The Blueprint

From Free net encyclopedia

The Blueprint (2001) is the sixth album from rapper Jay-Z. Originally intended to be released on September 18 2001, the album's release was pushed forward one week to September 11, 2001, in order to combat widespread bootlegging.

1 Overview
2 Critical Reception and Impact
3 Track listing
4 Accolades
5 Personnel

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Overview

The Blueprint was reportedly cut in two days. Jay-Z was awaiting two criminal trials, one for gun possession, another for assault. At the time he had become hip-hop's most attacked artist, with Nas, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and others attacking him in song. Half of The Blueprint became a battle album, in which Hova, from on high, attacks Nas, Prodigy, and all manner of prosecutors and persecutors. Jay-Z deepens his sound on The Blueprint as well. Here, Jay-Z and his producers turn to vintage soul, fueling almost every song with a stirring vocal sample: Al Green, Bobby "Blue" Bland, David Ruffin and the Jackson 5. Exceptions include "Jigga That Nigga," "Hola' Hovito," "All I Need," and most notably "Renegade," the latter in which Eminem (the producer of the track) breaks the album out of the soul-sample loop and produces a slow bounce, full of strings and pings and wildly assonant rhymes. Where Eminem likes to play fast and on both sides of each argument, Jay-Z moves through his rhymes solid and dependable, almost obsessive about making every word heard and every intention understood. The album is notable in that "Renegade" is the only collaborative track.

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Critical Reception and Impact

The Blueprint contained a unique and balanced blend of soulful samples that had both street credibility and mainstream appeal, thereby garnering praise from all quarters and receiving special recognition from critics. Upon its release, The Blueprint was rated as Vibe Magazine's "Best Album of the year", and even received a 5 mic (out of 5) rating from The Source (a distinction set aside solely for hip hop classics). The popularity and commercial success of the album established Kanye West as one of hip-hop’s most celebrated producers. Furthermore, The Blueprint signaled a major stylistic shift in hip-hop production towards a more Soul/R&B-esque and sample-reliant sound —creating a number of imitators who attempted to emulate the album's atmospheric style. Prior to The Blueprint, mainstream hip-hop producers had largely eschewed music sampling in favor of the keyboard-driven Timbaland sound (characterized by a shifting, syncopated rhythm, similar to samba or jungle music), due to the financial and legal issues associated with copyright laws. The Blueprint however, revived musical sampling as a common practice in hip hop music and dislodged the digitally keyboard-driven production style as the dominant sound in hip-hop music[1]. Kanye West would later incorporate some of the production and sampling techniques he used on this album into his own solo albums (see The College Dropout and Late Registration.)

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Track listing

"The Ruler's Back" (Carter/Harrel/Hurtt/Sigler) (Produced by Bink/Samples Jackie Moore - "If") - 3:49
"Takeover" (Burdon/Carter/Chandler/Densmore/Krieger/Lemay/Lomax/Manz/Morrison/Parker/West) (Produced by Kanye West/Samples The Doors - "Five to One") - 5:13
"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" (Carter/Gordy/Mizell/Perren/Richards/West) (Produced by Kanye West/Samples The Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back") - 4:00
"Girls, Girls, Girls" (Brock/Carter/Relf/Smith) (Produced by Just Blaze/Samples Tom Brock - "I Love You More and More Every Time") - 4:35
"Jigga That Nigga" (Barnes/Carter/Olivier) (Produced by Poke & Tone for Trackmasters Entertainment) - 3:24
"U Don't Know" (Byrd/Carter/Smith) (Produced by Just Blaze/Samples Bobby Byrd - "I'm Not to Blame") - 3:19
"Hola' Hovito" (Carter/Mosley) (Produced by Timbaland) - 4:33
"Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" (Carter/Price/Walsh/West) (Produced by Kanye West/Samples Bobby "Blue" Bland - "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City") - 3:43
"Never Change" (Carter/Miller/West) (Produced by Kanye West/Samples David Ruffin - "Common Man") - 3:58
"Song Cry" (Carter/Gibbs/Johnson/Smith) (Produced by Just Blaze/Samples Bobby Glenn - "Sounds Like a Love Song") - 5:03
"All I Need" (Carter/Harrel) (Produced by Bink) - 4:28
"Renegade" (featuring Eminem) (Mathers/Carter) (Produced by Eminem) - 5:37
"Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)" (Carter/Green/Harrel) (Produced by Bink/Samples Al Green - "Free at Last") - 3:28
- The regular audio track is followed by a period of silence, and then two hidden tracks, "Breathe Easy" (3:45) and a remix of "Girls, Girls, Girls" (4:16)