The Blueprint [Clean] [Edited]

Performer: Jay-Z
Artist: Eminem; Q-Tip; Biz Markie; Slick Rick
Engineer: Jimmy Douglas
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Jay-Z, Eminem, Q-Tip, Slick Rick, Biz Markie (rap vocals); Josey Scott (vocals); Victor Flowers (organ); Bink (programming). Producers include: Kayne West, Just Blaze, Trackmaster, Timbaland, Bink. THE BLUEPRINT was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. "Song Cry" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Male Rap Solo Performance. Personnel: Michele Mills, Josey Scott, Slick Rick, Biz Markie (vocals); Victor Flowers (organ). Audio Mixers: Jason Goldstein; Doug Wilson; Jimmy Douglas; Richard Huredia. Recording information: Baseline Studios, NY; Manhattan Center, NY. Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. It's official. With his fifth album, aptly titled THE BLUEPRINT, Jay-Z has crowned himself the king of rap music. Laying a foundation for other MC's to follow, Jay Hova presents a lyrical masterpiece. And to make matters worse (for the competition, that is), he does so over a selection of the tightest beats (Jus Blaze, Timbaland) to come by hip-hop since fellow Brooklyn-ite Notorious B.I.G. changed the game. Jay-Z sets it off with a clear and concise statement of his purpose, "The Ruler's Back." From then on, each track dares rappers who tried to test his skills to answer back this time. There's also the cleverly worded (sort of a) love song "Girls, Girls, Girls," where Jay calls out every type of woman in the book. He limits the guest appearances to just one when he collaborates with Eminem for "Renegade." As always, classic material proves why Jay-Z retains his iconic status in the hip-hop world. When Jay-Z dropped "The City Is Mine" in 1997 and claimed New York's hip-hop throne upon the Notorious B.I.G.'s demise, many smirked and some even snickered. Four years later in 2001, when he released The Blueprint, no one was smirking and no one dared snicker. At this point in time, nobody in New York could match Jay-Z rhyme for rhyme and nobody in New York had fresher beats -- and many would argue that Jigga's reign was not just confined to New York but was, in fact, national. Yes, Jay-Z had risen to the top of the rap game in the late '90s and solidified his position with gigantic hits like "Big Pimpin" and "I Just Wanna Love You (Give It 2 Me)." Furthermore, The Blueprint's leadoff single, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," dominated urban radio numerous weeks before the album hit the streets, generating so much demand that Def Jam had to push up the album's street date because it was being so heavily bootlegged. So when Jay-Z opens The Blueprint dropping rhymes about "runnin' this rap sh*t," it's not so much arrogance as it is a matter of fact. And by the time he brutally dismisses two of his most formidable opponents, Mobb Deep and Nas, less than ten minutes into the album, there's little doubt that Jay-Z's status as the top MC in the game is justified. But that's just one song. There are 12 other songs on The Blueprint -- and they're all stunning, to the point where the album seems almost flawless. Besides rhymes that challenge those on Reasonable Doubt as the most crafted of Jay-Z's career to date in terms of not only lyrics but also flow and delivery, The Blueprint also boasts some of his most extravagant beats, courtesy of impressive newcomers Kayne West and Just Blaze. Moreover, if the rhymes and beats alone don't make The Blueprint a career highlight for Jay-Z, the minimal guest appearances surely do. For once, listeners get exactly what they want: Jay-Z and nothing but Jay-Z, over beats so loaded with marvelously flipped samples the songs don't even need big vocal hooks. Besides, when you're already the top MC in the game, there's no need for crossover attempts. Uneven albums like Hard Knock Life were the crossover attempts, and now that Jay-Z is "runnin' this rap sh*t," a fully realized masterpiece like The Blueprint is the glorious result. [This album was also released in a clean version that censors any profane moments.] ~ Jason Birchmeier

Rolling Stone (1/03/02, p.119) - Ranked #5 in Rolling Stone's "Top 10 2001". Spin (1/02, p.76) - Ranked #7 in Spin's "Albums of the Year 2001" - "...Dig the planet's most charismatic egoist flowing like Cristal....Punk record of the year? Fo'sheazy!" Entertainment Weekly (9/28/01, p.72) - "...Jay spits his outlaw boasts and pimp-slap toasts with the same cooly obstreperous flow that's always gilded his thug-life cliches..." - Rating: B- Q (12/02, p.67) - Included in Q Magazine's "The 50 Best Albums of 2002." Q (11/01, pp.122-3) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Drenched in slinky, '70s soul samples this time round, the hooks, and inevitably the hits, just keep on coming." Uncut (12/01, p.108) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...The sonics here are relentlessly ear-catching. Almost every tune sounds like a hit..." The Wire (1/02, p.40) - Ranked #12 in Wire's "50 Records of the Year 2001". Vibe (1/02, p.74) - Rated as Vibe's "Best Album" of the year, 2001. Vibe (11/01, pp.145-6) - 5 discs out of 5 - "...Like a bookend [to his forst album 1996's REASONABLE DOUBT], or the second key on a double-bolt lock. Only better...he is our cleanest poet, rethinking space..." NME (Magazine) (12/29/01, p.59) - Ranked #4 in NME's 50 "Albums Of the Year 2001". NME (Magazine) (10/6/01, p.41) - 8 out of 10 - "...Eloquently maps out life's foundations: laughter, tears, joy and pain, and marks the Jigga as the complete rapper..."

Considered one of the best lyricists to emerge in the wake of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac's deaths, Jay-Z has since carried the flag of hip-hop narrative skill. His Roc-A-Fella family had already created a solid reputation based on Jay-Z's 1997 debut. As his fame has grown, so has his tendency to bring more R&B production elements into his work, creating a club-friendly, danceable version of east coast gangsta hip-hop that hasn't diminished his reputation as a preeminent force in rap. Perhaps even more importantly, Jay-Z has become a powerful musica impresario. In his role as president/CEO of Def Jam in the early 2000s, he fostered the careers of popular R&B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo, and enjoyed a high profile as a co-owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team. His long relationship and eventual marriage to superstar Beyonce has further endeared him to fans.

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