Today has been a saturated day of Jay-Z. Earlier today in NYC he held a press conference at Madison Square Garden where he announced his “Answer The Call” Charity Concert. This concert will be held on September 11, 2009 (the same day as the album’s release) which will benefit the families of New York City police and firefighters killed on 9/11. Speaking of his album, The Blueprint 3 leaked and we thought why starve you all and wait until its release to review it. read our thoughts after the jump.

1. What We Talkin’ About – The album’s opener, the song that set The Game off on his publicity attack on Jay-Z, is a collaboration with Luke Steele of the Australian electronic duo Empire of the Sun. This track is produced by Kanye West and No I.D. and also samples Empires of the Sun’s “Standing on the Shore”. Jay-Z delivers a song setting the record straight on just what everyone ‘thinks’ he rhymed about in the past; solid lyrics and rhymes. 3.5 out of 5

2. Thank You – Produced by Kanye West and No I.D., “Thank You” is one of the many bravado tracks on the album; “I put eight balls in the corner without using pool sticks”. Jay-Z boasts about his accomplishments by showing gratitude is a sarcastic way. The song maintains the same flow through out the end and the instrumental sounds old-school influenced with the use of some live instruments. 3 out of 5

3. D.O.A. (Death of Autotune) – Here again the use of classic live instruments are used by No I.D. for the production and Kanye West’s vocals are in the bridge. The classic sound comes from sampling “In The Space” by Janko Nilovic and Dave Sucky. The purpose of this song was to “draw a line” between artistry and trend. Instrumentally, the song is very boring but the lyrics served its purpose masterfully. 4 out of 5

4. Run This Town – Another Kanye West and No I.D. produced song which features Kanye West and Rihanna samples “In The Space” by Janko Nilovic and Dave Suck. Getting over the fact that the song did not live up to the hype it certainly sticks after a few listens with the electric guitar riffs and Rihanna’s unusual sung hook. 3.5 out of 5

5. Empire State of Mind – Originally rumored to feature Nas, “Empire State of Mind” receives the female vocal treatment of Alicia Keys. From the minute the Al Shux production comes in with the bouncy bassline and piano loop it’s obvious the song will keep you tuned in ’til the end. The song is about New York; the city of dreams. Alicia Keys is brilliant on the hook and Jay’s rhymes are very good. 4.5 out of 5

6. Real As It Gets – The Inkredibles produced song which features Young Jeezy is one of the album’s fillers without a doubt. Instrumentally, it’s mediocre and the lyrical content can carry the same description. 3 out of 5

7. On to the Next One – Swizz Beatz creates an instrumental banga with this one. Also lending his vocals to the song, Swizz joins Hov as he speaks his usual bravado speaking of him moving on up with his status and other material things of that nature. The song isn’t the best lyrically but the instrumental alone makes this a very solid track for the clubs. 4 out of 5

8. Off That – Produced by Timbaland, “Off That” featuring Drake was the original choice for radio single before it was switched to “Run This Town”. Jay-Z is basically saying he and his clique are trend-setters because before everyone else gets a chance to be “on that” they’ve moved on to the next thing. Drake’s feature is a bit disappointing because he is only on the hook; a verse from him could have change the dynamic of the song. 3.5 out of 5

9. A Star Is Born – The fourth and last joint collaboration from Kanye West and No I.D. on the album, “A Star Is Born” has the most appropriate feature for the song. Up-and-coming emcee J. Cole gets his first big break by getting to rhyme alongside Jay-Z. J. Cole is the closest thing to Jay-Z today and he really shines when it’s his time. Plus the addition of an unidentified the male singing the hook, this song is a winner. 4 out of 5

10. Venus vs. Mars – The second produced song on the album by Timbaland which sounds like it was inspired from the old days when Magoo was relevant. The reoccurring theme; Jay-Z’s ego takes front and center stage as he spits rhymes on his ability to have sex with the woman and the effect he has on them. 3.5 out of 5

11. Already Home – It seems like the gang is together on this one with Kanye West on the production end and KiD CuDi being featured. In this song Jay-Z takes aim at the people who constantly criticizes him saying he has lost it but in reply he says, “…everybody can tell ya how to do it, they never did it…” Like Drake’s feature, CuDi is only there on hook duty. 4 out of 5

12. Hate – Featuring and produced by Kanye West, “Hate” is another song for the haters, or the ‘opinionators’. By now the topic is very tired and the production is decent but not enough to make this song standout. Kanye’s verses are also just there which for the first time Jay-Z surpasses him in a song; on this album at least. 3 out of 5

13. Reminder – With the least appealing Timbaland production on the album, “Reminder”… oh here we go again. It must be Jay-Z’s main GOAL to let the listeners know that he is GREAT. At this time, we’re near the end of the album and this song does nothing but tire the brain. 2.5 out of 5

14. So Ambitious – The Neptunes stamp their signature sound on “So Ambitious” featuring the vocals of Pharrell. The song is very mellow and mid-tempo. “I’m so ambitious I might hit two sisters… respect my conglomerate” Nothing we haven’t heard before but the song still manages to be listenable. 3 out of 5

15. Young Forever – WOW! we must give it to Kanye West for the production on this one. featuring Mr. Hudson, “Young Forever” samples “Forever Young” by Alphaville. This might just be our taste but Jay-Z definitely ended this album on a high note. From the title you can assume that Jay-Z is rapping about being almost 40 and still stands tall amongst the younger generation. The whole vibe of this song takes away the bombastic vibe that is so apparent in so many of the songs on this album. 5 out of 5

C.S. Top Picks: Young Forever, Empire State of Mind, A Star Is Born, Already Home, On to The Next One and D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)

In conclusion, Jay-Z set out with a feature heavy project; almost every song has a guest spot. It cannot be determined if he had an interest in sharing his glory or by collaborating with so many people he’ll be able to reach out to more people hence greater record sales. Jay-Z has never scored a number #1 and from this album it doesn’t look like it will happen BUT Jay-Z has said time and time again he focuses on the album as a whole. This makes so much sense because as the songs leaked one by one we were extremely underwhelmed but racking our brains after listening to the whole album this really is a good album. It certainly does not hold a candle to its 2 predecessors but this is one of the better albums of the year. Pre-order HERE.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.