I just love when these intros write themselves. Jay-Z's sixth studio albums was surrounded by hard hitting story lines, media attention, and slight controversy. It's legacy has been lifted to the status of a magical unicorn, but lets focus on what was going on during its release: Jigga vs. Nas. The feud is widely regarded as the greatest hip hop beef on wax, or at least the one with the most attention. There's no getting around Nas, as his presence looms over Jay throughout the album. "The Takeover" held the fans over, but eventually led to Jay's career being "ethered". Sure, an entire new verb had been added to he dictionary at his cost, but so what? After inviting Eminem to the studio, (an act I'm sure he regrets) he was "renegaded". There's another one. Despite creating two new words in his spite" "The Blueprint" is considered a classic album, right up there with his debut.
It was released on September 11, 2001.
I hoped you've realized my stubborn habit of starting artist discographies from the start. The fact that I still haven't reviewed Reasonable Doubt is simply mind blowing, but that's not the point. The reason I chose to jump over five albums is to celebrate the album's twelve year anniversary. Using the word "celebrate" and September 11 seems rather terrible, but something was telling me to review this project today. I'd appreciate if you don't impugn my decision. Most hip hop fans remember this album and the date very well and hold this album in a different category. I can just imagine picking up a new album from one of my favorite artist, only to hear word of the events in New York. I have no crazy anecdote to help you understand, but I'm sure you see where I'm going.
It's crazy to think about the music while knowing of the world's havoc, but that's exactly what happened. If only for a sense of normalcy, fans still picked up plenty of copies, making The Blueprint one of his most commercially successful albums to date. Critics weren't sitting around either. They made sure the world knew they still had a constant: Jay Z makes good music. Like I said, I could write a damn book filled with the details of this album without getting redundant. But why do that when you can listen to the crowning achievement of hip hops biggest star?
Good question...
1. The Ruler's Back
Damn, I almost thought I threw in my Slick Rick disc. That's not the case, but I don't know how well I take from Jay completely jacking Rick's moniker and song title. I promised myself I wouldn't get worked up over these frivolous side stories, but what can I say. I'm a nitpicker. Anyways, the beat drops and you get an overwhelming feeling of cinematography. I can clearly see Jay rolling down the streets of New York during the opening credits of said movie. Even more shockingly, he actually thanks us for our purchase! Call me crazy, but that may be the first time I've heard an artist be appreciative to the people spending money on their shit. Very nice way to kick things off.
2. The Takeover
I'm going to guess you've heard this once or twice, but I've been wrong before. This was Jay going all out against Nas and Mobb Deep, throwing the first haymaker of the feud. Loyal fans of Mr. Carter will tell you otherwise, but this isn't even touching "Ether". Worth a listen, but let's be realistic for a minute. Jay talks shit for nearly five minutes, throwing in more than a few quotables. The instrumental is interesting, a rarity among diss track, as it samples The Doors. I never got the feeling of a knockout punch, but this is still fine.
3. Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Kanye may have lost his fucking mind, but even he had to start somewhere. I'm sure you've heard of his talent behind the boards, but he sounds even better on The Blueprint. The soul samples he eventually became known for are used brilliantly here. Anyways, this was a pretty damn humongous single that basically guaranteed the album would go platinum. I'm not used to complementing Hov's commercial success, but this shit is still great.
4. Girls, Girls, Girls (Feat. Q-Tip, Slick Rick, & Biz Markie)
Well I'll be damned, here's the Slick Rick I've been looking for this whole time.As cheesy as the concept sounds, it's actually performed nicely. The more and more I listen to this song, the more it grows on me, but I'm still disappointing. I mean look at that fucking guest list. You've got all the talent in the world and you relegate each feature to the hook. Sure, it was entertaining, but this could have been so much more. This just could have been so much more win (for lack of a better term) for everyone involved. At least we got an update on Biz Markie.
5. Jigga That Nigga
Another one of Jays famous songs that got tons of commercial success. Unlike everything else we've heard to this point, this track fucking blows. It's mind boggling to think a radio station settled for this particular song when nearly every song in the man's catalog sounds better. I shouldn't be surprised, though. It's not like the radio sucking is some new thing. I just don't understand why it has to be that way. *Sigh*
6. U Don't Know
Although Kanye was the biggest contributor in the production area, Just Blaze gives over his instrumental to our host. That ended up being one of the best moves of his career, as I would still say this is the most underrated Hov song ever recorded. Hey radio station, this would have been a nice one to play instead of it's predecessor. Just throwing it out there. The beat's great, but Mr. Carter's performance is just as good. I really hope he pumps out something like this again in his lifetime. The more I've listened, the more I've realized how terrible Magna Carta...Holy Grail sounded.
7. Hola Hovito
Another case of a star producer, as Timbaland steps onto the scene. Jay's best songs have always been produced by Timbo, a statement that still holds true today. Something about them just clicks. It's a damn shame that this song doesn't fall under that category. Timbo's beat is still incredible, but these are some of the worst lyrics I've ever heard from Jay. There was no commercial appeal either, so I'm dumbfounded as to why this made the final cut. Oh well, next!
8. Heart Of The City (Ain't No Love)
One of my favorite Jay Z songs ever. The soul samples on here are unmatched and I still consider this to be Kanye's finest work. I gravitated towards this instantly and was more than satisfied when it popped up on a Chrystler commercial. Along with being catchy as fuck, Jay also drops some of his most famous and quotable lines. Can't you just imagine bumping this while driving through New York City. You meet up with Jay Z, find Aesop Rock walking his cat and everyone starts solving mysteries. Or is that just too ridiculous?
9. Never Change
I've never liked this song, but that might be because of it's sequencing. It's hard to follow such a great track, but I doubt I would enjoy this even by itself. I'm usually a fan of 50s' samples, but the singing never clicked for me. Jay is interesting enough, but it's not like I'll ever want to hear this again.
10. Song Cry
For an album with such praise and media hype, it's odd that most of the album's production is fairly reserved. Obviously I'm a fan but I never though it would catch up with the general public. It's rare to find an album that you can get hyped to and fall asleep in a recliner to at the same time. In this case, it's actually Just Blaze behind the boards again, giving a performance that's almost as good as his last. Jay sounds much better than he did on the last song, and it's an overall win for the entire hip hop community. I don't remember this track being a standout, but it's always weird to see which songs hold up best.
11. All I Need
Conveniently enough, here's another case where a song sounds completely different than the last time I listened. Unfortunately, I enjoyed this track the first couple of times, but something went awry. It's still not awful, but I was just expecting more. We're not talking "Jigga That Nigga", though. That's a shit stain on Jay's entire career.
12. Renagade (Feat. Eminem)
The title is purposely spelled wrong, but that doesn't matter. If you chose to listen to this song, you'll witness the greatest load of ass fucking every recorded in one studio. I know it's the popular opinion to slam Jay on here, but I can't deny that Em absoluted ended his entire career within two verses. If you can look past all that, the song is still pretty damn good. The original version featured verses from Royce Da 5'9" serving in Jay's spot. I don't want to get too down on our host, but that version just sounds so much fucking better. It's a crime that no one's ever hear this song the way it was originally intended. Oh well, still one of the best songs on the album.
13. Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)
Jay closes the show with a fairly emotional song, but I wasn't all that interested. That's no knock against the song, but I'm ready to go crazy after hearing that last one. Truthfully, this was a good way to end the album and I'm sure most of you'll enjoy it during the first listen. There's a twenty-five second silence at the end, leading into another song 'Breathe Easy", which is the epitome of average. After that, there's yet another hidden track (the song length gave all this away) titled "Girls, Girls, Girls, (Part 2)" I'll just say that there's a reason this track didn't make the full album. I'm still not sure why Jay didn't just throw these on as bonus tracks. Only The Roots are allowed to pull this shit.
Rating: 4/5
Is The Blueprint on the same level as Reasonable Doubt? Not quite. I hate to get hung up on artist failing to match the success of their previous work, but sometimes it can't be denied. For what it's worth, this album is easily the second best effort from Jay Z and deserves an immediate purchase. A few of the songs don't hold up very well, but when this shit clicks, my God we get something special. I still find it odd that this album succeeded despite the mellow production. I've never heard a mainstream hip hop album with such soul influences. They're not just thrown in there for the hell of it either. Shawn Carter's all star lineup of producers knew what they were doing, creating a brilliantly crafted Soul composition with a contemporary feel. The big winner ends up being Kanye West, though. These are some of the finest beats he ever made and fans realized. Indirectly, Jay led the way for one of the most consistent and entertaining career we've ever seen. Hov has more than a couple missteps throughout the album, it his performance can still be considered a success. He was still spitting with the fire and desire, all while playing the cool character we've grown to love. It's unfortunate that i was released the same date as America's biggest tragedy, but The Blueprint has left a legacy of it's own. Shawn's shown glimpses, but this is his last truly exceptional piece of art.