Redrawing The Blueprint

No one will ever forget September 11, 2001; a modern day that will forever live in infamy. Lost in the madness of that day was the launching of a brand, a staple in Hip-Hop that upon first listen caused us to brush it off of our shoulders. I can’t say that I blame anyone. There were bigger things in the forefront of our minds at the time; the latest in Hip-Hop wasn’t really something that any of us wanted to deal with. However, upon further review, after the smoke cleared and life returned to some semblance of normalcy, we witnessed the birth of a brand. With the release of The Blueprint, Jay-Z ushered in a new era in rap and reinvented himself in the minds of listeners everywhere. With the highly anticipated release of The Blueprint 3, the conclusion to the trilogy that began 8 years prior hopes to redirect the direction of Hip-Hop once again. Let’s allow him to reintroduce himself.

The only person that’s probably received as much criticism as President Obama, if not more, is Jay-Z. As of late, he’s become the artist that everyone loves to hate. Whether it’s other rappers, magazines, websites or internet bloggers, there hasn’t been much love in the city for Hov as of late. His choice of wardrobe, choice of haircut (come on Jay, for real the baby fro was not a good look), choice of footwear and even his choice of album names has caused massive amounts of debate over the past few months. So it was with great anticipation and high expectation that the public awaited the release of his latest offering. After coming out of retirement and releasing Kingdom Come and American Gangster to a lukewarm reception, many across the world hoped that The Blueprint 3 was going to be the return of the Hov that everyone remembers. If this is what you’re hoping for, Jay has news for you:

“Hov on to that new shit/niggas like how come?/Niggas want my old shit?/Buy my old albums.

Niggas stuck on stupid/I gotta keep it moving/Niggas make the same shit/Me, I make the blueprint.”

~On To The Next One, The Blueprint 3

One of the major criticisms from rappers and rap fans/foes has been the fact that Jay has become “inconsistent”. “He doesn’t rap like he used to, he’s not as good as he used to be. He needs to stay retired, he doesn’t have it anymore.” The preceding opinions have caused people to question his motivation and reasons for releasing music. He’s been asked to just be an executive, pass the torch on to someone else, put the mic down and fade to black.

When the full album leaked more than a week before it was supposed to be released (causing Jay-Z to move his release date up from September 11 to September 8) it sent the internet into a frenzy. Opinions were posted from Twitter to Facebook to personal blog sites. Everyone wanted to be the first to give their opinion on the new CD, many whom I believe did so without giving a thorough listen to the material. The Blueprint 3 has been called everything from “his worst CD ever” to “Kingdom Come 2” to “a weed plate”. One well respected Hip-Hop website even went so far as to give it a 6.5; they later retracted the original score and said it was supposed to be a 7.5, but the damage had been done. I can’t recall any Jay-Z release being judged so harshly before its official retail release. Granted, Jay-Z has been the face of Hip-Hop music for arguably the past decade, so the bar is set rather high (as it should be); but to call The Blueprint 3 a weed plate? Do you just listen to music or are you just skimming through it?

Is The Blueprint 3 a classic like the original? No, not even the biggest Jay-Z fan can honestly say that about this record, however, it’s far from deserving of the harsh criticisms it has received thus far. First thing first, we need not judge this body of work against any other body of work. The Blueprint 3 is a CD that should and does stand on its own and should be recognized for its own merits. The CD is not a re-drawing of the original blueprints, rather a completely new design of what the future is to bring. We’re at that point in Hip-Hop music where things have become stale again. While this year has been an unusually bright year for Hip-Hop, one of the best in the past 5 years, it’s very hard to differentiate from one song/artist to the next. We’ve allowed the industry to shape music and strip it of its identity. The Blueprint 3 is the plans to get back to what Hip-Hop is supposed to be. It’s about getting back to making the album that you want to make instead of the album you think you should make because of what the industry has determined to be hot.

Jay-Z made The Blueprint 3 because he could. He’s at the point in his career where he can make the CD that he wants to make when he wants to make it and release it on a major label or on his own. He’s at the point in his career where his artistic freedom belongs to no one but himself and he’s only bound by the limitations of his own mind. The Blueprint 3 will go over the head of anyone that’s looking for the old Jay-Z. He’s not that man anymore. While he’s still capable of releasing solid rap albums, he is now a husband, businessman and trendsetter. He’s no longer out to run rap, he’s been there and done that. His music is now a tool for others to use to build themselves up. Of course the wordplay will cause you to rewind and ask yourself, “Did he really just say what I think he said?” That’s the Jay-Z standard, but as the chorus goes on the second single, “Run This Town”:

“Life’s a game but it’s not fair. I break the rules so I don’t care. So I keep doing my own thing, walking tall against the rain. Victory’s within the mile, almost there don’t give up now. Only thing that’s on my mind, is who’s gon’ run this town tonight?

~Run This Town, The Blueprint 3

They say lightening never strikes the same spot twice, so to think that you can go back to the same well three times would be preposterous; unless your name was Jay-Z. Very rarely do trilogies end as good as begin, while this offering isn’t history making as was the classic released in 2001, it is a modern day gem that should be respected for what it is and not what the Hip-Hop community wants it to be.

Is The Dream Over??

For the past nine months we have watched President Obama become the hardest working man in this country. In my lifetime I can’t ever remember a president that hit the ground running as fast as our current president. Between overhauling Healthcare, nominating a Supreme Court Justice, new legislation, the unstable economy and pressure, not only from constituents, but members of Congress as well to fix these things (now all while facing right wing opposition), it’s a wonder he hasn’t sprouted more gray hair. There was a rallying cry during the election process last year that caused more Americans to get involved in politics, some participating for the first time. Now, here I sit less than one year later and wonder if the thrill is gone? Has the euphoria worn off? Is it back to indifference and idleness? Has the dream we were living for the few months following the election turned into our current beautiful nightmare?

The Summer of ’09 will probably be one to forget for President Obama. Not only did the heat of June, July and August cause him to break a sweat on more than few occasions, it also brought him diminishing approval ratings, a wave of doubt from his supporters and an unforgettable fashion no-no at this year’s Major League Baseball All-Star game. There wasn’t much that escaped criticism this summer for the President. Some questioned whether he was overexposing himself and doing too many primetime press conferences. Some questioned if we weren’t seeing enough of the President when it came to his hopes for Healthcare reform. There were some that felt he was taking on too much too soon. It’s only the first year of his term in office; not everything has to be tackled at once. And there were even some that questioned his choice of attire to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game. “The President should not be seen wearing his ‘around the house jeans’ outside of the house,” they said. When he announced that he was going to run for President, I’m sure he knew they would attack all of the projects he tried to take on, they would criticize any reform that he tried to push, they’d challenge every nomination and decision that he made; however, to attack a man’s favorite pair of jeans? That’s a low blow, even for Republicans.

What has surprised me is that the only voice being heard this past summer was that of the President Obama critics. What happened to his support group? The millions of people that fought for his nomination, sweat during his general campaign and then cried on Nov. 4^th when he was elected by an overwhelming Electoral vote? Did we think the job was done? Did we think it was time to relax? Did we think that once he got into office it would be smooth sailing from here until 2012? What I want to know is what happened? It’s evident that getting President Obama into office was the easy part. It didn’t take much for us to get him to where we wanted him to be. But he needs our help now more than ever. It wasn’t Congress that put him in the Oval office, it was the 60-plus million Americans that believed in Change and held on to Hope. Well, Change doesn’t come without work. We can’t rely on Congress to help push the President’s agenda; we have to push the agenda. Most Congressmen have started looking ahead to the 2010 elections. They are looking to save their jobs. It’s why nothing ever gets done in Washington. They know that voters are paying attention so rather than doing their job, they’re trying to keep their jobs. I don’t blame them, it’s a pretty plush gig when you think about it. Besides, with the way the unemployment rate is climbing, there aren’t too many companies around that have any use for an out of work Congressman.

We had the audacity to have Hope and we were rewarded with a president that is willing to work for us. Whether you agree with everything he’s doing is irrelevant. As Americans, it is our responsibility to make sure that there’s more than one voice. It’s our duty to stand for the principles that we hold dear to us. It’s our job to support those that we’ve elected to represent us. What goes on in an election year is important, however it’s what happens in the off years that will determine if our dreams turn into the Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.