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.
A brush with prison life last year ... hasn't put the New York MC on the straight and narrow. If anything, Jay sounds even closer to the streets on his hard-hitting new album.
Though he's a sharp, detailed writer, a meticulous craftsman and an influential stylist ... Jay-Z is not extremely expressive or innovative, and The Blueprint threatens at times to slide into monotony.
Less is often more, and with tracks like “Never Change,” Jay-Z fails to make the samples his own. They are the “blueprints” on which the rapper lays his rhymes and, in essence, takes all the credit.
Imagine bumping one of the greatest hip hop records of all time on your Sony Walkman in the morning on the train to work from Brooklyn and you see a fucking plane hit the World Trade Center. Shit crazy bro.
The Blueprint was the 6th studio album by Jay-Z, released in 2001.
At one point, The Blueprint was on of my favourite hip-hop albums of all-time. It is not my favourite anymore, but it is still amazing. There are lots of strong moments on this album, having almost no skips. Kanye's production on this is also amazing. A lot of the songs on The Blueprint sounds like Kanye songs, which isn't surprising as Kanye did sample some songs for The Blueprint. Overall, The Blueprint is a great hip-hop ... read more
1 | The Ruler's Back 3:48 | 90 |
2 | Takeover 5:13 | 92 |
3 | Izzo (H.O.V.A.) 4:00 | 93 |
4 | Girls, Girls, Girls 4:35 | 86 |
5 | Jigga That Nigga 3:24 | 80 |
6 | U Don't Know 3:19 | 91 |
7 | Hola' Hovito 4:33 | 87 |
8 | Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) 3:43 | 97 |
9 | Never Change 3:57 | 93 |
10 | Song Cry 5:02 | 95 |
11 | All I Need 4:25 | 87 |
12 | Renegade 5:37 feat. Eminem | 93 |
13 | Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) 3:40 | 89 |
14 | Lyrical Exercise 3:46 Hidden Track | 88 |
15 | Girls, Girls, Girls, Pt. II 4:14 Hidden Track | 84 |
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