That does it. I'm finally calling Jay-Z out on one of the most outlandish claims of his career. I mean, it's not like Jay-Z to boast, but on "Lyrical Exercise," one of the bonus tracks on his latest album, "The Blueprint," Jigga claims to "be leading the league in at least six statistical categories." One of them is "my interviews are hotter," but that gets disqualified on account of Ol' Dirty Bastard still being alive. Let's go in depth, shall we, and explore the five other "statistical categories."
1: Best flow.
As usual, "The Blueprint" finds Jigga flowing over everything with ease and confidence. How much confidence? The only other person who gets even a verse on the album is Eminem. No Beanie Sigel, no Memphis Bleek, no Amil. Heck, DJ Clue couldn't even elbow his way into the studio to at least yell something.
While most rap discs nowadays resemble open-mic nights where every Trina, Jada and Nate gets a turn, "The Blueprint" is Jay's album, plain and simple, and all the better for it. The vicious jabs on "Takeover" and "Lyrical Exercise" aren't the type of rhymes you'd expect six albums deep into a multi-platinum career. But Jay-Z must have developed a Madd Rapper complex somewhere along the line: He has the hunger of someone who's made four albums and hasn't seen a dime yet.
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Unlike the somewhat strained "Volume" albums in his catalog, "Blueprint" sounds like it could have been made in a week, with Jay-Z leaning toward his freestyling devices. This is most evident in the recurring basketball theme in some of his rhymes, including such gems as: "We can get money longer than Pippen's arms," and my personal favorite, "I ball for real/Y'all n-z is Sam Bowie."
"Lyrical Exercise" probably is Jay-Z's most "MC" moment in his career, as he stretches a workout theme throughout the entire track: "Y'all ain't ready to work out with the boy/Your flow is brain on drugs/Mine's rap on steroids." He also manages to avoid bling fatigue, continuing the reflective themes established on "Roc La Familia" on "Song Cry" and the title track.
2: Most consistent.
Are you kidding? Can you name any chart-topper right now who has released six albums, let alone any rapper? Jay-Z's blueprint has been the same ever since "Ain't No ... " blew up radios in the summer of 1997. It goes like this: Up the ante over the summer with some high-profile cameos or soundtrack cuts. Around August, drop a can't-miss single for the clubs. Sometime around September or October, give the public a hot album that will rule MTV, BET and fraternity parties until May. Repeat.
Jay-Z's career has been a model of consistency, but "The Blueprint" may stand as his most complete album yet. Jay-Z faithfully stuck to the script in 2001, offering unforgettable verses on "Fiesta" and "One Minute Man" this summer and following suit with "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" months later. Now, in September of 2001, you can listen the entirety of "The Blueprint" just by hearing cars go down the street.
Category #3: Most charisma.
It's tough to imagine many rappers getting away with something like "Izzo." Another song with a Jackson 5 sample and West Coast lingo may seem a vodka- and-milk proposition, but "Izzo" is damn near the perfect Jay-Z single. Think of a "Hard Knock Life" you can listen to more than twice, and you have the idea. "He who does not feel me/Is not real to me/Therefore he doesn't exist," he boasts, and you have to take a shine to that leap of logic. There isn't one weak track on the album, but "Girls, Girls, Girls" and the other dance-floor concessions could have gotten by on charm alone. "If I'm not better than B.I.G./I'm the closest one," he claims and he is the best at giving club tracks the rewind factor since Biggie.
4: Realest stories.
"[People] say that I'm foolish/I only rhyme about jewels/But do you fools listen to music/Or do you just skim through it?/See I was influenced/By the ghetto you ruined."
We're used to Eminem taking this sort of defensive stance, but those are Jay-Z's lyrics on the Slim Shady-produced "Renagade." Jigga's plans are larger than ever on "Blueprint," as drugs, crack and petty thuggery simply are ornaments for the bigger picture. "The industry's shady/It need to be taken over," he rhymes on "Izzo," and the album proves Jay-Z's not just a student of the game, but a teacher.
"Takeover" sets the stage for the rest of the album; Jay-Z's no longer content with threatening imaginary rappers like so many others. Mobb Deep gets off kinda of easy, but in probably the most venomous verse recorded by a rap superstar ever, Jay-Z turns Nas into a figure worthy of Insane Clown Posse respect.
Listeners realize how hard the beat from The Doors' "Five To One" really is, while Jigga responds to Nas' "Stillmatic": "Went from Nasty Nas/To Esco's trash/Had a spark when you started/But now you're just garbage/Went from top ten/To not mentioned at all/Til your bodyguard's 'Oochie Wally' verse better than yours."
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Well, I know Mobb Deep won't take this lying down, but you have to wonder how Nas will react to Jay's summation of his discography: "Two of them [albums] was dook/One was ehhh/The other was 'Illmatic'/Now that's a one hot album every ten year average."
5: Setting the most trends.
Like his previous albums, "The Blueprint" is a state of the union address for hip-hop, flaunting what's hot now, and what Ja Rule will be biting in due time. Jay-Z has dropped his Michael Jackson complex and decided to stick with soon-to-be big guns like Kanye West. West gives tasteful sampling a good name again, with tracks that owe more to Pete Rock than the rinky-dink Casio tracks of today. Swizz Beatz and the Neptunes better drop the keyboards and get some samplers quick.
On "Hola Hovito," Jigga asserts "I'm Michael, Magic and Bird all rolled into one." But hey, it ain't bragging if it's true. If the five categories above are the tools of the rap game, there's no doubt Jay-Z is MVP.
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