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8.0
4199
8.0 |
Evening Standard
...if it’s not his best work, there’s enough quality here to keep that crown from slipping
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8.0
4204
8.0 |
musicOMH
The Blueprint 3 confirms Jay-Z is still in rude health and calling the shots. But you get the impression his next record is going to have to pull something even more innovative out of the bag to keep him ahead of the competition
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8.0
4205
8.0 |
Daily Telegraph
...this hugely entertaining, mainstream rap album suggests Jay-Z still has the skills and gravitas to see off the pretenders
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8.0
4206
8.0 |
Clash
Manages the impressive feat of being accessible and experimental while ‘keeping it real’
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8.0
4210
8.0 |
NME
Despite bringing in all these names to make it an event album, ‘The Blueprint 3’ delivers because of hefty beats and quality rapsmanship, nothing else. And, ultimately, that’ll do just fine.
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8.0
4212
8.0 |
The Independent
His main subject may still be himself, but Jay-Z tackles it here with a renewed vigour and freshness.
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8.0
4214
8.0 |
musicOMH
Jay-Z is still in rude health and calling the shots. But you get the impression his next record is going to have to pull something even more innovative out of the bag to keep him ahead of the competition.
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7.0
6379
7.0 |
Sydney Morning Herald
There's a real sense of a rapper in control of his flow and his rhythm. Now, if only he could talk about someone else
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6.0
4209
6.0 |
The Quietus
The original Blueprint was an exciting display of what Jay-Z could do and where hip-hop could go, but eight years on those ideas have evolved and been overtaken ... But rather than leading the way, The Blueprint 3 merely keeps pace.
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6.0
4217
6.0 |
Observer Music Monthly
Print edition only
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6.0
4215
6.0 |
The Scotsman
He makes his own convincing case for trailblazing new sounds on the exotic On To The Next One but then chooses to go out on the insipid Young Forever,
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6.0
4213
6.0 |
The List
When it works, The Blueprint 3 is big, bold, brash and beautiful but there’s too many points where Jigga just doesn’t sound hungry.
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6.0
4211
6.0 |
Rolling Stone
What more can Jay-Z say? Not so much, apparently. But he says it well.
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6.0
4203
6.0 |
The Observer
Jay-Z casts himself as a saviour of hip-hop, but he still lavishes attention on precisely the subjects it needs rescuing from, the fixation on wealth leaves a particularly sour taste in recession-ridden 2009
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6.0
4200
6.0 |
The Guardian
As you listen, you get the sense Jay-Z has had a bold idea that he hasn't quite thought through properly – and that's The Blueprint 3's problem in a nutshell
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6.0
4201
6.0 |
The Times
The Blueprint 3 is not the game-changing milestone it aims to be, but nor is it the flat-out disaster some US reviewers have claimed
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5.0
4207
5.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Understatement isn’t something we expect from Jay-Z and it underwhelms here.
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5.0
4198
5.0 |
PopMatters
This is an emcee who has always tried to stay one step ahead of the game. And as his track record indicates, he has both failed and succeeded in his trials. His most recent effort isn’t exactly a failure. Without its filler, this album could have been at least good, if not great
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4.5
4208
4.5 |
Pitchfork
Blueprint 3 is the kind of stuck-on-stupid, event-driven money pit that proves while Jay-Z's at a point where he's got no one to answer to but himself, he's still capable of an entire hour of failing to take his own advice.
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4.0
4202
4.0 |
The Sunday Times
Kanye West, Timbaland and Pharrell Williams join the party to no memorable effect
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4.0
4216
4.0 |
No Ripcord
...he landed on top, he basked in the sun, he retired on the top of the world and at the top of his game. Now he is reborn as a shell, a detached CEO who phones in lazy lyrics and uninspired stories for the sake of a paycheck and a run on youth-oriented pop radio.
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