Reviews (page 8 of 10)
Ihan jees letkee levy vaikka en jayziitä oo koskaan oikeen kuunnellu.
It’s hard for the production on a rap album to sound fresh after 5 years let alone 20, but Kanye and Just Blaze hit on something here that was inherently timeless. Match that with Jay-Z at the top of his game and still looking to prove something and it was a recipe for a classic rap album. I got the most joy and nostalgia from this one when I threw it on my car speakers; a flashback to the days of subwoofer bravado. Some of the lyrics haven’t aged that well, but overall this is still up there in the echelons of rap history.
Even tho i'm not a fan if rap music, i have a soft spot for jay z. Izzo is a contemporary classic. The other songs aren't bad either, maybe except the one featuring Eminem.
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.
I’ve gotten this album before… what is going on
Typical foul-mouthed rubbish. This is a zero star piece of crap.
Don't really care for the production on this album.
Jay Z’s massive ego comes barging through this hip hop horror show.
4.0
masterpiece
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.
Though I love a couple of Jay-Z tracks from other albums, I think listening to hip hop from this era is a bit weird for me - the sound inherently feels dated and just reminds me of being a teenager. I liked Izzo (H.O.V.A.). It's smooth listening and I can appreciate the technical skill and production, but it doesn't really connect with me much.
Pretty good New York Rap album. Just drags a bit of especially towards the end.
I don't know man. I tried really hard to like this. The beats were so good, and the vibe slaps. But nobody, and I mean nobody, loves Jay Z as much as Jay Z loves Jay Z. This whole album is nothing but diss.tracks and hype tracks and Jay Z talking about how great he thinks he is. That'll wear a fella out real quick. Four songs in and I was ready to be done hearing about how great Jay Z is. If you gotta say it that often, one starts to wonder... Feels like compensating to me.
If skills sold, truth be told, you'd probably be in a dustbin somewhere. solid production, weak ass rhymes.
wasn’t in a huge rap mood today but okay
I believe that this gentleman lives a financially stable life.
Fantastic album love the beats and JAY-Zs lyrics
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.
P good, new to me
bumpin
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.
2nd best rap album of 2001, just behind Labor Days by Aesop Rock, with some of the best production in the mainstream at that time and Jay in peak form
I didn't think that Jay Z was any good before I listened to this album, and now its just reinforced.
Okay .... popular rap funk
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
3/5
Art!
Better than I thought it would be.
Great album, on a level with Reasonable Doubt if you ask me
I feel like Jay Z is from a generation that was still heavily influenced by the older guard but also slowly paved the way for more modern versions of rap which you can hear a lot here. Pretty cool album
Maybe a touch samey, maybe a touch too long, and maybe SC isn't the world's best on the mic (in terms of rhymes or flows [and maybe even he sounds outright awkward at times], but the confident bluster mostly works and a few of the songs – "Hola Holavita" and "Heart of the City" in particular – are wondrously addictive.
It's OK, I guess the Eminem song is the best one
Actually a banger
Musically still top notch, but some of the lyrics haven’t held up so well
That was a blast!
Top 3 Jigga album, probably numer 1 for me, incredible soul production from Just Blaze, Kanye West and Bink!, great raps that show Jay had layers to him, and of course Eminem stole the show on the only feature on the album, variety, content and shure, Takeover and Girls, Girls, Girls has aged poorly but they are still good songs
First song was really good but it sort fell off from there
This was better than I was expecting after the first track. It's still not my scene, but there's plenty to appreciate. The production is really what makes the album for me, which is pretty consistently interesting and well done across the board. Girls Girls Girls works well, as does Hola' Hovito. I'm not a fan of the lyrical content or his rapping style particularly. "U Don't Know" in particular is terrible. Ah you've got so much money and you're so great and brilliant and untouchable. Good for you.
Would have been a 5 for me in college
Yes, the themes are repetitive. Yes, more than a few of the bars didn't age particularly well. But god damn is this a classic nonetheless. Super fun album, incredible production, top notch flow. Really, really glad I got to finally listen to this front to back. Favorite track: Heart of the City
i just don’t care about guys going on like this anymore
The production is impeccable and the hits really stick with you, but there’s only so much braggadocio one can take, and it’s certainly not an hour plus of streetwear brand promotion and spelling bee answers. Maybe my loyalties truly lie on the left coast.
Brilliant
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.
H to the izz-o, v to the izz-a! Amazing. Super fun.
Classic
Pretty good.
Classic album, Jay-Z cemented his legacy on this one and made some great songs! 9 out of 10
Not a fan of Jay z but this is good
Nah
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.
Highlights: "All I Need," "Takeover," "Blueprint" Musically, probably most important as Kanye's big break and a major showcase for Just Blaze. The other things that make it historic are regrettable. Jay-Z's confidence is a double-edged sword. It's the thing that allows him his smooth flow, coasting on internal rhyme schemes that get there when they get there, breaking lines unbothered by expectations so long as he has enough double-take compound rhymes to tie things off. It can be excellent. But it's also the thing that prevents him from revising stuff that's laughably bad. All of "Girls, Girls, Girls" is a disaster, but two main things there represent his biggest flops: it has aged extremely terribly, and sometimes he just - oops! - forgets to rhyme. See the end for my list of personal favorite atrocities. This isn't just a lyric problem; it's a thematic or argumentative problem. This album is where Jay-Z really stakes out this neoliberal third way curatorial position about what hip-hop is for, particularly with "U Don't Know," "Izzo," and "Renegade." As he sees it, it's impossible for black people to sell out -- that's just aspirational. Getting your money right, helping yourself, *is* helping others. The biggest issue is not the position in itself, but how he addresses the listener. When he says he dealt drugs so others wouldn't have to, it's hard to see what he means. How does that work? If they buy into the cargo cult and blow a check on the bottle of Army and a Roc bucket that his music is made to advertise, are they then uplifted? Are they building their worth by purchasing his grindset anthems? This will spare them from the drug life that he mentions he will never stop living because it pays so well? The things that are supposed to elevate the album thematically end up undermining it. But you could definitely say it's historically important for this. It's a position Kanye would spend the next twenty years running into the ground. Best dumb lyrics: "Cops want to knock me, D.A. wants to box me/ in But somehow, I beat them charges like Rocky" "Not guilty/ he who does not feel me is not real to me/ therefore he doesn't exist/ So poof, vamoose, son of a bitch" "To try and to fail, the two things I hate Succeed and this rap game, the two things that’s great" [You can tell he hates trying cause he wrote this] "you now lookin at the forty million dollar boy/ I’m rapin’ Def Jam ’til I’m the hundred million man" "if the record's two mil I'm just tryna move three/ Get a couple chicks, get ’em to try to do E/ Hopefully they’ll ménage before I reach my garage" "We was together on the block since free lunch We shoulda been together havin’ Four Seasons brunch" "Niggas pray and pray on my downfall But every time I hit the ground, I bounce up like roundball" I BOUNCE UP LIKE ROUNDBALL!!! ROUNDBALL!!!
5.0 - Come oooooooonnnn!!! This is the most fun I may’ve ever had listening to an hour of music ever!
Driving back to marrakech from Saraha. 30th March. Thursday. Early morning quad biking.
Yeah it’s pretty good.I liked the general feel of the album.The songs all get different which I liked.I liked the beats.I didn’t like the Eminem feature the chorus was just really annoying.
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.
Always quite enjoyed jay-z, think his beats and flow were more interesting than other popular rap of the time (and the collision course linkin park crossover definitely helped make him accessible to me as a teenager). The album was as expected, think he still holds up. Wish he would mix up the themes a bit mind, got the message that he thinks he's class after the first couple of tracks.
I have a lot of time for Jay-Z. The Blueprint 3 was really good, and I saw him perform it live at a festival in Scotland in 2010. His brand of commercial rap/hip-hop was huge when I was in Uni, him and Kanye West really were at the top of their game. Can't say I kept up with the genre to now though. I remember listening to some of his other albums, American Gangster and The Black Album but didn't manage to make my way back here. Quite liked the original Blueprint, it is rather bombastic. The lyrics manage to ring true despite him being incredibly rich when recording this, and even more so now. Love the sampling on Takeover and Heart of the City. Just an all round solid album.
I really like Jay-Z's rapping style, it sounds so clear and crisp. There are some great beats and raps on the album, however he has far better albums than this. Highlights: Izzo Renegade U Don't Know Heart of the City
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
Total shit
This is a classic. Bought it the first week it was out!
Hov's most acclaimed album, and for good reason (though Reasonable Doubt, The Black Album & American Gangster give it some tough competition) favs: "Renegade", "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)", "Blueprint (Mama Loves Me)", "Song Cry", "Takeover", "All I Need" least fav: "Jigga"
One of my favorite MCs. Reasonable Doubt and this one are easily his best. Just the way he laughs in the beat to the first track shows his skill.
Awesome bass tone on the opener. And it continues into the next track! I thought H to the Izzo was a meme, turns out it's actually a song! I take it Jigga is a Jay-Z thing? So is Jay-Z upset that he was fucking around behind this woman's back, and now she's angry, but it's not his fault honest, he was just fucking them, no big deal? Cool bass is back! 'Renegade' is excellent. Hmm, I think it started off very well, then kind of lost my attention through the middle of the record, then the song with Eminem was superb and then it ended. 3 / 5 stars.
really moves my hip brooooo
De dag dat de wereld voorgoed veranderde: dinsdag 11 september 2001. Dat komt natuurlijk niet door dit album. Tot vandaag heb ik deze nooit integraal geluisterd. Dit album is als een risotto. De eerste happen zijn goed en lekker maar daarna mis ik afwisseling. Kwalitatief is er niks mis mee (Jay-Z kan prima rappen, de beats, sample-keuze en productie zijn ook prima), maar ik verveel me een beetje bij dit album. Zeker aangezien het een album van een uur is. Ik had voor deze lijst 'The Black Album' uit 2003 gekozen, want daar heb je wat meer variatie, het is allemaal wat energieker en Jay-Z klinkt er een stuk gretiger wat ik vaak wel fijn vind bij rap. 3.6 afgerond naar een 4.
One of the best of jay's works, but not my favourite for hip hop. Still excellent though
Listahittiräppiä! Ei oo koskaan kyseinen heebo onnistunut purasee meikällä, mutta onhan tää tälläsessä megaluokassaan varmaan ihan jees. 2/5
Kanyen tuottamat biisit kovia, mut muuten ei oo ihan niin hyvin kestänyt aikaa.
Oman genrensä eli eräänlaisen bileräpin järkäle. Poplevynä aika toimiva! 3/5
2.5
After changing rating criteria :)
"Whoo! I am back. I want to thank everybody out there for their purchase." // "just my thoughts, right or wrong." // "vibe with me ... just vibe with me." I wish I had Jay-Z level of confidence and bravado. On some level, don't we all? Isn't this one of the reasons to listen to him? Best Tracks: The Ruler's Back, Takeover — ouch that takedown of Nas, Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Jigga, U Don't Know, Hola Hovito, Heart of the City, Never Change, Renegade. Tracks that are still good, but a step down: All I Need, Blueprint (Momma Loves Me), Lyrical Exercise. Boring tracks: Song Cry. Tracks that have me shaking my head: Girls, Girls, Girls (both) — it seems like songs along these lines never age well. In conclusion, Jay-Z is a study in contrasts. Four Stars.
Awful.
i do not really care for him
(Und gleich die nächste, bitte!) Was für ein grundlos von sich selbst überzeugter Schmock. Wenn‘s wenigstens technisch abwechslungsreich wäre, sowohl was den Rap als auch die Musik angeht. Erstaunlich langweilig für solch ein Top 1-Album. Lichtblick ist der Gastauftritt von Eminem, der ihn dabei auch gleich mal an die Wand rapt.
Took me back to 2000's Barnes. :-)
Not too shabby. 3.5 stars from me.
I think I know one song by Jay Z and it is not off this album so I know next to nothing. I did find it very surprising that this album came out on 9/11 though. I don't always read the little blurbs but this time I did. Something about the mixing on the chorus of Girls, Girls, Girls, is weird. I can't place it but it's just odd, sometimes it's okay though. This isn't a genre I really listen to but I can appreciate how different it sounds from more modern artists. I can see why a lot of people really enjoy more old school rap.
Found this repetitive, cold, and a little dated.
Pretty cool. Better than I expected. I've always imagined Jay Z as more refined/corporate or more of a collaborator. Guess I'm not quite old enough. Standout Track: Takeover
All time
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.
I've heard a lot about this album and it's been slightly hyped up for me. It's definitely pretty solid and the album is produced great and performed well too. It's very 2001 hip-hop which isn't at all a bad thing. It's one of my personal favourite eras of the genre. I don't really have any favourites here. The songs were all good but not amazing to me. Personal Enjoyment - 7.5 Songwriting - 7.5 Lyrics - 8 Originality - 7.5 Production Value - 10 Artwork - 10 Overall - 8.0
Honestly, I did not enjoy a single song on this album. I liked elements of some songs - some beats were nice, a few clever lyrics here and there. But overall, I just could not get into this at all. Maybe part of it is that I'm biased against Jay-Z himself. The sound of his voice grates on me. I gave it a go. I even listened to a few songs twice, trying to get into them more, trying to see if I just needed time to come around to them. But no. This just wasn't for me.
Not my style
song cry really is that b word
The return of the sample... Soultastic sounds that will always be classics. However, the disses were boring then, and 22 years on lose one star.
The production on this album is insanely good. So good that it makes Jay-Z sound better than he is. Dude has great lyrics but his flow is kinda like "we have Biggie Smalls and Puff Daddy at home". Saved tracks: "The Ruler's Back", "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Jigga That Nigga", "Renegade" and "Lyrical Exercise".
Good album, not my favorite of JayZ's but good.
Not really a fan of hip hop and I'll admit I've never sat down and listened to any Jay-Z stuff. Not bad actually. There's enough interesting musical arrangements in the background to keep me from skipping the songs. I don't normally pay loads of attention to lyrics, but I find it hard to not do so when they're essentially being spoken. Nothing groundbreaking here I'm afraid! Saved tracks: 'Girls, Girls, Girls', 'U Don't Know', 'Hola' Hovito', 'Lyrical Exercise'
Decent. The wild thing is you can totally hear how he’s going to eventually be a much bigger deal than this album. 3/5
It's good in small doses but an hour of this is way too much
Yes very catchy rap album. Jay Z sounds great.
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.
a good chunk aged poorly, but still enjoyable with good beats and lyrics
Released on 9/11 and recorded in NYC, unfortunate but also funny. Great album enjoyed it even though i felt like I was missing some context of the happenings in Jay-Z's life around the creation of the album. 8/10
Blech.
Damn fine rap album. Of course the lyrics are center stage with the arrangements taking a background position but the music and arrangements are not overbearing or overrly lacking in melodic elements. I liked it. 4 stars
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
This NYC rap album was released on 11/09/2001. That's something, right? I hope so, because I have very little else to say about it. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Takeover Date listened: 08/02/23
4.5
Dit doet het niet echt voor mij. Te eentonige beats. Het nummer samen met Eminem is het beste van het album
Vette producties, lekker orkestraal en pompeus. Terechte klassieker, maar wel een beetje standaard rap-onderwerpen.
How are you gonna have biz markie, q tip, and slick Rick on a song and make them just go the hook? Man 2001 Eminem was awesome
Rhe beats and production are great. Jay Z's rhymes, while I can't always relate, are great. I like his style. Eminem is a good feature on Renegade. 7/10.
H to the Izzo! Got to love all the strings. Did you know this and "Is This It" by the Strokes both released on 9/11? Both NYC releases and I learned a lot of people listen to this on the anniversary as a light spot in the dark. Girls has weird racial stuff but other than that it's solid
easy 5 stars - a classic
Jay-Z is lyrically incredible no question. But austerity both in flow and emotional expression hold him back from reaching me in a meaningful way. Some choice lines are the later Cardi B-Insta paraphrased “what you eat don’t make me shit” and Nas diss “you made it a hot line, I made it a hot song” (even if the Nas song is beyond hot). Great beats to sink your ears into throughout.
Man some of these lyrics age like milk, but what a masterpiece.
don't want to bother even
Many songs on there that I recognise
no me gustó, no es mi estilo. Beats muy recargados, con muchas voces... se me hizo largo.
Discazo.
No soy mucho del hip hop pero está bastante bien este.
Esta bien, es divertido. Buenos beats pero Jay tiene el flow muy repetitivo par mi gusto. Algunas de las canciones no envejecieron tan bien.
(Album number 400!) Certainly in the better half of things to happen on September 11th 2001. A tad too bloated for a 5/5, though.
The accolades for this album are pouring from every cranny. What am I missing? I know I'm white but it's not like I shop at the GAP. This album was one of the most extreme "yesterday I was wrong" ranking resets in the Rolling Stone Mag's best albums list. It went from #486 on their 2003 version of the list to #50 in the 2020 iteration. The music is interesting to listen to but if I were in charge of Rolling Stone, I would have stuck with my initial ranking.
I like the production, especially the way the soul-snippets get worked into the song, like an early Kanye West LP. It's more melodic than many rap albums, though Jay Z's rapping style is too close to yelling to suit me.
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.
It's all good, but nothing stuck in my head. Wide variety of samples, good flow in the lyrics, not too repetitive, it stays at the same level until the end. He sure likes himself very much for all the wrong reasons, according to the lyrics. Favorite song: All I Need.
I always kind of groan when I hear Jay Z. He seems too over-hyped, too mainstream, too... whatever. And he is. But I also kind of like his voice and a lot of the beats are great. But the content of his music is just kind of blah. There's way better hip hop out there but for some reason he's this godfather in the genre. I don't get it.
My favorite Jay-Z album
I mean he's good and all but it got very repetitive. A couple of incredible tracks though (especially Renegade) and he has a real way with words but I don't think I'll be listening again.
The production is great and overall the flow works well - however some of the lyrics and themes have aged poorly.
Hip hop albums should not be more than 45 minutes at best. Jay-Z's The Blueprint clocks in at 63 minutes and is about 40 minutes too long. I'd be in favor for certain collections of greatest hits being considered for this list, Jay-Z is one. Albums with individual bangers don't make an album a must listen and this is an example. 3/5.
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)
I like the "H to the Izz-O, V to the Izz-A". Standout is Renegade for me. Will probably listen again.
Inumin.
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.
A solid 3 stars. Excellent production throughout, but some tracks a little underwhelming.
Better than I thought, but still not my thing
Mostly boring, thought nothing awful here
T3B 1. Renegade 2. Izzy (H.O.V.A.) 3. Girls, Girls, Girls
Ugh, can’t stand this kind of thing. Skipped around through a few songs to give it a try but no, not for me.
it was decent but i can’t get past some of the lyrics :/
I like to rate rappers in three main categories: lyrics, technical skills and performance. Jay-Z is a very good lyricist and his technical skills are excellent but the category he most shines in is performance. There's never any question who you're listening to when he's on a song. He has one of the most recognizable voices in music and he infuses his verses with personality and humor. I'd have a hard time naming a more charismatic rapper. This album has gotta be his best. He's at the height of his popularity here and he doesn't take it for granted, though he does sound relaxed. He's enjoying himself in a way that I find infectious. On a great Jay-Z album like this one, I end up smiling and laughing a lot. The beats are fantastic too. Great use of sampling with big, catchy hooks that make this accessible as a pop album. Sometimes the beats are so good that it can be hard to focus on Jay-Z's rapping. You can get lost in the greatness of the music. Which brings me to the elephant in the room. Kanye produced a third of this album and those tracks are all phenomenal. I haven't listened to any Kanye music since his bizarre appearance on the Alex Jones show a few weeks ago and I've been avoiding it. I figured this would be a good way to test the waters since he's mostly in the background. But man, "Never Change" made me feel sad. The best is so quintessentially Kanye -- chopped up soul samples with hard-hitting drums. It reminds me why I fell in love with his music. Listening to it again was like hearing a voicemail from a friend I've lost touch with. There's an unresolved tension for me with Kanye though. It's upsetting to hear music that I love and to think about what's happened to the man that made it. But I also don't fully understand what's happened to him. Have we finally lost him completely? And what have we lost him to? Right-wing extremism? Mental illness? Was he always despicable, deep down? The story doesn't feel like it's over yet, for better or worse, which leaves me in a weird place when revisiting his music. I can't quite compartmentalize my feelings yet. It feels too soon to be able to separate how awful I feel when I think about him from the joy his music has given me over the years. But revisiting this album at least reassured me that I wasn't wrong about how great he was. "Takeover" goes so hard, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" is one of the greatest pop-rap songs of all-time and "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" is still one of the songs I'd play for someone who thinks they don't like rap to convince them they're wrong. Those songs, combined with the other hits on the album make this a classic in my book. Side note: Jay-Z's use of the other f-bomb at 0:24 on "Heart of the City" feels late for that word. It's an unfortunate fact that a lot of old-school rap tosses the word around but I was surprised to hear it here on an album from 2001.
JAY-Z's got a great sound. It's super clean and professional and seemingly without any questionable choices; everything fits into his sound and it all makes sense. With that being said I actually very rarely listen to his music outside of the singles that pop up from time to time, so this was nice to sit down and go through one of his albums from start to finish. Overall I thought it was pretty good and the bigger songs "Izzo" "Renegade" "Heart of the City" all warrant a 4/5!
aight
The rulers back- Album starts off with plenty of bravado and great production👍 Takeover- I don’t know enough about this beef to care Izzo- god the production on this track is so good👍 Girls, girls, girls- Funny misogny?? Jigga that N***a- Just another look how rich I am track U Don’t Know- This slaps, I love the play in the chorus👍 Hola Hovtio- Great lyrics in the verses here👍 Heart of the city- Another great chorus, few questionable lyrics for our modern standards but still solid overall👍 Never change- Feel we’re reiterating some previous tracks here Song cry- I wonder why someone would want to break up with him after some songs.. All I Need- this is fine, not that compelling to me Renegade- funny in a rap collab people have to debate who beat who.. they both delivered solid verses but I wish the chorus was a bit stronger👍 Momma loves me- This feels a bit emotionless and going through the motions for me, just monotone throughout Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)- I like an extended metaphor, especially the statistical categories line, but other than that this song is just fine for me Girls girls girls pt 2- I like chorus, meh about other elements This album really grabs your attention throughout with such good production. Maybe a bit overlong but still a v solid album. 4/5
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: The ruler’s back, Takeover, Izzo, U don’t know, Heart of the city, Never change, Song cry, All I need, renegade, Blueprint
I was into it.
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.
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?
Probably the best record by JAY Z and also in my top 20 hip hop albums of all time.
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
thought it was much better than expected
Amazing album.
I mean, being a hip hop fan this is an easy 5 stars. certified classic
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
Great Jay-Z album - not sure if this is because of the excellent choice of sampled songs (samples are based on great songs) but of course the way these songs are sampled by Jay-Z / Kanye West is very smooth as well.
The production was pretty good, and Renegade was a good track, with special thanks to Eminem. Everything else was just annoying.
I somehow like this stuff.
Jay Z is good but he's not my style
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.
Jay-Z’s Comeback masterpiece. This is one of those albums just click. Up there with the best hip hop albums
if you are not interested in the lyrics of the songs it's not for you
Meh
I listened to this A LOT in college. Before Kanye turned into a crazy person, he was an all-time great producer and I'm pretty sure this is the first album I heard him on.
While rap isn't really my favourite genre in most cases, this wasn't too bad. I found myself paying more attention to the backing track more than JAY-Z himself though, but there were some good tracks here. Favourite: Izzo (H.O.V.A)
No #overrated
Some of the best beats of all time. Classic.
This album came out 9/11/01 which makes me feel weird to think about
"The Blueprint" is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. Of note, it was released on 9/11/2001 to combat bootlegging. It had quite a list of producers including Kanye West, Just Blaze, Blink, Timbaland, The Trackmasters and Eminem. The album was noted for being soul-centric and sample reliant which was a shift in rap at the time from more keyboard driven. Yeah, the sampling which is more soul-based and the lyrics are both excellent. High, high production levels here. The albums has received and continues to receive a lot of very high critical praise and the Library of Congress also selected it to the US National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historically or aesthetically" importance....the first album of the 2000's. Jay-Z comes out thanking everyone for their purchase on "The Ruler's Back." A soul intro. Free and easy sounding. The horns gives this almost a theme from "Rocky" vibe. "Takeover" just has some creative sampling. "Five to One" by the Doors with Jim Morrison screaming "Come on" and a distorted sample of David Bowie's "Fame" making it purposely sound like "Lame" as Jay-Z discusses rappers Prodigy (Mobb Deep) and Nas...lol. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was the first single and samples The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." Nice easy groove. Jay-Z raps about helping other blacks with his record label and how drugs ruin lives. The mood lightens up with the second single "Girls, Girls, Girls" with some hilarious backing vocals by Q-Tip, Slick Rick and Biz Markie. Also, a great sample chorus of "High Power Rap" by Crash Crew and a sample of "There's Nothing in This World That Can Stop Me from Loving You" by Tom Brock. The song is about Jay-Z's (Ahem) promiscuous lifestyle. "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" has a great beat and soulful feel. You got to watch your back. A Bobby Bland sample. "Song Cry" was the fourth single and is just a great slow, melodic ballad. My favorite song on the album. About infidelity and neglect. Jay-Z at his most vulnerable. A sample of Bobby Glenn's "Sounds Like a Love Song." The only guest appearance on the album is Eminem on "Renegrade" and he just kills it. A song he orginally wrote with Royce da 5'9". Jay-Z has the first few verses as tells about his fatherless upbringing. Eminem then takes over and goes after the hypocrisy of the public outcry against him. This album is consistent and an enjoyable listen throughout. Not a dull moment. Its critical appeal has only grown extremely high over time. An obvious high recommendation.
eheää mukavaa kuunneltavaa. mikään hetki tai biisi ei kuitenkaan noussut kovasti esiin tai suosikiksi. ehkei tarvitsekaan? upee kansi
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
Compared to me Jay-Z is Lazy
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.
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.
This is everything that I hate about rap in one album. A pompous asshole rapping about being rich and insulting people. Why can't you just be happy with what you've got, Jay? In a world with enlightened rappers like Blackalicious, Kendrick Lamar, Blue Scholars, Black Thought, Q-Tip, MF Doom, and so many others that actually have interesting things to say, I am truly baffled that anyone listens to idiots like Jay-Z, DJ Khaled and Kanye West.
Not my favourite hip hop artist, but not bad
Für "Takeover" hätte das Album eigentlich 0 Punkte verdient. Generell mag ich eigentlich nur die Samples an dem Album. 2 Punkte sind genug.
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
Not my favorite. Liked the song with eminem.
I’d go a 3.8 here. Obviously this is a great album but i’ve just never gotten super into Jay Z. I don’t know what it is
Like this way more than I recall. At the time, I was more into MF Doom, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, and Eminem. Kind of avoided Jay-Z, but this reminded me that I need to listen to more of his catalog.
Nostalgic!
Favourite song: Takeover One for the karaoke: Izzo One for the car: Heart of the City It’s a high 3 for sure
What an album this is. Magnum Opus. Favourite song - Takeover and Song Cry One for a run - Izzo One for Karaoke - Girls, Girls, Girls
not much of a rap fun but for that its ok
Blueprint 3 was good, did t see this one.
• I can safely say I will never listen to anything from this album again • Renegade was the only song I even remotely liked purely because of Eminem • Girls, Girls, Girls was the worst song on the album, and the reprise was no better Favourite song: Renegade
Top 3 Songs: 1 - Izzo (3) 2 - Hola Hovito (7) 3 - Renegade (12)
Not my kind of thing but I do respect the production values
Jay-Z’s finest album and a hip hop classic. The record is packed full of catchy hooks, nostalgic soul samples and wicked beats, all created to let Jay’s rhymes shine, almost float over the top (Kanye’s influence all over this album, take a bow). Thematically, there’s a lot of score settling and bragging which could tire but there’s enough humour and wit throughout to keep it engaging. Jay also shows respect to the old school, with allusions to classic lines from hip hop’s past throughout and guest spots from Bizmarkie (RIP), Slick Rick (a huge influence) and Q-Tip on Girls, Girls, Girls. The album doesn’t fall into hip hop’s usual trap of being absurdly long and as for collaborations there’s only one in Eminem who, let’s be honest, on this track, murders Jay on his own $#!+, just like Nas said. But it’s a welcome change from albums stuffed with guest stars spitting weak verses and the absence of protégés Memphis Bleek and Beanie Segal is a relief (has any successful rapper discovered any decent rappers cause I ain’t heard any. The Outlawz? Junior Mafia? D12? Please…). Jay fouled up the formula on the tedious double album follow up imaginatively titled Blueprint 2 (with an impressive Roots collaboration on Blueprint Unplugged and an ill advised Best of Both Worlds collaboration with, er, R Kelly in between). Blueprint really captures Jay’s verbal dexterity and his whip smart lines brilliantly who perhaps for the first (and only?) time lives up to his billing as best rapper alive.
Amazing album. Standouts "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "U Don't Know", and "Heart of the City".
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?
A good and definitely important album, though not a fave of mine
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.
No real articulation as to why this album is rated the way it is, but an attempt at it will be made. Jay-Z's association with being gangsta has a much different perception than Tupac or Biggie. The appeal of the latter artists was much more raw, telling stories that were relatable to people with shared experiences in their upbringings. Jay-Z, in a way does some of that, but there is a very different quality to this album that feels different. Perhaps years later, the gift of hindsight shows Jay-Z as more of a hustler making his way through the streets and into the penthouse. Where many in the rap industry tell stories based on the past, Jay-Z somehow manages a more progressive, forward-thinking feel to the production and lyrics. The feel is that Jay-Z is going somewhere, whereas the feel from his predecessors and even some contemporaries felt anchored in place by their respective experiences. Jay-Z has that sort of "Look at me now" vibe and his career validates that. So what is it about the album? Firstly, Jay-Z has some of the most clear and easy to listen to lyrics of anybody. Even with Eminem guesting on "Renegade", to hear both of them on the same album is going to draw comparisons and they both were just really amazing. Secondly, the musical composition of Jay-Z's songs are diverse and the music and/or samples that he and his production team (Kanye West) put together for this were very well executed. "Heart of the City" is a great example of this. Where a lot of rap artists tend to skimp is with melodies, and Jay-Z does well to incorporate more of that to go with the beats. Maybe that's where it feels forward and progressive?
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
While not destined to be the biggest news coming out of New York on September 11, 2001, The Blueprint is certainly the most enjoyable. It doesn't quite hold the same mythical status as his debut album, but The Blueprint is still a solid entry in Hov's oeuvre. Some party hits, some tough rhymes, and a truly exceptional feature from Eminem in his prime more than make up for a couple of weak tracks in the lineup.
Not for me
classic jay-z rhymes with funky, hype and svelte backing. gotta love the digs at Nas, though maybe the digs at women haven't aged as well
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.
Najbolji jay z
All surface. Rap mechanics in place of depth. But hey, he's a billionaire. Just ask him.
Jay Z verbally slaughters Nas and then gives you a rap album. A rap album that heavily foreshadows his role in inspiring Lemonade.
You deserve every diss that you've got, Kanye lite.
I just don't care for Jay-Z
Little patience for this kind of hip hop and rap, unfortunately
fav tracks: Song Cry, U Don't Know, Girls Girls Girls
the five to one sample?? iconic
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.
Overrated album. Okay rapping over some good samples.
Vuige jay
Great album!
ASSSSSSSSSSSD SHITT ASSS MF MIIID
Jay Z est un sacré artiste de rap music. Je voulais vous partager une frustration. Vous savez sans doute que je déménage assez régulièrement ces temps-ci et qu'un objet m'handicape beaucoup lorsque je dois transporter mes affaires : il s'agit du grimoire de Robert. Celui-ci pèse environ vingt-cinq kilogrammes et m'oblige à un effort surhumain pour faire avancer ma valise sous le regard plein de pitié des passants. J'ai donc réclamé à Robert qu'il sorte son grimoire en format poche et vous tiendrai au courant de sa réponse. Celle-ci s'annonce cinglante.
J'eu très peur en lançant cet album de rap des années 2000, au vu de la situation actuelle du générateur. Mais cet album de JayZ était des plus agréables, tel est pris qui croyait prendre.
Great album.
JAY Z no es mi tipo, pero con este álbum puedo ver definitivamente porqué gusta tanto, y porque es considerado un tipo referente.
Classic. Nothing else to tell
8/8 blues printed
Amazing!
Pretty good
Iconic album, but with a few good songs
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
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.
This shit ain't my gig
Fantastic album.
Great album. Great production and Hov is at his best with his lyricism.
Antingen en stark trea eller svag fyra.
if only Jay Z could rap
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.
Best Tracks: Takeover, Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Girls Girls Girls, U Don't Know, Hola' Hovito, Heart Of The City, Song Cry, All I Need, Renegade One of the best non-experimental rap albums. Production is insanely good. Jay-Z is good not great, but I don't think anyone could make something bad with these beats. Not a bad song on here.
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.
This didn't uh, uh, uh, do it for me.
Not such a fan of this egocentric style of hip-hop. Strong beats and production though. Heart of the City is a tune.
The Rulers Back cheia de ideias, riff, vocais. Jigga That Nigga fantástica! Hola Hovito tem um synth muito bom. All I Need tem uma percussão interessante.
Not my favorite Jay Z album and actually sounds pretty washed out compared to hip hop production today
Jay-Z has never been my favourite rapper and I don't think this album has aged particularly well but it's a perfect example of the exactly what hip-hop wanted to be at the start of the decade. Lyrically HOV is on the top of his game and he has a presence. This album is him declaring he's on top and I find it hard to argue against that. The beats are not particularly but they do suit the grand ambitions and the NYC identity of the album. Overall just a great listen. He's still not personally one of my favourite rappers as I don't find his music particularly exciting or suprising but he is incredibly dependable and I have to give him credit for that.
It’s very good, but I can’t heal feeling that the ideas at the foundation of so many of the lyrics (basically “I Am the Greatest”, with a healthy side portion of “and you all suck”) has an awfully shallow bottom. The excellence of the lyrical flow, as well as the beats and sampling, carry it through though.
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
It's cool.
Hard to believe this is 2 decades old. Every song on this album is a masterwork and a breakthrough for rap that changed the game and level set the bar up into the sky. Triumphs. Ain't no love in the heart of the city is one of my favorites. All the references and shoutouts. Marvin Gaye, Jim Morrison, and many hauntingly beautiful samples I didn't know before I looked them up like Bobby Glenn's 'Sounds Like a Love Song'. The Blueprint is an album in my general rotation even today that I listen to when I'm feeling frustrated by everything and I want to rise above the chaos. Renegade is awesome. Eminem fits right in. Girls, girls, girls is the weak link in the album that I don't think will stand the test of time. Beasties did it on License to Ill and it doesn't hold up.
Tentando mais um disco de rap, inclusive abrindo no spotify
flawless production, awesome flow and the doors sample in “the takeover” blew my mind. a great album and definitely a reflection of the time of its release, awesome suggestion of an album i probably wouldnt listen to on my own as i was never a huge jay z fan!
Jay-Z solid performance is carried by the outstanding production on this album. Boy are there some catchy hooks.
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.
Not at all what I thought it's quite smooth and R&B really. Background music generally so don't understand how it's so groundbreaking. Lots of sampling with rapping over the top. There are a lot of better albums out there surely?
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*
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
4/5
Fav songs: - Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) - Renegade
Ik vind de beats soms heel gaaf op dit album, maar rap blijft niet mijn ding. *
He likes girls. He could sell water to a well. He's the sinatra of his day. Funky sample use.
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
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. :-)
Ik heb niets met rap en dat ge-nigga en ge-hoe hoeft van mij ook niet. Deuntjes wel leuk.
Enjoyed that. Cracking use of samples and lyrically excellent.
so cool
Really don't like this - Jay-Z strikes me as an rapper with pretty limited skills, stuck on boring obvious content. Don't understand his status
4.0
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.
Loved it.
New York, 2001. So many so-called kings of the borough but only one looked as if he needed something to prove. And, for that, he laid out the blueprint and wound up making history. Not even the world shifting, beyond tragic events of the album's release date could halt JAY Z's inevitable trajectory as the true successor of Biggie's throne. Some may call this his greatest album (though others before or since have the right to assume that position) and it cannot be denied that The Blueprint set in motion a chain of events that would end up defining its makers and its genre for better or for worse.
fadão
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.
It's been a long time since I came back to this album. Historically, I've always preferred Reasonable Doubt to this album. However, listening to this after getting a better understanding of the history of hip-hop, it's really hard to deny how incredible The Blueprint is. It has plenty of hits, but it also features a lot of the production styles that would be featured during the next decade of rap music. The name The Blueprint ended up being prophetic in that sense. I don't hand out 5 stars to many albums, and I wasn't anticipating doing it for this album, but I can't think of a single argument for why this album doesn't deserve it 5/5
The first discernable word on the album is "niggers" - it lost me at that point (about 20 seconds in). After that it's just spewing doggerel, not music, it seems to be political so why don't you just start a political party and run for office? 'Cos you definitely aren't a musician. I loathe rap. No stars.
5/30/2022 - ALBUM #123 Today's Album: "The Blueprint" by Jay-Z - Now I am going to preface before saying anything, that I think this is a pretty good rap record. Many of the beats are very fun and memorable. A lot of the guest performances are great and liven up the album and overall the songwriting is pretty dang good. However, I think that everything I like about this album has absolutely nothing to do with Jay-Z. In terms of technical ability, I don't negate his ability to rap with a fairly solid flow and his lyricism is often pretty funny, but I get really tired of hearing the same delivery on every song. He speaks in this very 90's rap sort of gangster-yell, where every syllable is emphasized and I wouldn't have a problem with it if he ever changed it up, but it gets pretty grating over the whole track list. Even on one of the best songs here, Izzo, the really fun and charismatic beats are just being sort of botched with this really ridged and uncharismatic rap performance from Jay. Speaking of the beats, not only does he produce none of the tracks here, but all of the tracks that are worth listening to are produced by Kanye or Eminem. All of the tracks produced by Kanye sound like lesser versions of the tight and soulful beats all over his debut album, College Dropout, which came out only 3 years after this album and feels lightyears ahead of it. Now, this was a very transitionary time for rap music as the gangster rap of the 90s started to lose over more publicly appealing pop outfits, so this album falling right in that cusp made it hard for it to stand out against all of the fantastic work that's come before and all of the innovation that would come after. I also have to note that Kanye wouldn't be where he is today without Jay-Z and a lot of what rap would become would not be possible without Jay-Z. All I am saying is I don't believe that he is the biggest talent showcased on this record and for as innovative as it may have been at the time, the fact that the best verses on this album come from the song that's pretty much just an Eminem song with a Jay-Z feature is pretty telling for the quality of this project. Overall, there are a great handful of tracks on this album and it really is a great project overall, but Jay-Z being the weakest part of a Jay-Z album is sort of a problem. Listen to this one if you like Kanye's early work and want to get a good idea of what the rap scene looked like when he came up, but the highlights really will be the only songs worth checking out if you're not a huge rap fan. Highlights: The Ruler's Back, Takeover, Izzo, Hola' Hovito, Heart Of The City, Never Change, Renegade Score: 7.5/10 Important and grand, but held up by other artists' talent.
Jay Z sticks it to the industry and the culture that worked against him, with slick Kanye production. One of the classic hip hop albums.
Entertaining album with a couple of standout songs. Second half of the album was weaker and could have been 10-15 minutes shorter but definitely more up my alley in terms of the faster, darker beats of the early 2000s
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
Loved it. First Jay-Z album I've listened to in full. Poor Nas
No.
Really good use of music/samples for a very accessible and pop feel. Pretty good listen for a non hip-hopper! A high 3.
An incredibly strong offering. Hate him or love him, Kanye West's fingerprints are all over this thing, and it only makes Jay Z stronger. His flows complimented with Kanye's "chipmunk soul" style beats is a deadly combination. The only time Jay shares the spotlight, I think it's stolen from him, especially since the beat on Renegades compliments Eminem's style a bit more than it does Jay Z (both put in fantastic verses, though). "Takeover" is an absolutely vicious diss. Favorite tracks: "Takeover", "Izzo", "Heart of the City"
I wish this was a bad album so I could make a joke about it being the worst thing to happen on September 11 of 2001 but unfortunately it's really good. The production is great on almost every song (some are very early 2000s) and all of the features are excellent too. renegade and u don't know are my favs
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)
Ok but not my style at all.