Dear Jay-Z (and Brett Favre)

Those aren't personality glasses anymore at your age, Jay...

By now, if you haven't been living without the internet for the weekend (like I have), you've seen that The Blueprint 3 by the elder statesman of hip-hop Jay-Z, has been leaked. I have soooooo many issues with this man right now that I'm literally bursting at the fingers to get them all out before I forget or they become muddled in my illustrious rhetoric. Regardless, here goes...

Jay-Z - Hate f. Kanye West
Jay-Z - A Star Is Born f. J. Cole
Jay-Z - Venus vs. Mars (prod. by Timbaland)
Jay-Z - Reminder (prod. Timbaland)
Jay-Z - Off That f. Drake (prod. by Timbaland)

Jay, what is good with all of the leaks? Within a week-long period, over half of the album has been leaked, which more or less makes buying it pointless. Then, what's worse is that every song that's leaked has been worse than the previous one. Whether it's lackluster lyrics, over-done ad-libs (AUGGHHHH!!!), features that didn't live up to their billing or beats that weren't suited for you, Jay, you've really just made a mess out of this upcoming record. With a week and change until BP3 "drops", I'm becoming less and less disgusted, and more and more indifferent to what you do. It's a sad day when the most celebrated rapper in the past decade has become an afterthought. No matter what the Twitter Trending Topics say, you can't hide that most people are unimpressed with what they've heard from the album. It's to the point that I don't even want to sully my computer's hard drive space with your elderly ramblings.

Seriously, Jay, I'm tired of hearing about why everyone else doesn't stack up to you. It seems like you're digging deep for relevancy and finding it in promotion and names than your own lyrics. You're faking the funk Jay. I made this analogy on Twitter earlier today, and I stick by it: "J. Hov = Brett Favre". Think about it, Jay. A seasoned veteran of the game, who's already had an amazing career, stepping into a new role on a new team (CEO of ROC Nation), with controversial returns and retirements. I know you love rap, much in the same way Favre loves football. You both feel child-like happiness when you step onto the field (into the booth), which is a beautiful thing. It's just a problem when you seem over the hump. Both hip-hop and the NFL are surging into a new era. New rappers (and quarterbacks) are emerging from the gullies of youth and the underground. They deserve a chance, not to say that it should be given to them. But to both Jay and Brett, the sign of a great, to me, isn't the ability to stay on top, but is the ability to leave a legacy that others can follow to get to the top. Now, I know nobody wrote a handbook for either of you, but both of you are in a position to close your careers and active legacies well. Don't sully either by failing to know when it's best to hang your cleats (microphone) up. Lord knows nobody likes seeing you like this Brett...