![]() ![]() Jay-Z raps about helping other blacks with his record label and how drugs ruin lives. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was the first single and samples The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." Nice easy groove. "Five to One" by the Doors with Jim Morrison screaming "Come on" and a distorted sample of David Bowie's "Fame" making it purposely sound like "Lame" as Jay-Z discusses rappers Prodigy (Mobb Deep) and Nas.lol. ![]() "Takeover" just has some creative sampling. ![]() The horns gives this almost a theme from "Rocky" vibe. Jay-Z comes out thanking everyone for their purchase on "The Ruler's Back." A soul intro. The albums has received and continues to receive a lot of very high critical praise and the Library of Congress also selected it to the US National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historically or aesthetically" importance.the first album of the 2000's. Yeah, the sampling which is more soul-based and the lyrics are both excellent. The album was noted for being soul-centric and sample reliant which was a shift in rap at the time from more keyboard driven. It had quite a list of producers including Kanye West, Just Blaze, Blink, Timbaland, The Trackmasters and Eminem. Of note, it was released on to combat bootlegging. "The Blueprint" is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. Jay fouled up the formula on the tedious double album follow up imaginatively titled Blueprint 2 (with an impressive Roots collaboration on Blueprint Unplugged and an ill advised Best of Both Worlds collaboration with, er, R Kelly in between).īlueprint really captures Jay’s verbal dexterity and his whip smart lines brilliantly who perhaps for the first (and only?) time lives up to his billing as best rapper alive. The Outlawz? Junior Mafia? D12? Please…). But it’s a welcome change from albums stuffed with guest stars spitting weak verses and the absence of protégés Memphis Bleek and Beanie Segal is a relief (has any successful rapper discovered any decent rappers cause I ain’t heard any. The album doesn’t fall into hip hop’s usual trap of being absurdly long and as for collaborations there’s only one in Eminem who, let’s be honest, on this track, murders Jay on his own $#!+, just like Nas said. Jay also shows respect to the old school, with allusions to classic lines from hip hop’s past throughout and guest spots from Bizmarkie (RIP), Slick Rick (a huge influence) and Q-Tip on Girls, Girls, Girls. Thematically, there’s a lot of score settling and bragging which could tire but there’s enough humour and wit throughout to keep it engaging. The record is packed full of catchy hooks, nostalgic soul samples and wicked beats, all created to let Jay’s rhymes shine, almost float over the top (Kanye’s influence all over this album, take a bow). Jay-Z’s finest album and a hip hop classic. In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” being the first entry created in the 21st century. It was later certified 2x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. Despite its release coinciding with the September 11 attacks, it sold over 427,000 copies in its opening week and debuted at number one in the US, holding the spot for three weeks. It is considered one of his best albums and has also been labeled as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. The Blueprint received universal acclaim from music critics, with praise being directed at Jay-Z's lyricism and the production. West produced four of the thirteen tracks on the album, including the songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and the controversial "Takeover", which included diss lyrics aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy, while Just Blaze produced three tracks, "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Song Cry", and "U Don't Know", also including the hidden bonus track "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)". The album is also famous for both its producers Kanye West and Just Blaze's breakouts as major producers. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.Īt the time of the album's recording, Jay-Z was awaiting two criminal trials, one for gun possession and another for assault, and had become one of hip hop's most dissed artists, receiving insults from rappers such as Nas, Prodigy, and Jadakiss. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings.
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