Conventional wisdom says that The Blueprint is the album Jay-Z was born to record, the one he'd been working toward for years, a personal reflection draped in soul samples, a "life story told through rap," as he mused on "Izzo (H.O.V.A)." Don't believe that. The Blueprint is a magnificent album and, on some days, his best. But there is no more reflection here, and no less gloss and grit, than on his previous three albums. In fact, this album is utilitarian more than anything, with Jay-Z revealing all the tools at his disposal. There's pure viscera, like Just Blaze's colossal ode to coke and wealth and power, "U Don't Know"; or international bounce music, like "Hola' Hovito," Timbaland's homage to Latin rhythms and New Orleans' second line parades. Jay's lyrics here and elsewhere — "Jigga That Nigga," "Girls, Girls, Girls," even "Izzo," — are pop and street moves, not designed for acclaim in any way. They're pictures of a confident artist, working in comfortable modes, and with producers he was born to record with, particularly Just, Kanye West, and Bink! When Jay has to be tough, he "kills you motherfucking ants with a sledgehammer," on the brilliant, no-one-spared diss song,… read more »