The Blueprint

T3B 1. Renegade 2. Izzy (H.O.V.A.) 3. Girls, Girls, Girls

aight

Fine I guess. I liked Takeover and Renegade best.

“ Males shouldnt be jealous. Thats a female trait.” Spoken like a true incel Best: All I Need, Izzo Dishonourable mention: The girls gurls girls chorus, for both songs, what the fuck?

Jay Z is good but he's not my style

if you are not interested in the lyrics of the songs it's not for you

Hupailubiisit naurattavat aidosti, ja välissä on kappaleita, joiden flow pysäyttää. Nimibiisistä sain jopa kylmät väreet. Toisin sanoen tämä on perustellusti levy, joka "kannattaa kuulla".

I don't know anything about the history of rap / hip hop but it's interesting to me that this was only 2 years after The Slim Shady LP. Enjoyed this one much more

Solid but I'd prefer his Black Album any day. I don't know what nearly every track needs a big name guest. Tracks with Big Boi and Beyonce stand out but the whole project is tainted by collabs with Eminem and Lenny Kravitz.

Music, beats and production is excellent - however on this record Jay Z is an intolerable dick. He just sounds like a rhyming CEO and I have expect him to pull out a power point at an all hands meeting. It’s basically C-Level hip hop and not in a good way. It rhymes, it flows, it’s about to be fun but Jay’s eagerness to show how awesome he is falls short and sounds like overcompensation - which if he chilled it’s obvious that he would be awesome if he stopped getting in his own way. Better than Biggie? No - he doesn’t have the true swagger and effortless charm. Even when Biggie goes low he’s always a cut above - Jay Z spends an entire album just dissing and not much else to the extent Eminem’s guest appearance is almost welcome dose of adulthood. Shame cos the record could have been perfect and Jay is a true master of flow. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

80/100: I had high expectations going into this album; perhaps too high. I've heard a lot about "The Blueprint," and as someone who's really enjoyed most Jay-Z song's that I've listened to but never dove into his work, I was really excited to listen to this. I'm really disappointed that my expectations weren't met. This is a good rap album, no doubt, but—I don't know—I find it hard to believe this is considered Jay-Z's best work. I think maybe Jay-Z is a great single-producing artist, but his albums themselves aren't great standalone works. I know all of this is really controversial, and I hate that this is how I feel—I really wanted to find this to be a masterpiece. I just can't honestly say this is that great. There are some pretty cool lines, like "I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell. I am a hustler baby, I'll sell water to a well," but they're just well-worded variants of the typical braggadocious lines you can find in any mediocre rap album. I don't think that makes a good album, especially in the rap genre where competition for the top spot is hotly contested.

Not my favourite hip hop artist, but not bad

Solid flows, a lot of good beats, kinda boring at times though. No song on here comes close to shook ones, and the album is no illmatic, so not sure I would say takeover really hits home.

Honestly, never been that big a fan of Jay-Z, is there something wrong with me? Beats are okay, lyrics are too heavy on the “this is why I’m better” train, and idk about his flow… I like the Girls song though

Nostalgic!

Favourite song: Takeover One for the karaoke: Izzo One for the car: Heart of the City It’s a high 3 for sure

Blueprint 3 was good, did t see this one.

Not my kind of thing but I do respect the production values

I appreciate his skills but not really my jam

Best Song: Izzo (H.O.V.A). Real funky dance track, that sounds like an extended intro but in a good way. Worst Song: Girls, Girls, Girls. It's really just Jay-Z obnoxiously shouting "Girls" over a mediocre beat. I guess at least it's as advertised? Overall: For a guy who seems like he's such a big part of pop culture, this is by far the most Jay-Z I've ever in one sitting. Turns out the best parts of the album are the parts that aren't him. Many of the beats, most of the samples... Great. It's when he starts "yeah"-ing overtop those samples that things start falling off. Lyrically, not exactly heavy hitting either. Never, while listening to this album, do I think, "I'm glad Jay-Z said that thing, and I'm glad that's the way he said it." Can't believe lyrics like "I can't see 'em comin' down my eyes" made it past being shown to literally anyone. And am I wrong to say that "Renegade" is an Eminem song with a Jay-Z feature, rather than vice versa?

Great beats and samples. It's a lush, rich album just ruined by Jay Z being such a complete dick. If only it were in another language, then I could probably enjoy it.

Izzo, not bad.

This album has some of the best beats by JAY-Z... But some of his worst lyrics too. So uh... I guess it's a perfect balance?

A 2000's hip-hop classic. Doors sample on The Takeover is fun HOV is a much better poet than Morrison and probably less of an asshole. I remember when the NAS beef was a thing. Do they still have beef? Probably not, they're too old and too rich. Remember when Jigga was only worth 120 mil? I forgot Eminem was on this. So 2001. I miss Em's old playful style before he became the Rap God of spiritual lyrical miracle rappers. The album that for better or worse (better IMO but some might debate...) introduced the world to Kanye West. Hugely culturally relevant album in hindsight. In 2022 it's really easy to hear which tracks are the Ye ones: the good ones with the soul samples. Girls, Girls, Girls is probably not PC anymore but still less egregious than the Beastie Boys of Motley Crüe songs with the same name. Decent album overall but too long like most rap albums from the CD era

I mean, it's all right. So far i can recognize its well made art but I'm just mostly not vibing with this style of rap overall.

All surface. Rap mechanics in place of depth. But hey, he's a billionaire. Just ask him.

Alltid gillat jayz kaxiga rappstil men inte mitt album of choice.

I like Takeover. Renegade with Eminem is good. The album was all right, it was good.

лучше слушать, не читая, а то как-то... ну :) айкью падает "м йе мм йе, бэйби" ... 1 час такое слушать скучно. вот понравилась мне по звучанию песня Heart of the City я думаю: а почитаю текст. а там... ну как же скучно... по звуку еще never change

Antingen en stark trea eller svag fyra.

The Blueprint is the sixth album by American rapper Jay-Z. At release it was considered Jay-Z's best album since his debut album, and today it is considered one of the best hip-hop albums of all time and has been certified double platinum. The album's hip hop beats were inspired by vintage soul music, and some parts of old soulful songs & vocals were sampled on this album. The sampling on this album influenced other producers to begin sampling music again, since most artists stopped sampling sometime in the late 90's to focus more on creating new beats and melodies. This album also introduces Kanye West to the music world as a producer because he produced 4 of the tracks. Eminem is featured on 1 track as the producer and the only other rapper with verses on this album. The Blueprint was a great album to listen to and its music still holds up to this day.

The whole rappers feuding with other rappers and dis track thing doesn’t really do me. Never the less, nicely produced with some good tunes in there.

Not such a fan of this egocentric style of hip-hop. Strong beats and production though. Heart of the City is a tune.

Not my favorite Jay Z album and actually sounds pretty washed out compared to hip hop production today

Probably one of my least favorite genres. But, this is one of the best 90's hip-hop albums I've heard. Hats off to Mister Z. I'd give it a bit of a higher score by the language really destroys the music. 3/5

I rather like this album. The beats are uncomplicated. The delivery is classic. Kanyes production is tight. The repetitive "i was a nobody but now I am important" is a bit repetitive but still it kinda fits. Girls(x3) seems a bit eye rolling. 3.

I like me some good hiphop, but overall I just find this a very inconsistent album, with on one hand some absolute great songs (TakeOver, U Don't Know, Renegades) and on the other atrocious missteps like Girls Girls Girls and Never Change. I seem to always be in the minority when it comes to this album. I have a lot of time for Jay-Z, but this isn't just fully it. Would love to see an album with the quality of the top songs throughout. And this just isn't it. 3,5*

Fav songs: - Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) - Renegade

He likes girls. He could sell water to a well. He's the sinatra of his day. Funky sample use.

Best tof! Goeie samples en niet zo over de top als mening andere rappert. En ik luister meestal toch niet zo naar de teksten en dat is hier ook wel goed. :-)

Enjoyed Takeover with the doors/ray manzarek sampling

I guess if you're going to listen to hip hop, this might be the way to go. Personally I like my hip hop more Australian. (#hilltophoods 😊) The samples and collabs make this varied and listenable.

Hip-hop week continues, and this is the weakest of the bunch. I've heard plenty of Jay-Z, I think he's fine but his rap is exactly the kind I'm not into. All he's talking about is himself, how much money he has, how tough he is, how many women he gets and treats like garbage. Pure bravado, no art. Points because it's competently made but not something I would ever seek out.

Really good use of music/samples for a very accessible and pop feel. Pretty good listen for a non hip-hopper! A high 3.

nja, det blir lite lame ibland.

Les beats sont nice mais la voix et le flow de Jay-Z viennent monotone à la longue

There's a reason why Jay-Z is one of the top rappers of the late 90s/early 00s, and this album is one of them. Overall it was a decent hip-hop album, but I think it's just the style of late 90s/early 00s hip-hop that I have never really enjoyed, but there's no doubt that this album had a huge influence at the time. Best: Izzo (H.O.V.A.); Renegade Worst: Jigga That Nigga

the odd cracking sample

Considering that I've never been a fan on his singles that I would catch on the radio sometimes, that was way better than expected. You can see that this had a lot of influence on Kanye and that he indeed surpassed the master pretty quickly, but the beats are still great for the most part.

It was better than expected, but some parts I was wondering what was going on (in a bad way)

While at first refreshing, it quickly becomes stale. While some of the tracks have pretty great beats, and some of the lyrics and flows are fun, those rarely conincide. The overall length also plays it no favours. Some of the lyrics also did not age well.

Na pierwszy przesłuch, bit był nie najgorszy, ale jak zacząłem dogłębniej słuchać tekstów, to znowu ciężko się utożsamić jak śpiewa tylko o hajsie, dragach i dziewczynach. W dodatku muzyka często nie przeszkadza w jego flow i wychodzi taka średniawka. Ponad godzinę tego słuchać to jednak trochę za dużo. Najlepsze Izzo (H.O.V.A).

Pleasantly surprised by this, though he's a name of course. Not just the flow, which is listenable, but the beats and hooks are great.

Solo he escuchado el Black Album de él, pero parece que este es su trabajo más importante en vista que ha seguido haciendo "blueprints". Me ha gustado Takeover con los samples de The Doors, interesante musicalmente Udon't know y Hola'Hovito.

Bon album de hip-hop, mais j’ai du mal à comprendre pourquoi il est considéré comme une œuvre majeure.

Achei repetitivo found it repetitive

Bit boring tbh!

I was surprised to have known as many of these songs as I did. That said there are better Jay Z albums.

3.3

okay besides the blatant misogyny

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Weird choice. It's okay, but this being the sole Jay-Z album over Reasonable Doubt, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Black Album, or 4:44? I don't get it.

Rap, hip/hop de un compositor muy reconocido. Personalmente no lo veo tan distintivo con relación a otros artistas del mismo género. El disco se puede escuchar sin más. No destaca en nada ni defrauda

Mon premier Jay Z. Intéressant d'entendre les productions de Kanye West sur cet album. Un peu redondant par contre, mais la production est solide.

Pretty good, but sounds too safe. Girls Girls Girls is shite. Heart of the City is good

Ca se laisse écouter. Mais me laissera pas un souvenir impérissable

-Sweet bass groove in "Takeover." Also it took a second listen but I noticed the sampling of the Doors on the second listen -I like the very triumphant beat and lyrics to "U Don't Know" -Mu favorite track was "Renegade," because I like Eminem and he is on that track. I also like how JAY-Z totally changed his flow to be more rhyme-scheme based to keep up with Eminem -Why we're some of my favorite rhymes and flows on the hidden track "Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2)?" -Overall the beats were solid, although the flow wasn't my personal favorite

2 songs save this album from being complete trash.

I thought I’d be indifferent with this album going in, but I actually enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Not a rap fan at all, but the samples kept it interesting and it was really catchy in parts. 3/5 - The second half of the album dragged a little bit, I think it might have benefitted from being a bit shorter.

Really well produced. Excellent flow and delivery. Consistently high quality the whole way through - not marred by stupid 'skits' that were so prevalent in a lot of hip-hop at that time. Questionable lyrics - not particularly into the whole 'guns and bitches' thing - but as it's all bullshit bravado anyway I'm okay with it. (3.3)

Would definitely not mind listening to the album while working or something. Wouldnt download most of them, maybe a few

Fun vintage stuff from the world of sampling whatever you want to.

OK. Had higher expectations.

No doubting his talent but this isn't much fun.

Not my thing. More melodic than I thought, but I can't appreciate the lyrics.

I can't believe that I've never listened to a JAY Z album before! It was very cool. I loved the grooves and the samples made me want to explore the originals. A great example of using music to honor a legacy. My big critique is how he talks about women (using the b work) and money. But.......there's probably some depth to that history as well.

Solid album, but seemed somewhat generic to this here metal head

Never change is fire. I appreciate The more reflective moments more than the flex tracks, which get redundant. Good flow from Jayz and instrumentals overall, but shows it’s age a bit with an over abundance of choruses and songs that could’ve used some trimming

Excellent production and some classic tracks. A powerhouse of the 2000s for a reason

A very even keeled album. Solid and dependable to the point where it verges on being boring for me. Just kind of starts blurring together after the first few tracks. I like Jay Z's voice but the mixing on the album sometimes sounds a bit wonky to my ear. Some details stick out more than they should and maybe I just want more reverb or something to smooth it out and give it more atmosphere. As is it's a bit too clean to the point of coming across kinda flat.

Never got into Jay-Z, always felt he was very typical in terms of rap, which I guess you can say he is a classic. Honestly a bit bored of the album and it's fine... just not my thing,

very enjoyable!

Aside from some of his mega hits, I don't really love Jay Z all that much. Maybe it's because I have hard time separating the art from the artist, and Jay Z is kinda gross. Izzo is still great, and is the best track on the album, but it's not his best.

This exercise has given me a new appreciation for hip hop, however this album though not bad seems a little clichéd to me. Two or three really good songs, especially the one with Eminem. I'm rating it at 3.5 🌟 for overall enjoyment.

I'm a big hiphop fan but I was only 2 years old when this album came out so I haven't actually listened to it fully. I know that this is truly a classic album, and I really enjoyed it. I'm a bit torn between a three and four star rating but I will give it a strong 3.

Nice rap album top to bottom

This album isn't really my style, but I think I can tell it's well-done. The tracks I liked most were The Ruler's Back and Izzo (H.O.V.A.). I also thought it was sweet how in the title track he gave shoutouts to important people in his life.

First time listening. Enjoyed, might be Jay Z at his best. Liked the Eminem feature. Probably not one I’ll listen to again.

5/10

There was a lot to unpack with this album

19th October 2021 Listened on my phone in the office on a nightmare of a day where the sofa bed got delivered and the Internet went down. Interesting that it was released on 9/11, felt like a prelude to the black album but still liked it. No real stand out but a good collective.

I've of course heard *of* Jay-Z but have never heard a song by him, so this is perfect - let's go.... My initial impressions over the first two songs were - ehhh I like the music, I don't love the rapper/rap-style. Just didn't click - there's an aggressive monotony that I don't "get" but the third track "Izzo" is great. Jay-Z does a great job rhyming and it's really the rhythm of his rap here which is catchy as hell. More of this please. I don't know...this is a tough one to rank after only listening once - I feel like there's such a density here that I missed a ton, BUT - most of the time the music is the real attraction here. Great sampling and the production is top-notch. Overall though there's a lot of hit and miss for me - the aforementioned "Izzo" "Hola Hovito" and "Heart of the City" (last one really/mostly for the sampled original song) and "Blueprint" are my standouts but as an album it didn't have enough to make me mark it as a keeper. i.e. wouldn't reject it if it were on but probably wouldn't voluntarily listen again. 5/10 3 stars

I had always considered this to be one of my favourite rap albums but had not listened to this in a long time. It still sounds great today but listening now from start to finish it also feels to long and too many tracks I’d skip past. Some cracking individual tracks on here though

So it all gets a little repetitive for me. I love Jay Zs vocal style and there are some brilliant moments but bar a couple of tracks not much elevates this to justify more than a really good 3

Smooth flows, enjoyable lyrics, and nostalgic sounds. I’ve not listened to a lot of JayZ before but the music was still enjoyable.

I liked that more than I thought I would.

Si inizia molto male, i primi pezzi non mi arrivano in alcun modo e anche musicalmente non capisco bene l'idea di Jay Z e mi ha fatto pensare "me lo ricordavo meglio", poi dopo aver superato un dei peggiori pezzi (girls girls) il disco è andato a migliorare e ho trovato pezzi un pò più solidi e che mi arrivavano di più con alcuni bei campiono soul. Comunque è un 3 molto scarso.

Not bad, but Rap is definitely not my style, I can enjoy it but it's not my thing.

classic j but nothing really stands out 3.5

Hip-hop is not my favorite genre, but this was pretty good. But what does that say when my favorite song on the album is the one featuring Eminem? Anyway, better than most. 3.2/5

Exceptional beats in most of the songs, the lyrics not so much though. I'm not very into what Jay Z represents and is preaching here, but if you aren't paying a lot of attention to what he is saying then yeah it's a great album.

Disc de hip hop molt musical, amb apropaments al soul, pop i tot de tonades i samples que el fan d'escolta molt lleugera. Amb el flow característic de Jay-Z i alguns dels millors temes de la seva discografia

dudes got the sauce

The first Jay-Z album I've listened to. He's clearly talented and has some clever lyrics, but I think it's telling that my favorite track on the album is the one where Eminem takes the lead.

Not my fav, not bad?

This album sounds incredible but the lyrical content really holds it back. Bragging and misogyny have never really been my thing.

I expected to like this a lot more than I did.

Seems like a classic, I just don't really like hiphop

Had a few good tracks. Didn’t care for the mixing. Wouldn’t listen to again besides maybe 1 or 2 tracks

Very nice, but not my favorite Jay Z album by a long shot. I know it's beloved, but, I don't know, I just don't love these tracks. The flows are peak on here, though.

The first half was really uninspired I think with som really mediocre beats, but then it began to pick up and was actually ok. Song cry and heart of the city were great

3/5 nice one, could be better

production is fantastic, and i'm sure it's an important entry in his oeuvre and music of that era. not really my jam, though. highlights for me were kanye's production on takeover and heart of the city.

.

More interested in the backing tracks and beats than his lyrics. Not really for me.

zo (H.O.V.A.)" Released: August 21, 2001 "Girls, Girls, Girls" Released: October 2, 2001 "Jigga That Nigga" Released: January 29, 2002 "Song Cry" Released: April 16, 2002

I didn't get a chance to listen again, but I really enjoy Girls, Izzo, and Heart of the City. This is back when Kanye was a producer, and not as crazy. I like that Kanye.

Not my kins style of music, but enjoyed

Couldn’t listen to the full album because ours more on YouTube music

Takeover and All I Need probably my favourites. Your reign on top was shorter than leprechauns. Enjoyed the Tom Jones-esque scream in U Don’t Know

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. A bit repetitive with some lyrics on some songs, enough for it to get a bit annoying. A few more f-bombs than I prefer to. Overall though, I enjoyed it.

Hip hop. Un poco pesado pero sin estar del todo mal.

Semibängeri Slässic räp

fresher tune - 3

:catjam:

Respect HOV. I guess it was okay not my favorite album kinda outdated hip hop if I’m being honest

ok

Although RAP is not my cup of tea, the album at at least three tracks that got my vibes going.

Didn’t have a chance to listen. Didn’t hate what I heard, but a little too much language for my taste generally.

Black album better

His other stuff is shite, but this is good!

Good, but not my thing

I think the Black Album is better but I didn't give this one a full listen because I wasn't really into listen to hip-hop yesterday.

I don't know which songs are specifically Kanye, but there are some classic Ye beats here. The Nas dis track "Takeover" is probably the best song on the record. That or "Izzo." Crazy that this was released on 9/11. Maybe that's why I never spent a lot of time with it. I've always liked Jay's singles over the albums. I loved how he could drop a track on Hot 97 at any time. I'd jump through this again, but I'm not thrilled to go through the whole thing. 20 years later is this an all-timer? I don't think so, but my opinion appears to diverge with many.

Didn't listen to all of it but was a decent few tunes in there with solid beats and nice samples.

Great flows and beats. I do think the vocal sampling became somewhat gimmicky but not to the point where it sunk the tracks. Great listen

not gonna revisit it

I need big, heavy, interesting beats to really enjoy hip hop. The beats on this album don't do much for me besides Izzo. Jay Z is obviously an incredible lyricist though.

Probably 3.5 stars

Halfway through this album I got to thinking maybe I don't like hip hop at all, maybe I just like the fancy production these guys do. I mean, I really love that fancy production. But then Eminem appeared and changed my mind back again. Musically I love this album, but it says something that my favourite track is the one with someone else primarily on it.

Well produced, musically interesting, a lot of traditional R&B mixed in, sample of The Doors. As expected, don't relate to rap lyrics.

Very much not my normal genre of music, but I did enjoy some songs

Não gosto do Jay-Z. Doideira. Com certeza atrapalhou a audição. Hora de revisar os pré-conceitos para uma próxima oportunidade.

H to the

Honestly this isn't half bad... it's catchy, sounds well produced, is a bit long (pretty much every rap album after like 2000 is tho) and credit where it's due, he does have a good flow. 3/5.

I can’t believe this came out on actual 9/11. Solid hip hop album, but there are better in this list

I just don’t get Jay-Z.

⭐⭐+ Det är ok men inte mer. Finns enskilda spår som är catchy men generellt inget jag kommer lyssna på det blir en stark 2a. Bäst är Take over, Girls girls girls, Heart of the city, Never change

Nu är jag trött på millenieskiftes-hiphip. Tråkig musik.

It was OK. After a while, all the songs sound too similar. Classic hip hop, and hearing eminem was nice, but it was too samey.

I remember listening to this album about five years ago when I was going through all the 1001 albums I hadn't heard yet. I say I remember, but in actuallity, the most memorable part was that I fell asleep for a moment, which was not a good thing because I was at work. That being said, Jay-Z is an awful human being (not in funny way), who does not deserve an ouce of the fame he has, and the music surely matches those descriptors. Some of the songs here were produced by a young Kanye West, another awful human being (in a funny way). Key tracks: Izzo (H.O.V.A.) All I Need

Obviously some good songs on here, but there's sooooo much filler..

I don’t like hip hop but this is tolerable

kinda nice but mostly boring tbh ! monotone rapper, & minus point for boring lyrics themes, couldn't keep me engaged at all

Really only know Jay Z from the Linkin Park Collision Course album. So hearing his actual songs is weird.

Them f*ggots always playing on the rappers minds innit? So sorry to hear this. I guess it's excusable because erm homophobia is fine if it's in music that is litrally just a man talking over samples that are so much better than the content of his own album. Goodness, if only folks would try to sing mayhaps. And bloody Eminem turned up to make things worse

Jay Z’s accenting “huh” is cool but that’s all this album has going for it.

I’ve been told this album is one of the best. Nobody has explained why. I didn’t love it but didn’t mind it either. Jay Z’s music is arrogant and not that great in my opinion. I wasn’t even blown away by the production. Where are the beats?

I've been wondering a few times if any Jay-Z albums would appear on this list... He's certainly an influential rapper, as it's quite possible that the fake, overproduced hip-hop/rap that permeated the radio in the 2000s had something of Jay-Z as a starting point. The only genuine things on this album are the samples used and Eminem's presence on Renegade. 2 stars

Maybe like the 10th worst thing to happen on 9/11? It's not dreadful, but it's pretty dull, and nothing stands out in particular. It's very basic -- a literal blueprint of Hip-Hop.

675/1001 2026.08.07 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 Será muy bueno en lo suyo, pero no es para mí. No soporto más canción y media...

This blueprint is really faded. I can't build anything from it. ★★

I just really don’t like rap in general and this just seemed to be another rap album to me that I tolerated to listen to.

Renegage

I guess this was big when it came out but it sounds to me like a high school football locker room. However washed up Nas and Prodigy may have been by this point, they put out some of the smoothest, freshest sounding music of the 90s - that Jay-Z not only felt comfortable coming at them with something as gaudy and graceless as this, but was hailed for it, is … maybe it’s best not to speak on it. It’s got that early Kanye production going for it at least, though I feel like Kanye’s breezy, almost sassy style fits his beats better than Jay-Z’s indefatigable smugness.

The music is well produced, the samples are good, the best bit can't go wrong to be fair but then he raps. Obviously heard of him but not his actual music, and colour me well, underwhelmed. It’s obvious, poppy, common denominator kind of rap, like the rap version of the most formulated middle of the road rock - hit all the expected spots, "radio friendly if that's still a thing. Guess no problem with that, just a bit so what in the end, but 47m listeners a month? Baaa It's corporate vs Real grass roots. All capitalism dream stuff, guess he knows that subject at least. It was ok in the background but nothing that made me consider return or exploring his catalogue. 2 Star

I cannot see the appeal. Sure, the production is really good in some songs, and some instrumentals are actually great... but I just get tired by this man's rapping. At some point, it does not matter how brilliant the production can be if you lose the interest in what you are actually listening. And this album is really uninteresting, both, musically in the way it sounds and in what he is talking about. It is just a fact of not connecting at all with this album, and, I do not think it is either that good for me to not see the greatness in it. This album cannot be that good if the only good thing is the production. Mainly because, at the end, it would not matter who the artist is. And I have not seen anything else than a pretentious person with so much talk and nothing relevant to say.

Some moments of fun and inventiveness. but I'm not a fan of the lyrical content or the backing. Overall, shallow, vapid and repetitive - if you have heard a quarter of these songs, you have heard them all.

Mostly juvenile. I didn’t really appreciate most of the lyrics - again they’re very juvenile. There’s a few good tracks, but way too much here is strictly related to “the rap game.” Insider industry petty business nonsense. Probably a 2.5.

Some of these beats were great but generally this dragged for me. I'm not sure why this guy's lyrics are so highly rated.

I don’t like Jay Z, I don’t like his voice, I don’t like his mongaloid face, I don’t like his P-Diddy 2.0 sec pest vibe but separating the artist from the art this album has some merits. Ignoring the boastful self mythologising some of the underlying tracks are good, there are some great sample choices and tunefulness that makes it understandable why some hip hop fans revere it. 2.4

Not for me. It may well be considered a masterpiece of the genre but there is very little for me to relate to on this and it lacks the charm and style of the old school rap that I do like.

Interesting but I had a difficult time getting through the album.

Nice production, but boring rap.

OK in small doses

Tämän ajan hiphop on minun heiniä pakko myöntää, nykyään tätä vanhempi. Jayn Nasille vittuilu kirpaisee edelleen. Ei tuon flowssa ole mitään niin erikoista mitä se itse pitää itsessään. Erikoinen mies, jolla luurankoja kaapissaan. Nämä kaikki laskee pisteitä

Is he gonna use the cigar guillotine on the mic? So we have this to thank for Kanye I suppose. :D That said, there’s a monotony to Jay’s “legendary flow” that sometimes feels at odds with the material - the more poppy material like Izzo. At the time of its release, I liked the clarity of Jay’s rhymes/delivery and repurposing of soul music, particularly amid Eminem, nu metal, and gangsta rap, but in retrospect...Jay’s kind of an adolescent dick eh?

You earn respect, fuckwit, you can't demand it. Some good 'beats' let down by a weak arrogant voice.

Greedy guts

On paper, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 has everything going for it. A legendary reputation, a roster of producers that includes Kanye West, Eminem, and Timbaland, and one of the most celebrated rappers of his generation. Unfortunately, the album never really clicks with me. The production is consistently strong, but I rarely find myself genuinely excited by what I’m hearing. Track after track passes by competently enough, yet very little leaves a lasting impression. I kept waiting for the album to reveal why it’s held in such high regard, but that moment never quite arrived. I can appreciate its influence and understand why so many people consider it a classic. As a listening experience, though, I find it surprisingly dull.

Que se yo, pasable. No es mi género favorito de música.

Not for me.

I am sure this album has some musical significance, but honestly, JayZ was never my rapper of choice, not much else is appealing in his case except his lyrical prowess, and let's be honest - someone else can do that and much more on top of it too... 2 due to Eminem colab, otherwise it would have been 1 😏

Es klingt einfach überbewertet und langweilig. Die Beats sind nett, aber nichts Besonderes, und Jay‑Z wirkt oft, als würde er routiniert runterspulen statt wirklich etwas zu sagen. Kein Funke, kein Druck, kein Moment, der hängen bleibt.

não gosto de nada que o jay z fez, acho chato e mais do mesmo da época dele (que talvez ele mesmo tenha sido o responsável pela criação xD) a produção do (DEUS O TENHA) kanye west em algumas músicas faz um pouco de diferença nesse aqui ainda assim, achei chato pra caralho, pra mim o jay-z tem responsabilidade enorme na enshittificação do hip hop dos anos 2000 e esse álbum representa isso fortemente

I’ve never had a calling to hear JAY Z’s music, after hearing the full album I still don’t have any intention to keep hearing him

I did not like it very much. I find the grandstanding cringe. But look at our reviews! A one! A two! A one, two, three, four!

Find yourself someone who loves you as much as Jay-Z loves Jay-Z. Way too long, some wack-ass lyrics ("we can get paid longer than Pippen's arms"), but the beats are amazing and there's some bangers sprinkled about.

# Album Name: Blueprint # Artist: Jay-Z # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: I love how everyone hates on clapton etc for being racist yet i dont see many comments on Jay-Z for his antics. Anyway, this album isnt for me. Its long, its boring, the lyrics are terrible. It hasnt aged well at all. Not the worst thing ive ever heard but i didnt enjoy it. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

Not sure how I felt about this one. Some very well made songs, but didn't particularly resonate with me or keep me interested. I think I have to give it sort of a low rating but it's entirely entirely subjective thing.

Jay-Z sounds as bored as I do with his music.

Ruim. O advento do CD permitiu que qualquer um fizesse álbuns de 1h+. Umas são melhorzinhas que outras mas muito repetitivo.

Most rappers are braggadocios but for some reason Jay-Z’s self-aggrandizing on this record is more irritating than usual.

Medio una garcha. Tendría que escuchar el de dr dre y este otra vez para ver con cual me quedo. La comparativa es por ser hip hip, obvio...

Can't believe this is so popular. I was uninspired.

Fuck a billionaire making music about how rich he is.

I like some of the beats and the samples, but the lyrics are boring and pretty heavy on the misogyny.

Like I understand why he’s considered one of the best, I just didn’t connect with this at all

The Ruler’s Back was great but I wasn’t particularly drawn to anything that came afterwards. I guess I only know the biggest Jay-Z songs (arguably also his most sell out ones) and didn’t love the overall style here. Also his name was weirdly styled currently as JAŸ-Z on apple music. what is that umlaut doing there?

Из всех вот этих вот реперов из конца 90-х Jay Z всегда не вызывал у меня увожения, и всё такое. Какой-то холёный воннаби "ghetto boy" который очень хочет казаться "tuff" но для меня это лишь следующая переходная стадия к каким-нибудь Drake из десятых, которые окончательно стали рэперами попсарями с автотюнами и модными биточками. А чё у нас тут? Ну типа, я не понимаю зачем это слушать сейчас, если вы не фанат Жей Зи только. Вторичный рэпчик, про очередного черного который типа "got bitches", cruisin' по району на каком-нибудь бриллиантово-золотом мерседесе. Хоспади, да скока-ж можно то уже. И это якобы "величайший рэп альбом" и всё такое? Побойтесь Бога.

I’ve got nothing. Recognizing his many accomplishments in music, and his ability to stab an enemy in the stomach in a crowded room… and get away with it… I will give the man the respect he has earned. Fuck it, 2 stars. Same old rap crap.

Not my thing

Totally underwhelmed actually - so much good rap music came out of this era and a lot o it credits this as the blueprint (haha) but it falls so flat

From the Vault #12 (February 5, 2026) Yet another pre-written review. As I've also mentioned in my review of "Welcome to the Afterfuture", I'm pretty sick right now, so please excuse the sickobabble or delirium which may or may not be in this review. We're already into 2001, and I'll be into 2002 just one album after this. I've never listened to Jay Z, unsurprisingly, though there's probably one or two songs of his that I've heard through the radio. I'm pretty sure he has a tough, hardcore sound without necessarily belonging to gangsta hip-hop, though I could be mistaken. Anyway, let's get into it. I'm struggling to form an opinion on this. It's just another hip-hop album, which is a genre I'm ostensibly not a fan of. The instrumentals are alright. There's a good level of variety and kick to them, even if the soul stylings aren't exactly my thing. I could also immediately tell this was an album co-produced Kanye. It has that irreverent, operatic feel which is plastered all over his discography. Jay Z is somewhat lacking as a vocalist. He doesn't have much in the way of charismatic or catchy vocals, which makes him sound bog-standard as a result. On a more positive note, I could appreciate how this album encompasses every aspect of New York in its lyrics. I've always thought New York was a bit of a shithole - especially in current year, but I can't knock someone for being patriotic. Overall, the album is fine but failed to hook me. Book time. The original entry for this album mentions Diddenstein and misspells his name as "Sean Coombs", which is pretty funny. I guess the curator of this entry knew that he was chasing the coom all along. The album is all about life in New York. Has a "...rare vulnerability." Wikipedia says this album released on 9/11. That's a rough release window. It also features a ton of prominent hip-hop producers, was well-received by critics, has received enduring acclaim, launched the careers of Kanye and Just Blaze, marked a pivot in hip-hop towards a soul-centric sound and revived sampling in hip-hop. Yup, these are all good qualifiers. I cosign this inclusion.

This album’s production is really well done and put together. I will say the first leg jay z was not it but the second leg he was in a flow state and cooking.

Production was solid, rapping is fine, but I nearly fell asleep, feeling high and dry. It wasn't much to remember, a lot to forget. This did not leave an impression in my head.

Meh

It’s an interesting album. If you took Jay Z’s rapping away and just had the underlying tracks, it’s a pretty great, solid album. With his rapping it’s downright terrible.

Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Tylsä ja täysin yhdentekevä. Niin kaukana omasta maailmasta kuin voi olla. Ei tosin kauheasti ärsytäkään. Jonninjoutava. 2/5

00’s Hip Hop

I now understand why I DO NOT like this. I don't find his lyrics to be relatable. The flow is fine, the music/beats are fine. I just do NOT care about anything that comes out of his mouth. I don't care that he has money or how many records or drugs he sold. I don't care how great he THINKS he is, he's just alright. I don't care about his beef with Nas. I don't care about his designer material possessions. I DON'T CARE. Just a cocky asshole making music for cocky assholes. 2

Ei kyllä edelleenkään putoa mulle tän lajin musa. Oon kyllä yrittänyt, mutta kun ei resonoi, niin ei resonoi.

Из той эпохи, когда рэп стал мэйнстримом и окончательно испоганился. Музыка (то, что называют "продакшн") убогая, с этими фанфарами да писклявыми автотюнами.

medio pelo

Good production and samples. But damn, Jay Z loves to say "gay" with a capital F. Shut the fuck up dude.

nothing stood out to me, really didn’t fuck with this much. maybe girls girls girls was fun but eh not my fave

This would be higher if Jay-Z wouldn't interfere with me enjoying music.

Crap

rap no es para me :(

This was a chore to get through, being that I don’t care for Jay-Z or his corny ass lyrics. The beats and sampling were fine, though.

bon jay z ça y est quoi

No. 132 Not my thing, especially the lyrics and vocals, but the beat and samples were neat.

Not my favorite

nah man

meh

2 - not for me

Generic rap/hip hop with cliched, corny lyrics. There are 1001 better albums than this in the genre. Forgettable, trying too hard and very pleased with itself. I won’t be listening again.

Not my tempo.

Aika geneeristä nigatalkkia

Junnaavaa settiä taas, ei auta Eminemitkään, 2/5.

It's no my bag, baby

"I'm leading the league in at least six statistical categories right now: Best flow, most consistent, realest stories, most charisma." Yes, mr. Z, a common and efficient way to identify people with true charisma is that they will often boast about being the best at charisma.

2/5 Músicas e produção excelentes. O problema é quando o Jay Z abre a boca, não só pela lírica - que é ruim -, mas também pelo flow quadrado.

Honestly? Not particularly impressed by this. This is the Jay-Z everybody's been talking about my whole life? Sorry but I guess I just don't hear it. There is just a lot of more interesting hip hop out there

The music is OK but the lyrics leave me cold. Pure arrogance

Mediocre

Not my thing, especially the lyrics and vocals (not a rap guy), but the beat and samples were neat (especially the doors track).

By no means bad, just not my kind of thing

Eh

SNORE!

So 2000s, and not a compliment. Awful use of Doors song. So braggadocious. I really don't enjoy his voice either. So dated with the homophobic f** usage.

Low key racist and sexist. Tracks are sometimes boppy sometimes hold up what the fuck is that? And yeah I do agree that music sounds kinda 90s and 80s mainstream pop or whatever, but like the lyrics, singing and rapping, eh not really. Listenable though, so not a bad hour of my life.

Some good production but I really couldn't get myself to finish this one

enjoyable beats

Just not for me. Not my kind of hip hop

Not a fan of the "sexy women dance around while someone brags about how much cash they have" genre. Music was ok I guess?

2.5 - Meh

Я навіть не змогла дослухати

Hip hop’s not my thing but this mostly had my toes tapping whilst not taking in the lyrics too much. But it’s just one of the generic, I’m better than every other artist, I’ve got loads of money and women are second class citizens. It’s sort of divided as in there’s a constant elevator music backing track with Jay Z doing his own thing over the top . Completely separate

its ok i guess but i just dont vibe with this sorta stuff

Never been a fan.

ummm guys? FAVS (top 3): izzo (H.O.V.A.); girls, girls, girls; hola' hovito mençoes hornosas: heart of the city (aint no love) fala pa carai e all i need é uma das piores musicas q ja ouvi nota final: 2/5

I don’t know. I’m just not crazy about this stuff.

Very generic hiphop about “I’m so good at rapping and I get bitches”. Nothing exciting, and I already don’t like hiphop to begin with.

There’s a fair amount of bloat here: A good editor might’ve reduced, oh, 15 minutes? The lyrics are often juvenile and uninteresting. Worst of all, there’s too little musicality on The Blueprint. I’d take the background track of “Girls, Girls, Girls” (i.e., actual contributions from backup voices) over Jay-Z’s contributions just about any day. 2.5?

I was not previously familiar with this album. I typically am not a fan of hip-hop albums, but this album has more to offer than rap vocals alone. I appreciated the vast use of samples, and I recognized quite a few of them. I did not care much about the lyrics or message, but at least the music kept things interesting enough for me to keep listening. I doubt I would listen again, but I appreciated hearing this once.

Just not for me at all, I don't care for these minimalistic repeating beats and Jay's voice doesn't engage me at all. Also a lot of lyrics throughout the project made me raise an eyebrow

Easy listening, I understand why people enjoy this type of music. I enjoyed it at the start and then I realised every song followed the same formula of "find a funky beat and then do nothing with it for 4 minutes" and it became a drag from there. Making an entire album bragging about how much money you have is a gross concept.

Eminem song was good, not a fan of j

Listened to most of it, but it's just not me genre, unfortunately.

Album #20 Jay Z: The Blueprint This album is specifically made for New Yorkers, contains lots of regional references and slang, disses Illmatic, and came out on 9/11. If you are the average bodega-visiting, chopped cheese-eating New Yorker, then this is your Abbey Road. Most of the beats and melodies were pleasant, but Jay-Z’s lyricism was often lost on me. It feels like he really believes that his story is so inspirational and unique that everyone must hear it and acknowledge his brilliance. Yet at the same time, he comes across as insecure, feeling the need to respond to every bad review and detractor, rather than just let his greatness speak for itself. Some of the songs were pretty obnoxious as well; specifically, Girls, Girls, Girls, which, for some reason, received a second part. I also thought phrases like “For shizzle my nizzle” were just something people said to mock rap, but there is a whole song dedicated to speaking like that. It is also pretty long, which I find to be an issue for most rap albums. That being said, it isn’t too hard a listen, and I can see its appeal pretty clearly. There wasn’t really a time when I was actively hating it, so I can’t say that it is bad. Best Tracks: Heart of the City, The Ruler’s Back, Song Cry Worst Track: Girls, Girls, Girls, Part 2 Score out of 10: 5.5

Otro disco que no es para blancos que no dominan el inglés. Sin nada espeialmente atractivo.

Not really my thing. I found the music quite nice actually, I liked the soul influences and samples. I just didn’t enjoy the vocals, both the style of the vocals and the lyrics. Fav song: The Ruler’s Back Least fav: Girls, Girls, Girls

Good beats and the occasional satisfying turn of phrase but mostly the lyrics made me cringe, think at some point he called himself (or the song?) the eighth wonder of the world. Also not a fan of how much Kanye is all over the production. I do enjoy the lyric "so much coke you could run the slalom". Favourite song: U Don't Know Least: Girls, Girls, Girls

This does nothing for me. Vocal delivery is monotone and lifeless, completely lacking any emotion or inflection. Production sounds thin and empty, generic R&B with unnatural clicky beats. I truly do not understand those who claim this to be the greatest hip-hop album ever released.

Meh, wasn't too fussed with this. Didn't really give it much thought while listening.

This was ok. I wouldn’t put it above “Vol. 2 - Hard Knock Life”

A lot of these songs were catchy. Doesn't mean they were good though unfortunately. Enjoyed 1 or 2 but this was way too long A lot of awful lyrics and too much use of the n word. We get it you're a tough guy 🙄 2 ⭐️

I don’t care for Jay-Z, so this did absolutely nothing for me.

Real Gangsta with souly touch

Je n’ai jamais aimé la musique de Jay Z, et cet album ne fait pas exception…

2 stars because there are some good samples on there!

Some bops on this for sure but didn’t really see the hype for the most part

i liked the beats but booooring bars

I have to say I was not 100% focused on listening to this one, but absolutely nothing grabbed me. The beats were alright.

I don't really love self-aggrandizing music, and Jay-Z seems to be a perfect example of this style in the rap genre. There are also no songs that really got to me. The best I can compare him to is Kanye's album I had gotten a few weeks ago, Kanye's beats were better, and the lyrics a bit more self-aware (though that would be lost to him later in life).

This album helped launch JAY Z into the stratosphere in 2001.. 24 years ago. Personally I think he voice is unique but lyrics are not. His expertise is finding and developing talent in others.

I’ve never really enjoyed Jay Z much, but at least he’s a good producer…except it’s mostly produced by Kanye here. I’m no hip hop expert but I find his flat style really boring and the lyrics are a bit Alan ‘needless to say I had the last laugh’ Partridge.

Couldn't get into it. There are some dope beats but the delivery and the lyrics left me wanting. Kind of disappointed with this one.

This was not bad for the genre.

The album might be Jay-Z at his finest, and that leaves a lot to be desired. His lyrics achieve basic at best and Jay will never be accused of being smooth or flexible in his delivery. The Blueprint reveals how he revels in cheesiness with his wordplay. Some of these rhymes are downright embarrassing: Gnarly dude I puff Bob Marley dude All day, like Rastafaris do Or I’m packing heat like an oven door - um, no. And, If Beyoncé ever heard Girls, Girls, Girls he’d definitely be sleeping on the couch. The second half picks up musically, driven by more intricate beats, although Renegade shows just how out of his league he is when put up against someone that can craft intricate lyrics and use variety and energy in their delivery. His rhymes feel juvenile at times and underwhelming on the regular. Lyrical Exercise is the one track where he shows promise as a writer, but the rest of the ‘ I sold drugs. I bribed the DA, I’m better than Nas, Girls love me’ rap wears thin at best.

I like Jay Z well enough but not a huge fan. To be fair not a big fan of hip hop in general, so no shade on Jay Z specifically. This album fell flat for me. Nothing special, nothing interesting.

Better than most rap albums, but still not for me.

Nope

two themes you'll hear in this album are "my records are selling really well" and "i beat the charges." okay then jay-z. okay. the highlight is when eminem shows up.

d beats mached uuuuhuere viel. ich find de jay z het afoch e geili stimm und ha nonie gfunde woow was en lyricist. die erste zwei songs sind sehr repetitiv und etz nöd mega speziell. er isch mega am sich selber am ufehype. izzo findi etz au ehner underwhelming da isch so am kanye sin durchbruch gsi als producer, hä? aso guete beat aber s isch mega laid back. jö das isch de biz markie uf girls girls girls. find de song gad chli sehr schliimig horny. lustig dass de will smith au son song usegeh het das johr. beat vo jigga goht huuere hard. hola hovito findi mad langwilig. bin allgemei. chli enttüscht. s isch nüt mega mega cool. bin bi song cry, ich check waser macht ich bin afoch null mitgnoh.

East coast rap extravaganza, with all the bravado. Samples that warm the heart with self-indulgent tirades that are cringe worthy

Weak. Empty. Nothing special. Nothing interesting. Has nothing to say.

Not for me.

I've just never been into jay zs voice.

2.5/5, but I'm gonna round down to 2 based on how I've rated other albums. Still, at least it's not Kanye.

Misogyny and homophobia, those are Jay Z traits.

It's ok... 2 1/2

Didn’t do much for me

I need someone to explain the appeal of some guy bragging for a whole hour over OK music. And really, the music isn't even that good. You could randomly select an album and chances are it's better musically. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Idk. Did I like the Doors one? Nah

2 out of 5. For me this album all kind of blended together and aside from some stray beats here and there nothing really stood out.

The music is decent but not good enough to get out of the way of the lyrics

Nokkur feit beat en hrikalegt þegar Joe Camel opnar á sér kjaftinn. Hvernig svona ljótur maður getur haft þetta egó er mér óskiljanlegt.