden tracks on track 13, one being a different mix of "Girls, Girls, Girls."

Jay-Z has nothing to prove to his fans, so Blueprint doesn't do much more than solidify his position in rap. It's engineered to keep current fans happy, and bring other fans of East-Coast rap. As a casual listener, only about half the tracks will attract attention. 17-Dec-2001 11:10 PM