Jay-Z "Run This Town" featuring Rihanna and Kanye

Dope video. Dope song. Love Jigga's cadence on this track. Kanye kills it on his verse.






I have to admit that my excitement for the Blueprint 3 has been tempered a little bit. As a self-professed Jay-Z scholar, you can pretty much tell how good a Jay-Z album is going to be by how many guest stars are on it. The formula works like this: the less guest stars on the album, the better the album will be. This has proven true time and time again. Jay-Z's classic albums feature little-to-no guest stars. Think about it... Reasonable Doubt (just Biggie, Memphis Bleek and Foxy Brown), The Blueprint (just Eminem), The Black Album (none) and American Gangster (just Lil Wayne, Beanie Segal and Nas)... these were his best albums because they showcased a hungry, inspired Jay-Z who had so much to say that he didn't even mess with padding his album with guest spots. Seriously, on The Blueprint, Jay-Z is practically talking over the WHOLE ALBUM, even the instrumental interludes... that's how inspired he was on that classic. When Jay isn't really feeling his creative direction and his confidence wanes is when he leans heavily on guest verses, to his albums detriment. I mean, dude is the best rapper alive... he doesn't need anybody else to shine.

But look how many guest stars are on the Blueprint 3! There's like 4 songs without some big guest star on it... which is a really bad sign for the quality of his album. I hate to say it, but the formula is correct. Also, the Blueprint 3 has been pushed back all year... the thing was supposed to come out last Christmas. That is another bad sign about Jay-Z's creative process... usually he pushes album release dates UP because he records his classics in a crazy-inspired two week marathon sesh. By pushing his album back 9 months and by leaning heavily on an all-star collection of guests suggests that the Blueprint 3 might have more in common with the mediocre Blueprint 2 than the best-hip-hop-album-of-all-time Blueprint.

I hope I'm wrong, but, as a certified Jay-Z historian, the formula hasn't failed yet. It's still going to be great... this is Jay-Z we're talking about after all. The guy cannot make a bad album (except for his AWFUL In My Lifetime Volume 1). Let's just hope that Jay breaks the formula on this one.

UPDATE:

Listen to the whole Blueprint 3 here.