Jay-Z's Latest 'Blueprint' is Still Less Inspired and Less Fluid than the First

OC Weekly | September 22, 2009
Mostly, the album is Jay's attempt to get hip -- or hipster -- as he enlists a crop of fresh new talent discovered by Kanye West to help him sound relevant. Unfortunately, much like a 40-year-old divorcee who hits the town with her daughter's friends, it's clear that Jay doesn't quite fit in among this crowd, and The Blueprint 3 suffers for it.

OC Weekly

Published since September 1995, OC Weekly is the first "alternative" newsweekly in Orange County and Long Beach to provide readers award winning editorial coverage, excellent arts & entertainment information and a provocative look at our community. With a circulation of...
More »
Contact for Reprint Rights
  • Market Served: Metropolitan Area
  • Address: 2975 Red Hill Avenue, Suite 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
  • Phone: (714) 550-5900
www.ocweekly.com

rssTop Stories

Comeback Kid 10 Years Later

Hardcore band Comeback Kid comes to The Palladium in Worcester, Mass. to celebrate its debut album, which came out 10 years ago, with the band's original singer.
Worcester Mag  |  Cade Overton  |  06-11-2013  |  Music

Turn That Music Down

From loss of conversation to loss of hearing, music levels at bars are damaging for patrons.
VUE Weekly  |  Ryan Stephens  |  05-30-2013  |  Music
More Top Stories in Music »

AAN on Twitter

More @AltWeeklies » Twitter Directory »

One and Done

Even though most listeners associate him with only one song, Gotye created a whole album of songs worth hearing over and over.
Jackson Free Press  |  Micah Smith  |  06-13-2013  |  Music

KING KENDRICK BRINGS HIS TALENTED FRIENDS TO OUR NECK OF THE WOODS

Kendrick Lamar burst into the national spotlight in 2011, following the release of his debut album Section.80, which included the hits “HiiiPoWeR” and “A.D.H.D.” If that album — lyrically focused on issues of drug addiction, violence, love, lust, and the battle to improve oneself — got people talking about Lamar as if he was next in line for the rap throne, 2012’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City proved they were right.
San Antonio Current  |  James Courtney  |  06-12-2013  |  Profiles & Interviews

Ecstatic Improvisation: “The Source Family” Documents the Strange Days of Father Yod and Ya Ho Wha 13

The Source Family, helmed by a war-vet-turned-restaurateur with the given name Jim Baker, could be lumped into the miasma of 1960s social experiments. But there’s something else going on. Smoking weed was a ritual, but drugs weren’t a focus. They weren’t totally freed from monetary concerns—Baker’s Sunset Strip health-food eatery sustained them. It’s all curious—the reams of music they recorded as Ya Ho Wha 13 are, too.
Chicago Newcity  |  Dave Cantor  |  06-12-2013  |  Profiles & Interviews