Well with about a week until the release, it is clear the possibly, may go for his 11th number one release. Like many others, I got my hands on the album before it hit the stores. Below you will see a track-by-track review. I will only take about how each song is, then I will state the album as a whole. Well enough of that, lets jump into the review.

1) What We Talkin About – Of, first all, this is not a good way to start any album,especially when your past intros has been great. So on that note, that means that the track list is really out of order. Basically he is explaining how he made it through the rap game to where he is now. So examples would include: running the rap game, Damion Dash, and have a small part in Obama\’s win. I also have to add that there are a lot of repeated lines.

2) Thank You – The first line is from a song, we are all familiar with. Again, this song should not be a number two song, however it is good that it isn\’t the usual ending-thank-you song. In this song, he is thanking his fans (and haters). The sad part is, the three verses has nothing to do with thanking anyone. It is your usual rap about being rich in the rap the game. Again, there are a lot of repeated lines in the song.

3) D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) – What can I say? This song has to be the song bring the real Hov out of a coma. As by the title, he talks how autotune is being overused in many songs, which is true. With lines like “I know we facing a recession, but the music ya\’ll bringing is gonna make it the Great Depression”, Jay is clearly telling rappers to just stop using all the autotune all together. Again this is a great song.

4) Run This Town – As the title is stating, he is running New York. Just like D.O.A., this song is perfect for Jay-Z\’s style of rapping. It isn\’t soft, yet it isn\’t too hardcore. It is the type to make your head rock, and it may get repeat status on some iPods. Even though Rihanna is on the track, it has a nice balance of the rap/singing combination. With the addition of Kanye West, it surely is a classic in the making.

5) Empire State of Mind – For the first time, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z are together. A pioneer in the rap game and true talented singer on the same track? Sounds good right? Not really. Don\’t get me wrong. Alicia is very talented. But she should have just stayed off the track. Jay would have done better with a sample. The rapping style on this song has more of a soft approach to it. Some may disagree with me, but Hov could have done better.

6) Real As It Gets – Who is the king of ab libs? Cheaaaaaa, you\’re right, it is Young Jeezy. As Jeezy starts the song off, you would have thought it was his song. He literally stole the show. Jay-Z sounds like he was the featured one on the track. Jay-Z is getting old, and his rhymes are being reycled a lot. I guess Jay-Z ran out of lyrics cause on the third verse, it was a mixture of Jeezy and Hov. And guess who took the spotlight? Jeezy. You get the picture.

7) On to the Next One – Swizzy and Hov? Again one of those combination that just does not make too much sense. When you here the beat, you are going to think of one person in mind. The song is basically stating he just keeps getting money after money. I think we learned that after Vol.2. I must add that there are too many pauses in the song. It makes me think that this was one of those songs that was just put together. Also, a song that propbably almost did not make the cut.

Off That – Drake came into this game as his own person. Now he is doing choruses? This song is meant to be fast. One problem, Jay-Z is not known for doing fast songs. I mean he can get away with it, but it just is not him. As far as lyrics wise, it is saying, “Whatever you got, I already had it.” Again, must be one of those last-minute sogs.

9) A Star Is Born – I had to listen to this song twice. After listening to it the second time, I actually like it. Hov is applauding all the rap stars in the game. He is giving props to people like Diddy, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. As always, there has to be something to make himself cocky, “But I\’m the Blueprint, I\’m like a map to \’em.” Great song if you listen to it carefully. Nice chorus, and it fits his style perfectly.

10) Venus vs. Mars – Having seen the producer list yet, but this sounds like a Timberland. As for the song, it seems like one of those like “meh, what the hell” and they just threw it on the album. I don\’t know if Jay is trying to start something new, but this is ain\’t work Jay. It sog just talking about females. It has nothing to do with the title, as it has no meaning what so ever.

11) Already Home – After hearing this song, I had to play it back, because that is how nice it is. With the new kid on the block, Kid Cudi, it is surely to be a hit. It is one of those “haters won\’t bring me down” type of song. If you ever listened to American Gangster, it has that same vibe as “Say Hello.” Another good track that is on the album. Good work, Jay.

12) Hate – If you are one of those listeners who just like to briefly listen to a song, don\’t do this on this song. Half the time, they are switching at different parts of the song. You know how some songs are on two albums? Like “Money Ain\’t A Thang?” This could be one of those songs. It seems like Jay-Z was trying to copy Kanye\’s style, but it just did not work. I guess I will have to give it five more tries, but seriously, stick with your own style.

13) Reminder – I think that this song was completely unnecessary. I mean don\’t get me wrong, the lyrics are tight, but bragging is kind of like a cliche in the rap now. He talks about how his numbers was ever since he first came out. We know that you sold a lot of albums. We know you have classic songs. We know that you have money. See what I mean? A cliche.

14) So Ambitious – Anything Pharrell should do amazing. Is that the case here? Well, sort of. Let\’s just say without Pharrell, this song would not be worth it (just like “I Know”). If we had to compare this song to another, I would have to compare it to one of those Biggie songs, what\’s the name? Oh yeah, “1970 Somethin”. No it is not the same song, but the concept and meaning is basically the same. And as soon as a took in the lyrics, that song popped into my head. At least it is one of those songs that has the classic Hov-style we are used to.

15) Young Forever – I mean seriously? This is more like a Kanye West song than a Jay-Z song. I mean, the man is going on 40, and he wants to live young? With lines like,”Where the sun is always out and you never get old/The pretty girls just happens to stop by in the hood” it is clear, this is something new. I really don\’t see where he was going with this. I mean I understand, thinking about the good ol\’ days, but this ain\’t way to do it man. And then the chorus sounds like something The Blue Man Group would do. I\’m sorry Jay, but this is truly the number one song that should have never made the cut.

**** Personal Bonuses*****

16) Brooklyn (Go Hard) – Even though this was for the movie, Notorious, this song is just truly the style of Jay-Z. He is showing what he can do with a very good sample and a very good beat. This is the Jay I remember, and I am very good glad he decided to make this track. Even though it did not make the album (which I don\’t get) I say it is a true anthem for Brooklyn.

17) Jockin\’ Jay-Z – When this song first came out on the radio last year, many was like “That the new Jay-Z joint? That shit whack!” I should know, I was one of them. But take a second to listen to the song, to understand it. Jay has been in the game (after underground and growing big) for over 15 years. And upcoming rappers are stealing styles, and Hov\’s style is just too ill to miss. Even though he is rapping a bit slow, the song is still a decent song to make it to the album. Again, don\’t understand why it was recieved negatively.

18) You\’re Welcome – Some of you may not know this song, but this is a song that is meant to have that R&B flavor to it. If you are going to add a singer, Mary J is way to do it. Unlike Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige is natural at what she does, and does not try to do it to hard. Also, Swizz Beats, is not all over the track like on the album. This type of this song is one of those social-drinking songs. If this made the album, I would say it could be a instant classic.

So there you have it. The track-by-track review of the Blueprint 3. As you can see, this really isn\’t the wow that fans were expecting. I believe some of the songs should have not made the cut. Maybe Jay is trying to reach a different kind of audience (Ye did it), but it just ain\’t working. May I please mention that is pretty short, coming out at barely an hour of music? Out of five stars, I want to give it a 2.5, but being that this is Jay-Z and his age, I can give him the benefit of the doubt and will give an official 3 out of 5 stars. I would be surprise if he recieves positive reviews after release. You heard it here first. Signing out, Hercules.