#252 - Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)

MUSIC HISTORY COMPILED BY ADAM BERNARD:

BACKGROUND – JAY-Z

Jay-Z is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of entertainment company Roc Nation, and was the president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007. Born and raised in New York City, Jay-Z began his musical career in the late 1980s; he co-founded the record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995 and released his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt in 1996. The album was released to widespread critical success, and solidified his standing in the music industry.

Shawn Corey Carter was born in Brooklyn in 1969 and grew up in the infamous Marcy Projects in Bed-Stuy. His father Adnis Reeves left at a young age, leaving Jay-Z and his two siblings to be raised alone by his mother Gloria. Jay says that he shot his brother in the shoulder at 12 years old for stealing his jewelry. He went to a couple of different high schools, at one point with The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. He was also dealing crack at this point, and got shot a few times himself. The name Jay-Z is a hat tip to his mentor, hip hop artist and producer Jaz-O. Carter can be heard on some of Jaz-O’s early recordings in the late 1980s and 1990s, but he got his first big break on the posse cut of Big Daddy Kane’s "Show and Prove" in 1994, and was also making cameo appearances on stage during live shows. He also appeared on Big L’s “Da Graveyard”. Jay released his first single “In My Lifetime” in 1995, but had no record label deal. After forming Roc-A-Fella Records with Damon “Dame” Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke the same year, his debut release “Reasonable Doubt” came out in 1996. Prior to that, Jay had been selling burned CDs out of his car. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, and was generally favored by critics. After reaching a new label distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Produced by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, and outsold his previous release. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he told the stories of his difficult upbringing. The album's glossy production stood as a contrast to his first release, and some dedicated fans felt he had "sold out." Like its predecessor, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 earned platinum status in the United States. In 1998, Jay-Z released Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as Swizz Beatz, an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders, and Timbaland. Vol. 2would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies. The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination and the academy's decision to not broadcast urban music categories. 

In 1999, Jay-Z collaborated with Mariah Carey on "Heartbreaker", a song from her seventh album, Rainbow. The song became Jay-Z's first chart-topper in the US, spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. In that same year, Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. The album proved successful and sold over 3 million copies, with the most successful single being "Big Pimpin". In 2000, Jay-Z released The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but Def Jam turned into a Jay-Z album. The album helped to introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes, Just Blaze, and Kanye West. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums. The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S. alone.

In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with a Jay-Z line from "Money, Cash, Hoes" that he felt alluded disparagingly to Mobb Deep and Prodigy's dispute with Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Death Row Records. He later performed the song "Takeover" (prior to it's release on today's album), at Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson. A line at the end of the song referred to Nas, who criticized him on "We Will Survive". Nas responded with a diss track called "Ether" and Jay-Z straightaway added a verse to "Takeover" for today's album which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. The feud had ended by 2005, Jay-Z stated Mark Pitts had helped them settle the feud 

Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse, a double album. The album debuted in the top spot on the Billboard 200, selling over 3 million units in the U.S. alone, and surpassed today's album, The Blueprint. It was later reissued in a single-disc version, The Blueprint 2.1, which retained half of the tracks from the original. The album spawned two massive hit singles, "Excuse Me Miss" and "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", which features Jay-Z's now- wife, Beyoncé. After visiting the south of France, Jay-Z announced work on his eighth studio album The Black Album at the opening of the 40/40 Club. Notable songs on the album included "What More Can I Say", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Change Clothes", and "99 Problems". After holding a "retirement party" in 2003, he returned with Kingdom Come in 2006. Jay-Z's comeback single, "Show Me What You Got", was leaked early on the Internet, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the FBI to step in and investigate. He released his tenth album entitled American Gangster in 2007. After viewing the Ridley Scott film of the same name, Jay-Z was heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler. The album is not the film's official soundtrack. Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 was released 3 days early in North America due to increasing anticipation. It was his 11th album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and had surpassed Elvis Presley's previous record, making him the current solo-artist record holder. Magna Carta Holy Grail debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 528,000 copies in its first week. He received nine nominations at the 2014 Grammy Awards, more than any other artist. Jay-Z appeared on his wife Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, Beyoncé, with a feature on the song "Drunk in Love". They performed this song together at the Grammy Awards opening that year. The song and its accompanying album would later win three Grammy Awards including Best R&B Performance at the 2015 ceremony. His most recent album and 13th studio release, 4:44, came out in 2017. 

Through his business ventures, Jay-Z became the first hip-hop billionaire in 2019. In 1999, he founded the clothing retailer Rocawear, and in 2003, he founded the luxury sports bar chain 40/40 Club. Both businesses have grown to become multi-million-dollar corporations, and allowed him to start up Roc Nation in 2008. In 2015, he acquired the tech company Aspiro and took charge of their media streaming service Tidal. In 2020, he launched Monogram, a line of cannabis products. As of 2023, he is currently the wealthiest musical artist in the world with a net worth of US$2.5 billion. 

Jay Z is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with over 140 million records sold. He has won 24 Grammy Awards, the joint-most Grammy awards of any rapper along with Kanye West. Jay-Z also holds the record for the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 (14). He has also been the recipient of the NAACP's President's Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Sports Emmy Award. He also received a nomination for a Tony Award. Jay-Z was the first rapper honored in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the first solo living rapper inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. 

Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he has been central to the creative and commercial success of Kanye West, Rihanna, and J. Cole. He is an all-time important artist to the genre, whose longevity while still staying at the top of the genre is rivaled by very few.

ALBUM BACKGROUND – THE BLUEPRINT

Hov’s second of his three classics, (Reasonable Doubt and The Black Album being the others, The Blueprint was the album that began to turn Jay Z from a rapper into the rapper. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West (which this album helped pave the way for his big career), Just Blaze (this album put him on the map too), and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature. West produced four of the thirteen tracks on the album, including the songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and the controversial "Takeover", which included diss lyrics aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy, while Just Blaze produced three tracks, "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Song Cry", and "U Don't Know"

-At the time of the album's recording, Jay-Z was awaiting two criminal trials, one for gun possession and another for assault, and had become one of hip hop's most dissedartists, receiving insults from rappers such as Nas, Prodigy, and Jadakiss.

The Blueprint was reportedly cut in two weeks, with Jay-Z recording nine songs in two days. Jay-Z and his producers used vintage soul as inspiration, including a vocal sample on almost every track from such artists as Al Green, Bobby "Blue" Bland, David Ruffin and The Jackson 5. Exceptions include "Jigga That Nigga", "Hola Hovito", and "Renegade", a track produced by and featuring the rapper Eminem, and the only track on the album featuring another rapper on verses. 

2)Despite its release coinciding with the September 11 attacks, it sold over 427,000 copies in its opening week and debuted at number one in the US, holding the spot for three weeks. becoming Jay-Z's fourth consecutive album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It was later certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," being the first entry created in the 21st century 

3) The Blueprint received universal acclaim from music critics, with praise being directed at Jay-Z's lyricism and the album's soul based soundscape. It is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time