Jay-Z woke up Sept. 16 in a familiar spot: the top of the charts. As many times as he'd already been there, it still must have felt special to see The Blueprint 3 zoom to No. 1. This one, after all, was the 11th No. 1 album of his career — breaking his tie with Elvis and putting him second only to the Beatles. In this age of singles-only digital sales, that's a record to be proud of.
The rapper has been a television MVP this month, too, bringing the fiery ''Run This Town'' to the premiere of Jay Leno's new show, warming hearts with ''Empire State of Mind'' at the VMAs, and putting on his own Sept. 11 charity concert (simulcast on Fuse). He even tried to teach Oprah Winfrey how to rap, with hilariously awkward results.
Truth is, rapping as well as Jay-Z is a skill that can't be taught. ''Please don't bow in my presence/How am I a legend?'' he quips on The Blueprint 3 — as always, using clever lyrics rather than controversy to keep the public's attention. Aspiring moguls of the world, take note.
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