Jay-Z, "The Blueprint 3" (Roc Nation)

After 11 studio albums, 13 years, dozens of hits and untold millions of records sold, there's not much left to debate about Jay-Z. He has either outlasted, outsold or outsmarted all the competition. You either like his music or you don't. So the only comparisons that can be made are to himself.

That said, Jay's new "The Blueprint 3" is on par with his past work. The beats are the best money can buy, from Kanye West, Timbaland, Pharrell, Swizz Beats and others. The lyrics are creative, imperial and evocative — "the audio equivalent of Braille," in Jay's words.