December 2nd will come soon enough and four songs are already out there in the world, all ready to ingest and discuss. So, in honor of two songs leaking in the last few days, I thought I’d take a moment to put them all in one place and you can decide if its looking like Hov’s latest will be more like The Blueprint (undisputed classic) or The Blueprint 2 (lame). That said, let’s get into it.
First track is D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune). This track premiered with much gusto at Summer Jam in NYC (with T-Pain at his side) and was the first glimpse we had at an official Blueprint 3 track. I know I was a little disappointed and maybe others were too because now his label is saying that it shouldn’t be considered the first single.
The first single in their minds is Run This Town and why shouldn’t it be? It’s a way better song. You throw Kanye and Rihanna up on a track and suddenly the odds of smash go up exponentially. You can check out the video below, it has this whole “we are the rebellion” vibe to it. Worth a watch.
The last two tracks are both Timbaland concoctions and I’ll just let you make up your mind on them. One is just Jay giving everybody, including music bloggers, a Reminder about his prowess and the second is a track called Off That featuring new up-and-comer, Drake (who has a pretty damn good free mixtape called So Far Gone out).
Update: Another new Timbaland produced track called: Venus Vs. Mars.
Another Update: 3 new tracks leaked: called Hate ft. Kanye West, A Star Is Born ft. J. Cole and Already Home ft. Kid Cudi
Like ‘em? Don’t like ‘em? Hate that I mentioned Jay-Z? Throw some comments up.
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
thanks so much nadine! probably the best compliment a photog can get!
and thanks for reminding me to embed the video in the post too!
by Steve Benoit on Sun May 20, 2012 at 09.33 am from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
I can’t get over how these photos captured my up close memory of the night.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 11.08 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Or should it be whoever? F my grammar.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.30 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Whomever took these photos certainly captured the night!
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.26 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
“Mindkilla” is awesome. I’ve got this music video last week and really impressed through watching every performance particularly “Glass Jar”. Thanks dude. :)
dance contest
by Mark Waugh on Thu May 17, 2012 at 05.54 am from the entry: Gang Gang Dance's Illuminating "Mindkilla"
Also, I have yet to pay this venue a visit, is it good spot? good people, good vibe, good atmosphere?
... man, i hope i win some tickets…
by Jaz Bonnin-Aldatz on Thu May 17, 2012 at 12.27 am from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Looking forward to the show. Would love to win some tix for my pals.
by MC Breath on Wed May 16, 2012 at 07.40 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
need something more like Shawn Carter v.4, rather than the Blueprint. Timbaland? Like Jordan wearing the 45…
Wrong about the Auto Tune song, by far the best of the bunch.
Let’s be honest here. The top 4 albums list probably goes like this:
1. Reasonable Doubt
2. The Blueprint
3. Life And Times Vol. 1
4. American Gangster (totally slept on)
Vol. 2 is overrated, 3 is so-so (mostly a posse album), Black Album is pretty great for the most part and so on.
Blueprint number one isn’t a bad goal though. Its got a great flow to it, thoughtful rhymes, a soulfulness to the beats and is thematically more consistent with the man he is today. As much as I’d like to hear another Reasonable Doubt, I don’t think its going to happen and looking for a Carter IV is leaning that way, in my opinion. Artists have to be authentic.
honesty is a top priority, so I need to move the Black Album ahead of American Gangster. Choice Cut w/Hello Brooklyn, but No Hook was done “better/before” with that awful/classic “Wat Da Hook Gon Be?” Authentic? That gets into all manner of Hip hop persona arguments…
What I mean by authentic, in this case, because I am aware that I did open up an argument door large enough for anyone to walk through by bringing up hip hop authenticity, is that, in general, Jay-Z’s raps nowadays are about being a bigger than life star or just general, lyrical bragging. And in this vein, he can be truly authentic. He is one of the great living rappers. He is a mogul superstar that has his business right. He can claim tons about what he has, but if he went into more crime stories without being in character, which he was for American Gangster, then what could he really say and be authentic? He has to be so removed from that world at his level.
In terms of hip hop personas, I guess I view that as ok in the beginning when people are young and might have a better understanding of what people are going through, but once someone reaches superstar status, it comes off as pretty forced.
Ian: Death of Autotune is an awesome song, for a mixtape, not so much for an real album.
Black album is good, but listens more like a collection of great singles rather than being a great album.
Colin: The whole “we are the rebellion” vibe you mention about the Run This Town video is more of an urban rethinking of the post-apocalyptic Mad Max series, while I enjoy the video, I would’ve enjoyed more of a “The Warriors” vibe if they were deadset on doing a reimagining of an older video.
D.O.A is a great song, but Jay didn’t make that beat, he threw the song together in an hour. Reminder and Run This Town are good, not epic, but good. Drake is up and coming, but I don’t like him and Jay together.
When was the last time Jay actually made a beat? If you think DOA is a great song, I think you’ve got your bar set pretty low, the fact of the matter is that the song sounds like it was thrown together in an hour and that’s not complimentary. DOA could have greatly benefited from more time being put into it.
I haven’t made up my mind yet on whether or not Drake and Jay collaborating would ultimately lead to something great. I think this song is pretty mediocre, though I like the beat. Drake is usually better. However, I wouldn’t rule out something good in the future. I mean any rapper or group can have a bad day or have a track that seems like they just aren’t paired right only to show later on that it just wasn’t their time yet.
Like Gavin said - DOA is great song...for a mixtape. Of the other three tracks, Run This Town is the Stongest. The other two are pretty forgettable. Drake doesn’t sound like he’ll stick.
David: totally agree with what you’ve said. Except about Drake, I think it’s too early to tell. Have you heard his other stuff or are you basing your whole opinion on this track?
We all are forgetting the most pressing detail…
Timbaland? What? Is Jay the reincarnation of Magoo?
Totally disagree. Timbaland is a huge talent and him and Jay go back a long time. I mean is Big Pimpin’ a weak track? Is Hola Hovito? Is Dirt Off Your Shoulders? I think what’s disappointing about this run with Jay and Timbaland is that it didn’t live up to previous incarnations. And about Magoo, Jay could never be Magoo.
Finally had a chance to listen to the tracks. It’s a promising start. Nothing reeks of “classic” yet, but Jay’s flow is still top notch, so I’ve got hope!
Colin, you are so right about Hola Hovito, my vote for one of the best Jay tracks ever. Yet, what makes the 3 you mentioned so good is they don’t sound like the standard Timbo beat.
check this:
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/08/so_will_blueprint_3_be_bad.html
Ian, I think that article is right on, except I think Run This Town was the high point so far. I too have felt very disappointed with this batch of songs so far. But, I don’t think its Timbaland’s fault. I mean a guy can’t make gold every single time, even though these beats are still better than a lot of things people put their songs on nowadays.
My argument for a beat that sounds like a typical Timbo beat is that:
1) its original. Its a style he and Missy pioneered and I can’t even begin to say how important it is that people make their own way and have their own voice.
2) He incorporates a lot of elements that other producers don’t or don’t start using until after his beat has dropped (i.e. middle eastern influences, that slippery tone, etc). He’s a trendsetter.
3) He doesn’t try to make the same thing every time. I have a feeling you might disagree with me here, but I really think that there are always going to be similar stylistic elements because that’s his voice coming through.
He’s a real talent and one of the only producers that moves the game forward instead of simply trying to jump on whatever is hot at the moment. That is the mark of an artist.