ChickSpeak

With the recent release of rap superstar Jay-Z’s third and final installment in his Blueprint trilogy, the music world has welcomed the completion of a highly important work of art. Always an avant-garde artist and always true to himself, Jay-Z has consistently rejected the downfalls of trendy hip-hop chart-toppers such as Kanye West and T-Pain.

He even gives a playful nod to their talent-cheating ways in “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” the voice-altering machine Kanye used to “sing” on 808s and Heartbreak. Perhaps the most stand out track from this album is his duet with Alicia Keys, Empire State of Mind. Meant as a tribute to the artists’ hometown, the old school piano and searing lines from Jay-Z make it glitter more than most. “The city never sleeps/better slip you an Ambien.”

He also includes a quieter song to the mosaic collection, a duet entitled “Venus Vs. Mars” with his new wife and longtime love Beyonce Knowles. Another standout to the work is “Already Home” featuring up and comer Kid Cudi, whose addictive beat and honey tongued lyrics sing of Jay-Z’s success and the problems it brings. Also check out “Young Forever,” a remix of Rod Stewart’s classic standby, wherein the artist expels the importance of living in the moment.

Throughout the record, Jay-Z’s hits just keep on coming, with each track more imaginative and witty than the last. It is a rare thing for a rapper to be equally talented at finding new music and beat productions to back up his lines, and it is this innate sense of artistic prerogative that keeps Jay on top.