Artist Jay-Z

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Jay-Z

Jay-Z stands at a peculiar crossroads in his career: He’s left the boardroom and his position as president of Def Jam after a rocky tenure running rap’s premier label. Jay-Z is still a big star; it’s the industry that’s gotten small. Nowadays, rappers who used to shoot for diamond are lucky to even go platinum. So, the stakes were high for The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z’s first album since leaving Def Jam as an executive and an artist. And Hova pretty much delivered: The album sold 476,000 copies its first week, but more important, it finds the rapper reflective and in relatively fine form for this late in the game, particularly on "What We Talkin' About," inescapable Rihanna-revved single "Run This Town," and "Empire State Of Mind," whose soaring Alicia Keys hook may be 2009's best.

Updated 10/28/2009