Reviews (page 8 of 9)
Some of the beats sound nice, but Jay-Z talking himself up gets old pretty fast. You can't call yourself the Sinatra of your day when your rapping is just okay.
If his voice was not so annoying, and his words so uninteresting, the music is amazing. I can't turn off his lyric like I wish I could.
Oops
Autant j'adore le style autant c'est clairement pas le meilleur album de cette époque (et de l'artiste en général)
Ich fand die Beastie Boys interessanter, deswegen kann ich hier nur zwei Punkte geben. Leider ist mein Englisch zu schlecht, um die Texte zu beurteilen.
Always feel like I'm missing something. I consider myself a rap fan but now saw how Jay-Z was at the top. Just not for me I guess.
Like the beats and rhythm, some of the harmonies are great. Just don't connect to the lyrics.
I have not heard this album but I have heard of JAY Z. Not the biggest fan of rap but I think it’s growing on me after listening to many rap/hip hop albums from this website. I liked Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Hola Hovito, Heart of the city, and Renegade because it had Eminem on it. I probably won’t listen to the album in its entirety again.
Dull beats. Lacklustre delivery. Bonus star for Eminem's contribution.
He runs this rapping shit. Indeed he does.
got 99 problems, and beats are just one so are the samples so is the flow i guess that makes 96 still to go
2 - I've never been crazy about the snippets of Jay-Z I've heard, and that assessment stands upon listening to this. I don't know, there just wasn't much to grab my interest. I seem to gravitate more towards abstract hip hop than other types of hip hop, so.
I tried to enjoy. I didn’t. I’m not the target market which means my review carries less weight. The look at how rich I am mixed with I’m still tough bothers me.
not really no
not really my taste
Not a fan of his really, that being said, there are a couple of decent songs on this album
It got better but it's pretty bad. Sounded like he wanted to copy Eminem's Slim Shady LP. I get he's a great business man but mediocre at rap at best. The Kanye beats were legit.
The Dale Carnegie of hip-hop.
I'd feel bad giving this a 2 so I guess 2.5 is rounded up today. I remember a lot of this from the first time and like, I can acknowledge this was very influential but I don't really care for it. Actually, no, I'm giving I a 2 because this isn't about being an arbiter of taste. Also this man cheated on Beyoncé.
I'm not going to listen to this while thing, let's be honest. It didn't catch me
This is a bit too bombastic for my liking. Jay Z is kinda boring. Eminem turns up on Renegade and instantly makes it more interesting.
I don't know what it is, but I can't get into Jay-Z. I like when he guests on Kanye records, but solo Hova doesn't do it for me.
No me aporta nada.
Overrated
Après deux écoutes, je commence à voir le délire, mais c’est pas le mien. Les beats sont carrés sans être vraiment mémorables, avec une ouverture toute cheezy à base de “Ce que vous allez entendre c’est ce que j’ai au fond du coeur”, avant d’enchainer sur une heure de “Yeah”, “Whoo” en ne parlant que de son label, de pognon, drogue, grosse voitures et gonzesses. “Renegade” avec Eminem est pas mal et se détache du reste.
Hov isnt for me. I found his brags and flow boring. Wouldn't seek this album out again
2.5/5
There were some good samples. Too bad he rapped all over it. It's like he has one tone of voice and nothing else
Not my favorite. I do appreciate the rhythm though.
Not a big fan, some well known bangers on this album but did we really need TWO versions of Girls girls girls girls?
It was fine - not my speed really
JAY Z is not a good rapper. BUT! He is extremely confident and writes some true bangerz. I was personally offended by the Nas diss track and fall fully on the Nas side of their beef, so that might have something to do with it...VAMOOSE MOTHAFUCKA!
I dunno, couldn't vibe with it.
Maybe this was more of a phenomenon at the time but this just seems to blend into all the other rap albums of today. Low 2.
Really enjoyed it! Folk rock. A bit of Psych a great album! Added it to my library.
Meh
I really do not enjoy this type of music — can do a song not an album
Listening to more hip hop still doesn't make me like it
Album less good than I remember. U Don't Know track is good lyric wise. Selling water to a well. Heart of the City melody recognizable
Glemte å følga med, trur da va greit nok
I'll never forget the day this album dropped. I gotta say it wasn't a good day. While I recognize the cultural value of the album, I really doesn't mean much to me musically.
Really I would give this 2.5 stars if I could. I’ve never been able to connect with Jay Z.
Favorite Song: The Ruler's Back Despite me giving it a 2/5, this is not a bad album by any means. I just don't enjoy the genre of rap as much as some people, so it played a factor in why I rate this so low. My personal favorite songs on this album were the opening track "The Ruler's Back" and the ninth track "Never Change".
Luckily I already listened to this with the other group, so I don't have to sit thru the dog water again. 2/5
Lame
2. No me aporta nada.
Erste drei Lieder ganz geil, bei „Girls, Girls, Girls“ muss ich aber skippen. Lied 5 dann wieder okay, aber auch nicht so richtig geil Skip zu Lied 6: Jetzt schon genervt. Lied 7: auch nervig Komm, noch das Lied mit Eminem und dann ist Schluss. Das fängt auch direkt sehr langweilig an. Geht auch langweilig weiter. Denke ich könnte mir aus allen Jay-Z Liedern, die geil sind, ein halbes Album zusammenstellen.
Man I just don’t like how the beat and lyrics don’t match, and I also don’t like jay z’s voice as it is very nasally
dude's just a biiiiit too into himself
All of the rap and hip-hop in this list I've heard so far has been NY based and Jay Z is no different! Is there bias, where is Snoop? This feels like middle album from Jay-Z after he's already been established and has a flow. It is a really well mixed and produced album, and the wiki tells me that Kanye produced a few tracks - I hear it.. It's like the era of dis-tracks and being angry.. I'm not sure what it is that makes this a bit off-putting -- maybe it's Kanye? I never dug him either... Maybe it's the people that I associate with this sort of swagger? It all just comes off so trite. Money, drugs, hoes. Who cares? I'm only two tracks in and this might be a slog I may not finish. This gets a 2 because of production value and the relevancy to rap after it.. not because the content is particularly any good . -- Phew. it lightens up on track three and four..hearing these makes me feel like I'm a teenager again. I Don't mind the production, but the content... Jay-Z gets in the way of his own ego. The Eminem track didn't really do it for me either. Review of Reviews: 2023 people don't like the clout, I agree. Best Track: Izzo
The Ruler's Back - 2/5 Takeover - 2/5 Izzo - 1/5 Girls, Girls, Girls - 1/5 Jigga - 1/5 You Don't Know - 3/5 Holá Hovito - 1/5 Heart of the City - 2/5 Never Change - 2/5 Song Cry - 2/5 All I Need - 2/5 Renegade - 3/5 Blueprint - 2/5 Lyrical Exercise - 2/5 Girls, Girls, Girls 2 - 1/5
Hyviä taustoja ei siinä. Tyyli ei vaan oikeen uppoo.
Decent but not my thing. 2/5
some good songs but overall seems to be lacking creativity in lyrics. lot of solid beats but most songs just aren't particularly fun or interesting
i don't rly love his style or instrumentals, i prefer ppl like tribe called quest/digable planets/MF DOOM
Don't really listen to Rap but Ig this was alright? Liked the beats and that one with eminem and the last song was good Wished could have rated it high but not now. Will not listen again ( except the eminem song? )
S Tier————————— A Tier————————— Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love) Renegade B Tier————————— Never Change The Ruler’s Back Takeover Song Cry Izzo U Don’t Know Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2) Jigga That Nigga C Tier————————— All I Need Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) Girls, Girls, Girls Hola’ Hovito D Tier————————— Lyrical Exercise
Friday 10/27/2023, 10:20, home S Tier————————— A Tier————————— Renegade Izzo (H.O.V.A) Takeover B Tier———————— Heart of The City (Ain’t No Love) The Ruler’s Back U Don’t Know Lyrical Exercise C Tier————————— Hola’ Hovito Jigga That Nigga All I Need Song Cry Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) D Tier————————— Girls, Girls, Girls Never Change Girls, Girls, Girls pt. 2
Haha I don’t like rap I’m so quirky and contrarian
Not a huge fan of this album butttt I didn’t give it a careful listen. It’s a bit too egotistical for me.
Not my fav, but some good early 2000 vibe
I wish there was a karaoke version I could listen to.
Passabler Rap.
Not for me. The most interesting part was learning it was released on 9/11????
decent for rap
Not my fave genre of rap, but appreciate the watershed that it was…after reading about it on Wikipedia.
Not a jayz fan
Not a fan of Rap, but I quite liked the controversial "Takeover" mainly due to it's sampling of "Five to One" by The Doors and the use of David Bowie's "Fame".
nope
I’m not a huge fan to be honest
Not a big rap fan but this was a let down considering how popular Jay-Z is.
Трудно е да оцениш Jay Z след Wish you were here на Пинк Флойд 😅
Wow, did not know the did a The Doors sample. Couple of bangers, not much else there doing it for me
Mid-Z. Some of these beats really are iconic tho. Izzo & U don’t know & heart of the city come to mind. but kinda resident sleeper listening to Jay rap for this long ab his $. Idk i never really got into Jay and this didn’t really help.
pass
Some catchy music, but not really my thing. Got burned out pretty just a few songs in.
Great if you're in the mood for rap!
not for me
Niet veel van geluisterd maar het was ook niet heel interessant
Listening to Girls Girls Girls (and trying but failing to push through Girls Girls Girls pt. 2) I am now even more certain that I'm on the asexual spectrum. I like Jay-Z's sound, and enjoyed a few of the tracks on the album, but I don't think I'd go back and re-listen to the whole thing again intentionally.
I definitely appreciate that this is a very good rap album. At the same time, it's pretty unlikely that I'm going to listen to this album again.
Meh
Only really like Jay Z when he collabs with Linken Park or Beyonce
A bit samey
bit of a slog for me, but I liked Heart of the City
Braggadocios but lacks the wit, charm and fun to pull it off. The whole project felt insincere. The few moments he shines most on this are when he strips back the ego and offer's genuine introspection. Much prefer 'The Black Album', where the braggadocio is paired with bigger, better production and loads more fun. Fav Track: Song cry 2/5
Tampoco soy yo el más fan de este rollito de rap (2.5)
Incredible production for absolute cornball lyrics
It was cool I don’t know could really hold my attention 2.5
Het ergste wat New York op 11 september 2001 is overkomen (ik weet niks van geschiedenis)
Objectively: 3 Subjectively: 1 Overall: 2 This ain't it. Annoying breath noises, annoying voice right off the bat. The beats are average at best. Sometimes the bass distracts me enough to forget what I'm listening to. Otherwise, it's full of stereotypes, mediocre trash, loves to recite the alphabet, weak rhymes. N to the izz-O. T to the izz-hanks.
Very hard listen for. Felt repetitive. Some songs even felt like they were threw together in just a few minutes. They lack the depth that music is an outlet for.
Not fan of his style or his songs. I think Jay Z is overrated. There's better NY rappers and I never understood why he's so popular. 99 problems, Hard knock life and Dirt off your shoulder are bangers but he's got so many duds and this album really showcases it.
Dated. Bling era hip hop has aged poorly. Girls is a stupid song. Nas is king.
not my bag. It just inst interesting to me and i would rather listen to the original tunes used as the backing tracks rather than these versions.
Never really listened to JAY Z, won't after this. Feels watered down compared to NWA, Wu-Tang, Nas, etc.
A couple of ok tracks when he decides not to rap about getting bitches and “running the game”
Well more melodic than some of the other rap albums we’ve been subjected to. I still resent having M......F......... and worse shouted at me during the course of a song. I wouldn’t choose to listen again so 2*
It was alright.
Something about his voice puts me off, not my type of rap that's for sure, I would rather listen to the music of the samples he used.
Don't really care for the production on this album.
For a moment, I was pretty hopeful. This album starts off with strong production values, a great sound all around, and okay, yeah, he's a bit of a braggart, and there's perhaps a couple of swears too many, but hey, surely, there's more to this album than just JAY-Z reminding you of how amazing he is (all while the producers remain understated). And that's definitely the case. But I feel like this certainly dragged on for too long, too. As far as number of tracks go, this has been one of the longer albums I've listened to so far. There isn't anything particularly profound being said throughout most of Blueprint. JAY-Z is heterosexual. He is wealthy. He is incredibly confident in himself. These aren't particularly horrible subjects to make music about, certainly no, but this album is so long. It isn't all dreary slog of an album, some tracks are decent, particular being one produced by Kanye West. Unfortunate, as I don't think either of these men need a bigger ego. But like, what do I know? This isn't really made for me. I'm too gay, too white, too poor. It's fine. I don't have to GET every album thrown at me. But, I'm not entirely sure how to rate this one. It kind of seemed "just okay", yet the inclusion on this list feels reasonably obvious to me. Yeah, I didn't like this, but I guess I am glad to just experience it in a way. … And all this was released on 9/11? 2001? Christ, talk about surreal.
If skills sold, truth be told, you'd probably be in a dustbin somewhere. solid production, weak ass rhymes.
I believe that this gentleman lives a financially stable life.
This shit ain't no shit for me, yo. Some good, aggressive songs, but e.g. "Song Cry" made me cry: stop this smooth slimy music.
Just kind of nothing. Like, it was pretty repetitive and he is certainly full of himself. I just don't have much thoughts. It wasn't terrible, and not really bad. So, congrats.
Great production, loved the sound but (and I know I'm not the target audience) jeez man, just sshhhh, we get it girls and money. 2.5/5
i just don’t care about guys going on like this anymore
I don't think this has aged well.
Not a huge fan of gangster rap, but I can appreciate some of the singles on this album.
I have heard of Jay-Z but I don't know if I have heard a complete track from Jay-Z before listening to Blueprint. I was not excited to see this album come up as the suggestion of the day. The backing music is okay, but the content of the lyrics quickly sinks this album below "okay". I'm never a fan of the constant bragging, and the frequency of a couple of words alone will keep me from listening to anything from this album again.
Was very excited to find this was up next. Quite like a bit of rap but found this a struggle. Thought I was more likely to come out wanting to buy a Yankee hat. Lyrics were average at best, found the beat overly complicated and abit rubbish and lacking any flow. Had to really battle to get through it all. Genuinely hope someone rates it 5 so they can explain to me what I am missing. Seriously disappointing. Favourite song was never change.
I like how polite this record starts. But a polite young man, he is not. I think the lyrics in ‘girls girls girls’ might be the worst I’ve ever heard. It’s like a 14 year old from suburbia has decided to be a rapper, and come up with this. Actually quite a few songs on this has awful lyrics, but he raps them well so I guess that counts. That said, its alright on a whole. It did grow on me as it went on. U Dont Know was probably my favourite. He certainly has high opinions of himseld. Nout special, decent riffs here and there and some relatively catchy songs. I guess it’s just not my cuppa tea.
Never really listened to Jay z properly and I'm not a big fan of the hits so I didn't think I'd like this. Better than I expected but it's more on the poppy side of hip hop than I like and there are a lot of the gangsta rap tropes I don't like. Seemed like all he rapped about was money. Boring. Izzo and girls, girls, girls aren't my thing, but he has good flow. Thought never change and U don't know were the best tracks. I started thinking this was better than I expected but was pretty disappointed by the end
Not an ideal album for work><
Overrated
Meh
Listahittiräppiä! Ei oo koskaan kyseinen heebo onnistunut purasee meikällä, mutta onhan tää tälläsessä megaluokassaan varmaan ihan jees. 2/5
i do not really care for him
Found this repetitive, cold, and a little dated.
You have got to admire his confidence, if I looked and sounded like this guy I wouldn’t leave the house. “I'm the all time heavy weight champion of flowers I'm leading the league in at least six statistical categories right now Best flow, Most consistent, Realest stories Most charisma, I set the most trends And my interviews are hotter Holla” I tend to judge my hip hop on different criteria though: Flow - normally boring but when he does try to do something interesting it often sounds awkward or forced. Tone - ugh, I hate his attempts flat singing. Content - standard wannabe gangster shit. Production - all the ingredients are the there but it just sounds sterile to me. I remember friends liking this when it came out but I just don’t see the appeal at all.
Not my style
It's good in small doses but an hour of this is way too much
I usually like hip-hop, but I'm not keen on this. It's noisy, discordant, and ultimately pretty boring. It's the kind of thing Kanye built on and improved greatly.
Never been a fan of Jay Z after listening to this my opinion hasn't changed, dude is corny! Beats sound dated, very 2000's, rap music is wild, it really was of its time! It doesn't help I wasn't all that interested in rap music at this time, kind of outgrew it by the time Jay Z was a big deal. KRS ALREADY MADE THE BLUEPRINT STUPID
Dit doet het niet echt voor mij. Te eentonige beats. Het nummer samen met Eminem is het beste van het album
no me gustó, no es mi estilo. Beats muy recargados, con muchas voces... se me hizo largo.
I'm not a fan of hip hop so I've never actually listened to Jay Z. I was hoping that it would turn out to be a pleasant surprise like Kanye's Dark Twisted Fantasy. My hopes were high since Kanye also produced this. But unfortunately this didn't resonate with me. This is not nearly as complex or brilliant as Dark Twisted Fantasy. Pretty run of the mill stuff.
I like the more rawly produced rap of NWA, Immortal Technique and Wu Tang more than the typically more polished East Coast rap. Jay-Z is objectively a good rapper and producer, but I’m just not that into his style. Best song on the album: Takeover. (The rawest song on the album)
Did not know this was released September 11, 2001. That's...unfortunate. I'm sure there's a conspiracy theory involving the Illuminati. It's not my thing. Kept the volume super low because I'm not comfortable listening to this language at work. Probably missed a lot. Not really worried about it.
it was decent but i can’t get past some of the lyrics :/
Not a big fan, shockingly.
Never heard any Jay-z beyond New York State of Mind, which is great, obviously. Takeover is good but to be honest I'm just enjoying Five To One. Izzo sampling the bit from I Want You Back just before the chorus opens out, means for me the rework never takes off. 3 tracks in, unless something radically changes, this falls firmly in the camp of 'I can see why people like it, but nah'. Not my style of hip hop. Girls girls girls is a better vibe, but again, just makes me want to go listen to the source material. I sense a theme here... Hola Hovito is the closest I've got to enjoying a song so far. Heart of the City drove me straight to Bobby Bland, and well, fair fucks, this is the first time I've thought Jay-z has done something to the sample which makes his songs stand on it own. Both songs are great. Never Change and Song Cry, similar to a lesser degree. If this record was massively influential then I now know why I was turned off hip hop for over a decade. There's two or three decent songs in the second half here, but ultimately I don't really dig the style.
Always felt that Jay-Z is one of the most overrated rappers of all time. The was fairly tiresome and boring (Girls Girls Girls is the only highlight). 1.5/5
Izzo is goed, de rest is "gewoon" Jay Z die klinkt alsof hij een keelpastille nodig heeft
How can one man be so arrogant yet so unimpressive
The production was pretty good, and Renegade was a good track, with special thanks to Eminem. Everything else was just annoying.
The overriding impression of this is that it is immaculately produced, technically adept and almost totally uninteresting. The sample selections just make me want to hear the original, the beats are tepid, but most importantly, Mr Z seems to have the most monotonous delivery imaginable. It doesn't sound like rap, more a perfunctory recital. What am I missing, because I'm certain I must be.
Meh
This album came out 9/11/01 which makes me feel weird to think about
eheää mukavaa kuunneltavaa. mikään hetki tai biisi ei kuitenkaan noussut kovasti esiin tai suosikiksi. ehkei tarvitsekaan? upee kansi
Trying to listen to this with an open mind because I’ve always had a probably irrational dislike for Jay-Z. Something about his style has always rubbed me the wrong way. On the second time through I’m starting to get it. He definitely does what he does with a lot of skill, and maybe that’s masked by the looseness of his particular style. Seems to me that his strength is not so much the vocals in isolation but how they fit the beats. I get why people like it, it’s just not for me. In terms of production, Kanye somehow knows how to make the classic soul samples sound new, so his tracks are pretty enjoyable. You have to give him that even if he’s a morally bankrupt human being. The production is strong throughout really, and the consistent feeling I got from the beats is that they sounded expensive, which I guess fits. Jay’s lyrics in general are fine I guess. I’m not impressed with his wordplay or metaphors or anything. And some of it is just tedious or corny. Hard to excuse the casual misogyny and homophobia—this record was made in the 21st century. A couple of tracks rose above but even then I didn’t learn a whole lot or find anything that spoke to something unique enough to stick with me. He tried to address that in the music by saying it speaks to people living like how he grew up. Fair enough I guess. But it is possible to create great art from the perspective of a minority culture without having to cater to a majority audience. So I’m not ready to call this a classic just because other people really liked it. All in all, I appreciated the craft of this a little more than before I actually sat down and really listened, but it’s still not something I’d choose to listen to. I can at least say I listened to it now so I’m not coming from a place of ignorance.
Für "Takeover" hätte das Album eigentlich 0 Punkte verdient. Generell mag ich eigentlich nur die Samples an dem Album. 2 Punkte sind genug.
Not my favorite. Liked the song with eminem.
not much of a rap fun but for that its ok
Þetta er mögulega sú plata með Jay-Z sem ég þoli hvað best. Get ekki sagt að hann sé í neinu uppáhaldi.
Annoying and inconsistent
You deserve every diss that you've got, Kanye lite.
Little patience for this kind of hip hop and rap, unfortunately
Overrated album. Okay rapping over some good samples.
Vuige jay
While I’m sure this album deserves its place on this list, I’m not into rap and this album didn’t change that. Out of all the rappers around, Jay-Z is probably the most tolerable to my ears but diss tracks and bragging aren’t my jam.
It's cool.
Tentando mais um disco de rap, inclusive abrindo no spotify
Although I have very limited knowledge of and haven't spent much time listening to rap, this project has introduced a handful of rap and hip-hop albums to me thus far, and I'm sure I'll hear dozens more to come. I very much appreciate that! This album is more soulful and R&B-sounding than some other rap albums I've heard. My interest in rap has grown through this project so I'm glad I got to listen to this album. I love poetry, and rap to me is a fascinating blend of spoken-word poetry, stream-of-consciousness (even when scripted, it can sound like that to me), and singing. The human voice is a complicated and versatile instrument.
I suppose it was good at the time, but kind of uninteresting in retrospect. One or two bops
Sommige nummers kon ik wel waarderen, maar overal vind ik het toch wel erg saai, zeker ook omdat het zo'n lang album was.
Nope
Ik heb niets met rap en dat ge-nigga en ge-hoe hoeft van mij ook niet. Deuntjes wel leuk.
Don’t get it, mostly would rather have been listening to the songs he sampled. Less than the sum of the parts and does feel hasitly put together
Ok but not my style at all.
I found the Heart of the City and Blueprint trails to be excellent, the rest was like a long cruise a bit monotonous and waveless.
No
Went in one ear, quickly left the other. The only time it caught my attention was when I heard Eminem on a featuring... and the track didn't turn out to be that enjoyable after all. I don't understand the fuss about this record. Monotonous voice, debatable flow, overwhelming bragging rights, not much standing out in the bit department either. The result feels cheesy.
I just can’t get very excited about this. I lost interest quickly both times I listened to this. This isn’t a genre I am predisposed to, and I didn’t hear anything that really stood out to me.
"Lyrics" 0/5. Music and style 4/5. Too bad he finds it so necessary to include such deplorable words in his rap. Overall 2/5.
Not really for me. World class artist and others obv love him.
Wikipedia tells me this is considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. God/dess help hip-hop if it is. Also, it more or less gave us Kanye West, which is another strike against it.
I absolutely fucking despise everything I've ever heard by Jay-Z. I told myself when starting this list that if he came up I'd skip it without even thinking twice. Welp, I just couldn't and had to give it a listen and have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I expected. However, if there's one thing I learned from Jay-Z in this album, he wants to let us all know how much money he has. So, congrats Jay-Z. I still hate your fucking face and your annoying voice so consider 2 stars a compliment.
Hiphop obviously isn't for me. I try, but idk how I’m supposed to like this without completely shutting my brain off. Hiphop comes off as so pretentious and egotistical; the majority of lyrics are like "yeah wassup, im da coolest guy my n*ggas, i fuck bitches and make da big bucks". So lame. And the lyrics are the only thing going for it since the music is basic too. I’ve already gone over it in my other album reviews so no need to re-hash it ig I didn’t hate every second of it, but still, blegh
Today I learned that "Chipmunk Soul" is a genre.
Another album that seems to rely heavily on samples of well-known songs by other people. It has its moments (Izzo, for example), but I find Jay-Z’s voice monotonous by half way through. Missed this at the time and wouldn’t really miss it if I never heard it again.
Great production, but that's the best I can offer. I'm sure there's a decent album in there, just not a genre I'm overly familiar with. The Fame sample was nice.
Don’t understand the appeal
In my admittedly narrow mind this is the epitome of mindless big star prattle passing for cool. The same big star attitude that created punk rock in the 70’s when rock became stale.
Other than the singles, boring beats and boring lyrics.
I want to like rap more than I do, I can't get into the misogyny and frequent use of the N-word, but this has great production and I know more of these songs than I thought I did.
Not a rap guy. Doesn't do much for me.
It's alright. Some good tunes but not much more than that.
So many cringe moments.
Run of the mill, heard it 1000 times before tedious (c)rap.
I think I need to listen to this again. On first listen, I thought it was a bit dull. For aficionados, that must be a shocking statement! I enjoyed listening to Dangermouse, a mashup of Jay z and the Beatles.
Not the worst thing in the world, but his voice has always been like nails on a chalk board for me...I much prefer his wife's music.
nothing stood out and the way he sang bothered me because it seemed off beat. they were fun to beat to but eh
pretty lame some songs were alright but for the most part, really cringey 3/10
Not my vibes at all. Sure, there might be some merit here, but I don't want to spend time trying to find it.
I mean I get its importance, it just doesn't speak to me. I'm not a fan of his flow, even if the lyrics tell good stories. The samples are clumsy and unsophisticated, even if it's Kanye.
Not my thing
Jay-z non è stato male dai. Non so in quale ramo del rap/hip hop/pop ci troviamo, ma non mi h fatto totalmente schifo. Ero tentato di dare 3 perché questa volta i beats mi sono piaciuti particolarmente. Ma poi sono tornato coi piedi per terra. Comunque Renegade è figa dai! Pure Girls girls girls p.2 mi è rimasta un po' in testa (forse perché era l'ultima).
Non penso di aver mai sentito JAY Z prima di questo album se non per sbaglio. Ero abbastanza prevenuto e in un certo senso non mi ha smentito completamente (testi misogini, solita roba sul crimine che paga, etc), però musicalmente mi ha sicuramente intrattenuto e a tratti sorpreso. Il fatto di dargli un taglio molto soul l'ho apprezzato sicuramente. Una cosa che ho notato è che JAY Z certe volte non ce sta proprio sopra, più di una volta ho avuto l'istinto di dire "vorrei spegnere la voce" perché stava disturbando la base e si incastrava male. Un'altra cosa da notare è che quando parte Eminem il livello è un altro, ma sarà perché so un maschio bianco della middle class. In ogni caso m'ha annoiato a tratti ma non l'ho odiato. Direi 2.
Ich hör dem Jigga gern zu bei seinen Geschichten, Takeover und so: muss ich halt selbst kein Gangster sein. Leider aber find ich seinen Flo meistens nicht so relatable, Stimme auch nicht. In Lyrical Exercise, fast ganz am Ende hör ich noch am liebsten hin, aber da hab ich die Stimme schon langsam über. Typ hat natürlich brillant den Underground mit dem ganz großen Bling versöhnt und außerdem diese Platte am 11.9.2001 veröffentlicht, alles ganz geil, aber … heute bei mir nur bisschen meh.
I never really caught the Jay z thing. Like maybe I was too young to appreciate him or his music. But this shit is underwhelming and honestly, dated and boring. And I've felt like that about this album since my first time listening to it in like 2011. Always hated the whole back rapper bullshit of "if you don't think jay is the Goat you're opinion doesn't matter." Hate that gatekeeper bullshit.
The production on the album is pretty clean, but didn’t have a lot of standout tracks in my opinion.
Not a fan
all I need podoba mi się instrumentalnie ogólnie jaz-z mnie wkurza mam wrażenie, że wszystko jest o tym samym, for real ale taka muzyka totalnie nie dla mnie, pod koniec się wyłączyłam i już nawet tekstu nie słuchałam, podejrzewam, że nie warto raczej wracać nie będę, na raczej na bank, są tysiące lepszych albumów a i uważam jay-z za frajera mizoginistę i trochę homofoba, kiss my ass "Hova" XDDDDDDDD
Buen disco de rap buenos flows buenas bases aura muy rapper muy disfrutable para ser rapero
It was A LOT better than I expected, that's why it's getting two stars from me. That said, my expectations were exceptionally low.
Not feeling this one. Some of the lyrics are pretty funny though
Music is pretty good. Then a mix of really good, bad and flatout painful to listen to lyrics. What's with this 'I'm the King/ Jesus" thing rappers seem to have?? And why are rap albums always too long? Couldn't listen to it all.
Brings up some memories, makes me want to dive into all of the music he borrowed. Didn't know he used "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City"
I've listened to the album before. There are a few tracks I really enjoy, but I'm not overly enjoying Jay-Z as a rapper here. I've heard that this album is perhaps a little more commercial than his other releases. And also that his rapping on other albums such as the Black Album are more impressive. Overall I enjoyed the album, but it set me on a quest for something a little more interesting.
The Blueprint, czyli ten dziwny okres w karierze Pana Cartera, bo po wypuszczanej z roku na rok trylogii volumikowej nie ucichlo i nastala epoka wolowiny na lewo i prawo bylo rzucane mieso, wiec pan Jay zabral co sie dalo zatrudnil do produkcji timberlanda eminema, nawet pan west znalazl sie na liscie producetow albumiku i tak powstal the blueprint, ktory wyznaczyl jak ma wygladac komercyjny albumik rapowy lat 2k, motywy wyzyskiwanych murzynow, tego kto jest krulem rapowej gry, bogactwa ktore jest jest a kiedys nie bylo, niga to niga tamto, no i tytulowy kawalek blueprint o matce, bo matka to swietosc murzynska, najbardziej klasycznymi kawalkai z albumiku ktore na plejke wrzuce to Izzo oraz renegade z eminemem, ale nie jest to albumik ktory bym sobie wlaczyl i przesluchal od poczatku do konca, bo koncept from rags to riches to najgorsze co spotkalo rap lat 2k0, a Jay byl lub jest jego mistrzem, jako najbogatszy murzyn w szol biznesie
2.5
I don't get the hype on this one
0003 Not bad, nothing jumped out at me
Letra e produção muito melhores do que eu imaginava
Bit boring but some good songs.
....maybe a different album has better stuff.
Dear God, more rap music. What sins have I committed to earn this? An album hailed as great a quarter-century ago has aged like milk in the sun.
Oh no. Mainstream 2000's rap. My arch nemesis. I'm pretty sure the only thing this album is a blueprint for is clean as a whistle, boring, bombastic, radio rap that makes money in spite of itself. Rap wasn't meant to be mainstream. Jesus christ, the Nas "diss" song with those fucking stabs of "LAAAAAME." What are we doing? Those sound like the guy from Disturbed singing "Sound of Silence." I miss when Jay-Z was doing posse tracks with Big L featuring rap all-stars like "The Microphone Nut." The nut was the author of the bar "Because to me, death is like sex, and if my brain was a deck of cards, I'd be missin' a whole deck." Amen, brother. Amen. Why aren't there any Microphone Nut albums on here? The happy, 1930's Disney melodies, the softer than baby skin electronic beats and the frankly underwhelming rap, make this album (and this bum's whole catalogue) a blight on one of the most exciting and emotion-laden genres of music developed in the last century. Repeat the chorus again, Ja"Ÿ." These idiots are lapping it up! Music for guys who like cigars and have said "we own this city" while in their 118 dollar a night hotel off the strip in Las Vegas. 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Perfect for blasting the woofers out of your Toyota Echo with 12" spinners while driving around Shediac, NB (rollin' on 12's).
No music, just rap!
Cringe. Talk about one-note. All that self-serving bravado derailed any chance this might have had to be taken seriously. Definitely some insecurities to be examined here.
God I can’t stand Jay Z. His stuff has never impressed me, and I for one could never understand how he ended up with the Queen.
I'm ready to admit I didn't really want to listen to this in the first place because uhh Jay Z but then after girls girls girls I literally could not bring myself to continue it gave me the ick so bad and I don't feel bad about it in the slightest
I'll never understand how this guy (or this genre) is so popular
What a lame man, a cheater, hypocrite, and a misogynist.
I decided to stop on the second song since I simply couldn’t vibe with this.
Hi hum hip hop from J
Fame/Lame…really? Girls, girls, girls…Appetite for Destruction. Is there anything original on this self grandiose album? Not for me.
No thanks.
I don't wanna listen to this again 1 star
it wasn't great when it came out. still holds up in that regard.
mlp zionista pedófilo abusador amiguito de Epstein
Nope for this one
I don't get the appeal, hard to listen to. I'm guess I'm not a fan of Jay-Z's rapping. The lyrics aren't all that either.
The Blueprint for destroying an entire culture ...
chlop co zna tylko slowo nigga aha nie wgl srednio mi sie podoba :( bit ok ale denerwuje mnie trocge
Jay Z just comes up short for me. Nothing seems original and it all just seems flat.
Para nada el hip hop, no entiendo como esta basura puede llamarse musica
2/10 Not for me. The samples and production carry the album, with some creative beats (The Ruler's Back's wind instruments, Heart Of The City), but I struggled with the content throughout. Girls, Girls, Girls has aged terribly, and many tracks lack the flow and substance to hold attention. Renegade is the standout, though mostly because Eminem's verses highlight the gap in delivery. A rough listen. Best track: Renegade Will I revisit?: No
The lyrics dont really resonate for me. The bravado and boasting about himself, money, drugs, and girls feels empty and shallow.
At Girls, Girls, Girls I'm like "this is an incredibly straight song about a topic that interests me" but I was enjoying the overall music so I was hoping the lyrics would pick up. Then at Heart of the City we hit "men shouldn't be jealous, that's a female trait" and my face contorted to previously unknown configurations.
This is kind of cheating but I refuse to listen to Jay-Z
Not my thing
Hip hop isn't music. I don't care what Jay-Z and his comrades have to say. In this case, I prefer Sheldon Cooper's cultivated ignorance: I didn't even know if it was a person or a thing. 1/5
This album was released on September 11th 2001 and it’s only an accident of history that it was the second worst thing that happened on that day. Even if he wasn’t a massively wealthy billionaire wrong ‘un, this album would still be problematic on many levels. Let’s look at the use of sampling here. I like sampling. A well chosen snippet of another song, used in an interesting or unusual way with proper credit to the original artist is a valid form of musical expression. Swearing over pretty much an entire Doors track is not big or clever. Then we come to the lyrical content. As well as all of the mother effin n-words I got as far as the track Girls, Girls, Girls where he starts out by objectifying and demeaning women from all around the world before we get to a verse about a ‘young, immature chick’. Yikes. Huge nope from me.
Ugh. If this is "art" I'm Leonardo da Vinci.
This is the first time I've feel sorry for the lead singer. What a terrible life he must live. Music 3/5, lyrics drag this down to a 1.
I need the ability to make this review a rolled eyes emoji.
🤨 These plans are not to code
"Takeover" is great... the rest, eh. Never a big fan of Jay-Z. Same flow on every single song.
So- I liked first 5 seconds of Takeover (it sounds like The Doors).
Wasn't really a fan of his when this came out, and it turns out I'm even less of a fan 25 years later.
Most overrated rapper of all time, this rating is out of principle.
Shite
Never got into JayZ and i still cant. 1 star.
pure ass
Not my bag whatsoever
This is dreadful.
Boring
Dont care
Ik houdt er echt niet van dit genre
Really hated this x
I got through about half of it before I simply couldn’t stomach it anymore. Misogynistic, foul, and disgusting. As long as the world has words that can only be spelled with asterisks in print while being said 50 times in an album I simply will not take you seriously.
Garbage
You know… this 9/11 record was apparently huge. I don’t follow hip hop at all but there are songs on here like Izzo and Girls, Girls, Girls that I could not escape when this record dropped. Those songs do not stand the test of time. This record hits every rap cliche and hip hop trope. I’m convinced Jay-Z gave himself 1000 nicknames just to make his rhymes work. I’ve seen the videos of him free styling and it’s pretty impressive. Or his one take recordings. That’s pretty impressive. But this record is nothing of that. The music is great in early parts of this record. I was sitting at a 3 for the first two songs. And then it went down hill. The topics of his lyrics are just self-boasting. Rapping about his record accomplishments, his many nicknames, and they he loves girls. Girls that he adores. but then calls one an “Indian Squaw” A lot of adoration there. I could pic out a lot of shitty lyrics here. But this would go on and on. I know people love Jay-Z…. I find this man from the projects quite funny. He acts gangster but sounds white.
Mostly standard formula. Self obsession, ego stroking, dis tracks.
Just awful. Boasting lyrics delivered with that monotonous voice over pompous pop beats - no thank you.
Not for me
Terrible. Surely one of the worst album I've had until now (and this was number 665).
Great album
Don’t hear what all the hype is about. Way overrated.
Pass
Not a fan of rap. It may be modern-time beat poetry, but like that genre, it resonates with those who share some experience. Otherwise it's just spoken word over a drum track.
Neeee, ich mag es nicht hören... gar nicht!
Musically better than expected, but that’s from a massively low bar. Still bloody awful
Zašto moram ovo slušati 🫠 neke od ovih stvari me vraćaju u djetinjstvo, ali ne nužno in a good way. Baušteeeeelaaaaa! 😅 1/5, 1/10
I loved this album as a kid
Hip Hop, 46eme album =>1/5
This is the type of hip hop that I find really boring. Just a lot of bragging and machismo with no real substance. This is definitely my first time listening to a Jay-Z album and I don't think I ever need to listen to another album of his. It's pretty basic stuff, I can see he is talented but it's not for me. That was a very long hour and three minutes.
No
Тъпотия. И постоянно се повтаря Нига
Geouwehoer, gehouwehoer... Het houdt maar niet op. Er staat echt veel te veel te veel te veel van dit oervervelende genre in deze lijst. Het is gewoon saai en bovendien ergerlijk met die irritante schuttingtaal. Als er al iets muzikaals gebeurt, zorgt het bozemenerengepraat ervoor dat je er niet van kunt genieten. Yeah, yeah, ohwm, ohwm.
Somehow every single thing he raps has the same flow sound to it, idk man
For what it is, it's ok. Just not for me.
I gave up. Maybe it wasn’t made for me
Capital. Misogyny. Bravado. Blah.
Surprisingly musical but unsurprisingly egotistical and misogynistic. Jay Z inhabits a world that has no overlap with my reality - there is nothing lyrically I can relate to. And the music doesn't move me - it's snippets of quality among a sea of crap.
Tough listen. I spent the half the time wondering if he was going to talk about anything other than himself, and the other half wondering if he was going to at least vary the delivery of the relentless narcissism. Spoiler alert - neither happens. Production is dated and kind of monotonous. 1 point for the Eminem guest appearance - highlight of the whole thing.
Rap crap. Since I don't consider rap as music.
Jeg ved jeg ikke kan lide ham. Did not listen
I may have liked this better when I was younger. But I’m not into rap music. I tried to listen to this entire album just so I could say I did. But I was so ready to be done.
Oh please make it stop. It looks like I'll have to listen to about 20 rap albums while doing this. I have no idea what makes them good or bad. Jonny tells me to listen to the lyrics but they are just swearing and posing. This music just seems made to aggravate and alienate me!
No me gusta el hip hop. Me cuesta seguir las letras por la velocidad en la que hablan. No me hablan a mi, y la musica en general es bastante basica para poder apreciarla.
Didn't like at all. 1 star, despite the Doors sample. Gratuitous profanity just doesn't do it for me. God knows I use enough myself, but gratuitous use is annoying.
not my thing at all 1/5
Jay Z is the best. He told me so himself.
This was the worst thing to happen on the 11th of September 2001.
Another american dog shit!! This motherfucker muisc is a piece of shit, do you know what I mean? Its like shit into your ears. Nobody deserve this shit nigga
Not for me
Not a fan
His sixth album. Rap. The production budget and values are humongous. The other thing on this album that is humongous is Jay Z's ego! We get it, you were poor and now you're not. He's not believable or humble. A couple of catchy tracks but overall it's the bragging of a bell end.
It's just not for me. As someone who doesn’t like rap, this album sounds like total gibberish. I can appreciate the skill involved, but the flow and lyrics just go over my head. It’s a hard pass for me and definitely not my vibe!
If this is considered one of the greatest rap albums, I’m highly unimpressed by the state of rap. Give me Run DMV or Tribe any day.
More like The Poo Print. I got 9999 listening projects but Jay Z ain’t one.
Mediocre rapper flexes unimpressive accomplishments for an hour. Dull as ditchwater
I don’t get it.
WOW. What a load of (c)rap over top of some (at times) pretty good music.
The cool part about this project is learning about artists I never gave a fair shake. In this case, all I knew from Jay-Z was Empire Stare of Mind. Now I know. Jay-Z fucking sucks. The beats are so boring. His rapping is awful. That tired often wrong critique that rapping is just talking actually fucking applies here. There’s no flow. It’s so boring. Shut up.
Wasn’t my cup of tea. Didn’t finish it