in a contemporary review, "rolling stone" critic kris ex wrote that jay-z "has become a better architect of songs" while hailing "vol. 3..." as "his strongest album to date, with music that's filled with catchy hooks, rump-shaking beats and lyrics fueled by jay's hustler's vigilance". richard harrington from "the washington post" found the record to be "full of reputation-building swagger, cataloguing of lyrical skills and autobiographical perspective". reviewing the album in "entertainment weekly", anthony decurtis said it reconnects with jay-z's urban demographic, "with flair", while steve jones of "usa today" was particularly impressed by his lyrics and flow, finding both to be "razor-sharp as ever". in "the village voice", robert christgau argued that jay-z has too much at stake commercially to depart from "playing the now-a-rapper-now-a-thug 'reality' game with his customers, thugs and fantasists both", but he impresses with "a rugged, expansive vigor, nailing both come-fly-with-me cosmopolitanism and the hunger for excitement that's turned gangster hangouts into musical hotbeds from buenos aires to kansas city". fellow "voice" critic miles marshall lewis called jay-z "the best mc in hip hop" and "vol. 3…" "the quintessential 2000-model hip hop album". soren baker was less impressed in the "los angeles times", writing that the record lacks the "biting humor and spectacular wordplay" of his previous albums.