Blame it on T-Pain. The irritating Auto-Tune you hear on rap songs these days likely seems to stay — though Jay-Z begs to differ. Through the creation of his new album The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z has declared war against its use in the music industry. Featuring only his classic verses with the untainted vocals of guest artists, he has created a refreshing, organic rap experience.

Anyone familiar with his catalogue knows that Jay-Z is concerned with one thing: his ego. Most of the album’s tracks, including “Off That,” featuring Drake, and “Death of Auto-Tune,” focus on his status as the finest rapper in the game. On the album highlight and Timbaland-produced “Reminder,” Jay-Z does not let his peers — “rhymers with Alzheimers” — forget about, you guessed it: his swagger. Distinctively from other songs similar in subject matter, the unique instrumental and background vocals give this track its own life.

However, Jay-Z does not always entertain by killing verses about how he’s superior. “Venus vs. Mars,” which presents the interplay of “Shawty get it in” and “Daddy go hard” between Jay-Z and Beyoncé, is unusually sensual and metaphorically driven. “Young Forever,” the most interesting song on the album, includes a sample of the Alphaville hit “Forever Young.” Quite the unlikely combination, the result is a sweet and introspective listen.

Although Jay-Z’s ego is the center of most of the album, there is no other rapper in the industry who has the career or credentials to pull it off. Who else could have convinced both Kanye and Rihanna to ditch Auto-Tune on the same track? Unfortunately, someone who actually wanted to hear Rihanna sing. Nevertheless, The Blueprint 3 easily stands in its own right and takes its place among Jay-Z’s classic albums.