Jay-Z's next album will be his "most experimental ever", he said this week. Only he doesn't mean The Blueprint 3, due next week – he means the LP after that.
"My next album, which I'm working on now ... it's not gonna be a No 1 album," Jay-Z told MTV News. While he has high hopes for the Kanye-produced, Drake-droppin', Rihanna-studded Blueprint 3, what comes next will be different. "I wanna make the most experimental album I ever made. That's where I'm at right now."
Experimentalism has not figured highly in Jay-Z's oeuvre. His 10 albums so far have been characterised by glossy production, crowd-pleasing samples and an affable swagger – not Doom's esotericism, Dälek's drones, or even Missy Elliott's reverse-gear surprises. Then again, there are signs that Jay-Z is branching out. Inspired perhaps by his sister-in-law's leftfield tastes, Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé attended a Grizzly Bear concert this weekend.
"I've always said I believe in good music and bad music," Jay-Z said. "I like music. The second Blueprint, the reason it was all over the place is because I like music so much. You have tracks with Lenny Kravitz then Sean Paul. Dr Dre. It's all over the place because of my taste in music. I like music."
Will Jay-Z's next big single be an Aphex Twin remix featuring Diamanda Galás and Jandek? We can only hope.
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