Respect the Architect

Columbus, Ohio emcee/producer Blueprint, of The Greenhouse Effect and Soul Position alongside RJD2, knows that 15 plus years in the rap game is not too long to stick around, especially when you have remarkable skills, most notably on the microphone. Known for his lyrical mastery and great storytelling abilities, Blueprint has built an impressively impactful career in the underground hip hop circuit over the years, constantly collecting fans and collaborating with countless artists. In 2014, his Respect The Architect LP hits shelves with more trademark wisdom, intricate lyrics and tons of soul. Blueprint's procession starts out relatively simple with topics, mainly focused on bragging, posturing and contrasting his intellectual achievements with the superficial, money-making moves of commercial Top 40 rappers. Astonishingly though, this traditional method of classic hip hop braggadocio is made all the more awesome by Blueprint's wonderful lyrical magic. The beats support a cool, comfortable vibe with coffee-shop backdrops of relaxing jazz, soft rock, and soul. The samples, sound bytes and looped cuts are very appropriate for the demeanor that Blueprint takes on the album, and overall, it is a very relaxing, low key experience. Blueprint strikes gold in the last two tracks, "Sliver Lining" and "The Climb." There he champions understanding, shares some of his personal life stories and recognizes the missteps of other rappers without being quick to judge. In general, Blueprint takes safe territory in Respect The Architect, but the quality of the album's artistic integrity is extraordinary.

Fantastic soul filled hip-hop. Rap in its true form. No song is a skipper.

Blueprint has been one of my favorite MC's for years. Ever since he and RJD2 dropped the first Soul Position album, I've been a fan. Every solo release, and group efforts like Soul Position (Him and RJD2), and Greenhouse (Him and Illogic) have been great. He is also an outstanding producer. With this album, Blueprint strips his beats down to the basics to put more of a focus on the MC, and the result is great. Blueprint sounds better than ever here as an MC. He produced the entire album except for one song, which was produced by someone I've never heard of named 'IMakeMadBeats', and honestly, that's the only track on this thing that I didn't care for. The beat just does not fit in with the rest of the album.My favorite track on here is 'Once Again' featuring Count D Bass and Midaz the Beast. LOVE this song! It's just a simple drum loop with a voice sample with a horn coming in on the hook, and the 3 MCs ride it great. Another standout track for me is the one featuring his Grennhouse partner Illogic called 'Bulletproof Resume'. Such a simple beat that is a perfect canvas for these dudes to drop some serious gems about the current state of the music industry. I love Blueprint's verse on this one.Overall, this is a great album. Only 10 songs on it, and 9 are great, IMO. Great production and rhyming from Blueprint, and great verses from all the guests MCs. Him and Aesop Rock are currently working on a project together that should be out this year that I cannot wait for! Expect more from Print.

This is a loving three-star rating. Really, it should be 3 1/2 stars, and either way it doesn't do Blueprint's level of talent and craft fair justice. I'm a long-time fan. However, I have to judge the album for what it is, not what I want it to be, and Respect the Architect has a couple crucial shortcomings that bring it down.Shortcoming #1: Length. The entire album is 30 minutes long. If you subtract the 40-second intro track, it barely clocks in at under 30 minutes. I can only think of one other artist who has released such a short album as a "full length" without me wanting to chuck it out the window (kudos if you can guess it). If you release an album this short, each track has to be a nearly perfected masterpiece to carry the "quality over quantity" award. It's clear Blueprint put a lot of work into these tracks and carefully considered their arrangement. However, the quality on just a few falls short. "Overdosin'" is too unconventional for its own good and the production makes it a chore to listen to, "Bulletproof Resume" is relatively forgettable, and "Silver Lining" has great lyrics but gets dragged down by sleepy, repetitive interlude-like production.Shortcoming #2: Count Bass D's verse on "Once Again." To be completely honest, Bass D's verse on this track is one of the worst I've ever heard. His flow doesn't match the beat and makes the whole middle section of the track just seemingly drag along, painfully waiting for him to catch up. His lyrics are corny at best and lacking cohesion at worst. The worst part is that if you remove or replace his verse, "Once Again" is probably the best track on the album. It has the best production, Blueprint comes correct on it and Midaz The Beast delivers a devastating verse himself. There's just the one awful middle section you have to sit through to try to enjoy it. Honestly, I'm not even trying to slam Bass D that much, because everybody should do what they do and I respect that. What I don't understand is Blueprint's decision to have him appear on this track. Of all indy artists out there who I imagine would be willing to work with Blueprint, it's hard not to think he had better options. Maybe they're friends and Blueprint owed him. I have no idea, but it stands out like a sore thumb on the whole album.Those two objections aside, this is still some of Blueprint's best work to date which is impressive. The production on most of the other tracks is outstanding--"Respect the Architect" has the coldest beat and it probably takes the award for best overall track from start to finish. "Perspective" is the most socially conscious with a great message. "Silver Lining" is a great story-telling track lyrically. Blueprint's flows are on point, it's obvious he put a lot of time and work into all aspects of this album, and in a lot of ways it's well worth the purchase, especially if you're already a fan. However, I felt that its flaws should be known, and they take away from the album just enough that I can't give it a better rating. Two to three filler tracks on a < 30-minute album, plus one especially awful guest appearance, take away from what could've been a five-star album.

not bad, no 1988 or soul position, few boring bits and bits were print needs to check his ego.