My first impressions: Pretty good last album, Hov. Though I am skeptical that you won't make any more music, which isn't bad since you're music still speaks to a lot of us out here.
The lyrics are hot, as usual. I still don't like how you compare yourself to Big so much, but I think that's my own bias. Obviously you've owned the scene since the mid-1990s, so you've got some clout and people like me hold it against you that Big and Pac aren't around. But no doubt, your rhymes are mostly tight. Nice holdin down the mic without any guests.
As has been heavily discussed on Okayplayer, production is interesting and good. Ninth Wonder's jawn is fire, as is Kanye's Lucifer. Sorry, though, the Neptunes didn't come through the way they have in the past. And DJ Quik? A little old for my taste. His shit was good some years ago. Would have liked to see some Dilla, maybe Madlib, definitely Pete Rock and Premier, but hey, it's a business. Rick Rubin brings us back a few years, but unlike Quik, with taste. Just Blaze is not bad; same with Eminem.
Preliminary marks: 4 out of 5.