Jay-Z comes across as the real deal — a former crack dealer who went from slinging intoxicants to slinging rhymes. While other MCs may be more talented, there's no one on the current scene who posesses Jay-Z's verbal flair and flash.

What sets the rapper apart is his facility for wordplay. On "Things That U Do" he comes with verse after verse of evocative poetics: "crazed and demonic/without blazin' chronic/product of Reaganomics" and later admits, "I felt caged in but kept roamin', prayed for the day of atonement/married to the streets, no date of annulment." And even when he comes with ridiculous bravado on "So Ghetto," (RealAudio excerpt) boasting about "toting guns up to the Grammies/poppin' bottles on the White House lawn," you want to buy in to his conceit.

On Vol. 3 Jay-Z demonstrates — for the first time since his underrated debut (Reasonable Doubt, 1996) — that he can be the high-post pop player and still kick down songs for fans in the underground. That's not to say there aren't some insipid selections on Vol. 3. The current single "Do It Again" is club thuggery at its most banal, while "Dope Man" is unconvincing, to say the least, in its portrayal of Jay-Z as martyr. For the most part, though, the album's 15 songs (which includes the hidden tracks "Jigga My N****" and "Girl's Best Friend") comprise a smart, versatile blend.

"It's Hot" (RealAudio excerpt) is a brilliant study in minimalism made possible by Timbaland, who engineers a sparse beat of hand-claps and simple basslines. Also striking is the menacing "Snoopy Track" (featuring Juvenile), a bizarre mesh of distortion and shuffling hi-hats.

Even the pop-oriented songs are compelling."Things That U Do" flaunts an infectious, darting flute melody while "Big Pimpin' " conjures Persia with its exotic instrumentation. The list goes on: "There's Been a Murder" features a striking sample of Lana Davis' voice, and then there are the stabbing keys and hard snare crack of "Watch Me" (featuring Dr. Dre), and the funk swagger of "Come and Get Me."

With Vol. 3 Jay-Z finally comes full circle, and corrals hip-hop in the process.