Jay Z, The Blueprint

The Blueprint ranks as perhaps Jay-Z's finest album since his debut Reasonable Doubt. He marked a change in direction for Jay-Z and it integrated him back into the echelons of the hip hop fraternity. It had been remarked that Jay-Z's previous albums had been overly commercialised, and despite doing well in the U.S. charts, they had alienated him from core rap fans.

On this album we see many sides of Jay-Z. One of the main themes appears to be a soulful backdrop, in which his rhymes are heard. The lyrics are sharp and witty, and the mood is set by the track 'Takeover', which is second in the playlist. The track is supposedly the 'diss track', infamous within the hip hop circles, where rappers take aim at each other, lyrically speaking. On this occasion Jay-Z in particular singles out rapper Nas for criticism, and in some ways he effectively resurrects his career and instigates a retaliation track by the name of 'Ether' on Nas' Stillmatic later that year. Thus, the track goes on to be one of the biggest selling points of the album.

The album will always be remembered for the fact it was released on September 11 2001, but this didn't really stop the album from being a success, and it is little wonder why. There are many stand-out tracks on the album; in particular the Motown sampled 'Heart of the City', which is a collaboration with Eminem on Renegade, and an emotion 'Song Cry'.

The production on this album is exceptional, and in many ways it put talented producers Kanye West and Just Blaze on the map. There are hardly any filler songs at all. The album is much shorter than some of his previous attempts, and this was a quality over quantity approach, which in effect worked really well. The album was very well acclaimed, and it is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 albums of 2001, and it is hard to dispute that case. It is certainly an album you will listen to again and again.

1. The Ruler's Back

2. Takeover

3. Izzo (H.O.V.A.)

4. Girls, Girls, Girls

5. Jigga That N***a

6. U Don't Know

7. Hola' Hovito

8. Heart Of The City (Ain't No Love)

9. Never Change

10. Song Cry

11. All I Need

12. Renagade

13. Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)

Jay Z, The Blueprint - This is pure genius from the Jigga man. Jay-Z shows the talent that was displayed on Reasonable Doubt and takes his music to new levels with 'The Blueprint'. 'The Ruler's Back' is a great start to the album as Jay lets us know that what's about to come will prove who owns the rap game. 'Takeover' not only shows who's "Running this rap sh*t" but also allows Jay-Z to take his shots at Mobb Deep and Nas. Jigga's disses of these two are classic and show who's on top, "You little sh*t I got money stacks bigger than you" to the ballerina. 'H to the Izzo' - no need for words, just listen and bob your head. 'U Don't Know' gives us a real insight into Jay's life and background and the beat on 'Heart of the City' mixed with the soulful chorus have all the makings of a classic. One downside perhaps is the fact that the two slower more emotional songs are back to back (Never Change, Song Cry) and are followed by the worst track (All I Need). Despite the slower songs' great lyrics that are from the heart, this threesome of songs makes a small hole in the album. HOWEVER - this is an absolutely awesome album, and rivals Jigga's best stuff. Either buy it, or illegally download it on Kazaa. Now.