DID YOU REALLY WRITE IT FOR ME???

"I need you to understand something. I wrote this for you. I wrote this for you and only you. Everyone else who reads it, doesn't get it. They may think they get it, but they don't. This is the sign you've been looking for. You were meant to read these words."

These are the opening lines of the blog 'I Wrote This For You'... What exactly is this blog about? Search me, because according to it, I wouldn't understand.

The basic premise of the blog is to muse about an array of issues, in a pseudo-philosophical and poetic manner. This, the blog fulfils substantially. I find the blog quite appealing in it's ability to target only one person at a time and yet by the very act of being a blog, remain public. The blog allows you to carve your own meaning because the author (who is nameless) "wrote [it] for you and only you". At any one time when reading it, the only viewpoint that matters is your own.

What I don't like about the blog is that it focuses on the 'you' figure too much. Everything seems to revolve around it. Whether it is a means to motivate readers, to make them feel special or whatever - it gets quite irritating. Especially when some of the posts are as overused or cheesy as: "Forget the air. I'll breathe you instead". I can imagine a hero saying this to his love-interest, in a romantic black-and-white talkie, while jazz music plays in the background and they then proceed to kissing passionately - on the veranda... I could even take this image further but the point is it is too common.

But the blog makes up for it - USUALLY... Try it out. See what you think. It was written for you anyway. Who am I to judge?

Jay-Z "The Blueprint For......."?!

POURING
The say the blueprint is the design for many other creations specifically buildings or in this case an empire. Picture an old vintage building,still elegant,still tall but in dire need of the modern touch a renovation.Would this renovation be the BLUEPRINT 3.

TEA STIRS
>First album off Def Jam and First Roc Nation Album
> 11th Number 1 album breaking the record held by Elvis
>Sold an estimated 476,000 copies in its first week
>2nd best selling Hip Hop Album of 09 behind Em's Relapse
> MTV's Hottest MC for 2009


TRACKLIST
1.What We Talkin About Ft Luke Steele Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
2.Thank You Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
3.D.O.A Produced by Kanye West
4.Run This Town Feat Kanye West & Rihanna Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
5.Empire State OF Mind Feat Alicia Keyz Produced by Al Shux
6.Real As It Gets Feat Young Jeezy Produced by The Inkredibles
7.On To The Next One Feat Swizz Beatz Produced by Swizz Beatz
8.Off That Feat Drake Produced by Timbaland
9. A Star is Born Feat J.Cole Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
10.Venus vs Mars Feat Beyonce Produced by Timbaland
11.Already Home Feat Kid Cudi Produced by Kanye West & No I.D
12.Hate Feat Kanye West Produced by Kanye West
13.Reminder Produced by Timbaland
14.So Ambitious Feat Pharrell Williams Produced by The Neptunes
15.Young Forever Feat Mr Hudson Produced by Kanye West
Tea's Picks = Red

DA SIP OF TEA

ICE went a little too hard on HOVE but that doesn't mean he is completely off.Looking at Jay-Z's legacy he has given you three classic albums that come to mind.Reasonable Doubt,The Blueprint & the Classic The Black Album.

In our Poll from the followers it seems the people are undecided with the half sayin "Crazy Old Fool Should Retire" 42% & the other half sayin Blueprint 3 "is da S.H.I.T" 42%; with the remainder say "Better Luck next time,Jigga"12%.

As Tea i find myself goin towards "Crazy Old Fool Should Retire" . Hove's album lacks the hunger of a young up & comer or an old dog tryin to learn new tricks it's just the same old HOVE.
I gotta say up to track 6 the album is a decent listen and would be for any Jigga fan out there and then 11 & 14 for me personally but one common thing i have noticed is nobody likes the whole album which is rare thing for a Jay-Z album.

The blueprint 3 is a good attempt at running with the big dogs in music but with so much money and business ventures what could JIGGA talk about. Other than Death's of Auto Tune(D.O.A) & New York(Empire State Of Mind) & Daddy's Goin Hard(Venus vs Mars) and that track where The Game thought Jigga dissed him (What We Talkin About) .Jay-Z has nothing else that he could contribute to the minds of our everlasting.To all his fans ride out with him he might prove me wrong but don't wait to long you might come back to reality on foot.

Jay-Z should consider writing self help books much like 50 Cent's 50th law or even LL Cool j's Training Regime book or even freestyle tips or somethin but Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 just proves one thing. "Should have Faded to Black!" Sorry Hove.

THE "BLUEPRINT 3": iN reTRosPEcT

#rublogs Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3". Da verdict is out from the ICE perpective. Peep dis: http://tinyurl.com/ycdyh2z

Before Sugar-Honey, Tea and I bombard you with our honest opinions, we believe that in the interests of objective and fair journalism we must at least represent Jigga fairly.

Track List:

1. What We Talkin' About
2. Thank You
3. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
4. Run This Town
5. Empire State of Mind
6. Real As It Gets
7. On To The Next One
8. Off That
9. A Star Is Born
10. Venus VS. Mars
11. Already Home
12. Hate
13. Reminder
14. Young Forever

So here are some stats from billboard.com (http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/search/blueprint):

• Jay-Z has recorded a total of 16 albums


• Many of them have reached the number 1 spot on the charts and stayed there for some time


• Currently, "The Blueprint 3" is chillin' comfortably at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, no. 1 on the Rap Albums chart and no. 13 on the European chart.


• The album has been on the charts for a total of 3 weeks.

Now... As a person, you should know that when a thing is good or bad, you're probably not the only one who can see that. So... Being the Ice-man, you not what opinion I'm going to have. All day, every day. But before I delve into the gunk that is "The Blueprint 3", some valued opinions from a few like-minded individuals:

From Culturebully (http://www.culturebully.com/jay-z-the-blueprint-3-review):

"So what does 'innovation' look like to one of the greatest emcees of all time? Pretty much the same ol' sh*t, except with more synthesizers..."

"In hip-hop, 'that next level shit' is almost always based around how the music sounds... Very rarely do artists try to be innovative by saying something new..."

From Prefixmag (http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/jay-z/the-blueprint-3/21904/):

"He's like a classic rock group (like, say, U2)... we expect him to keep delivering same-old, same-old new music.."

And finally, from rap.about.com (http://rap.about.com/od/reviews/fr/JayZBlueprint3Review.htm):

"[Timbaland] the man who once provided the ultimate backdrop for Jay's futuristic flow sounds stuck in an early millenium time warp..."

(RoLLInG mY eYES)

Here we go folks:

So, my initial listen of the album went sportingly. I listened. I held my tongue. I was as good as good can be. But something became all too obvious: THIS ALBUM LACKS COHESION!

Sure Jigga's beats are sick. Sure he has the right to call himself one of the best rappers of all time. I hand him all these freebies. (cHeEkY grIN) But to have an album whose tracks are not at all related to each other is not what I'd consider worthy of the self-proclaimed 'best rapper alive'. (HAHA - NOTE THE QUALIFIER 'ALIVE'). From songs about New York, to a song about reminding people that he's still got his street edge - IT ALL DOESN'T ADD UP. Jigga goes from electro, to hardcore, to pseudo-soul, back to electro. This in itself is not bad - it worked well for Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool". But even that had a central theme/focal point of reference. Jigga's attempt is just all over the show.

Other than that, I can't hate on the old man much. Joe Camel - as he's called by most hip-hop headz because he can go on and on and on - has made a fair attempt at reinforcing his (somewhat imaginary) position as King of hip-hop. This SHOULD BE HIS LAST ALBUM. Any more after this will just be a waste of time and money. And I doubt that as an audience we're stupid enough to keep buying the same ol' gimmicks.

FORTHCOMING ATTRACTION: Itz-ur-boi

We've been hearing a lot about Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3" on the streets. Is it good? Did he do it again? Is he writing history with the mike? (ROllinG on THe FlooR with LauGHter) I can't help but laugh... Whose history is he writing? So, (Cue HoRROr MuZak): WE'RE REVIEWING "BLUEPRINT 3". We'll see if hovey-hove aka Itz-ur-boi has done it again. Watch this space.