Jay-Z - The Blueprint

The Blueprint may be Jay Z's most captivating record since Reasonable Doubt, but its predictably detached mood reflects the master hustler's superior ability to trick out lackluster subject matter with lyrical complexity and brief flashes of manufactured introspection. The Blueprint, a solid mix of preprogrammed radio hits ("Izzo," "Girls, Girls, Girls") and better-than-average mid-tempo compositions ("Never Change," "Song Cry"), confirms the Brooklyn rapper's legendary status. Blistering flames of the Queensbridge/Jay Z feud fan high with "Takeover," a direct attack on Nas, set over the Doors' rock & roll burner, "5 to 1." "Renegade" provides the album's only full-on guest appearance. Jay and Eminem take this opportunity to address haters (within the industry and in the general population) who don't understand the mind of an artist. Jigga spells it out on the title track: "Reasonable Doubt--classic, shoulda went triple." The Blueprint might not be quite on par with Reasonable Doubt but it is reasonably good. --Rebecca Levine Amazon.com\'s Best of 2001

 Jigga's MASTERPIECE!
BOTTOM LINE:

Looking back to 1995, this has become my 2nd favorite Jay-Z album. Very close to 'Reasonable Doubt' (but 'RD' has more sentimental value). This is Jigga's perfect balance of street and commercial. holla. February 8, 2008

 u don't kno!!
U REALLY DON'T KNO WAT U DOIN IF U DONT GOT THIS ALBUM EVERYTHING THIS DUDE DROPS IS OFFICIAL November 7, 2007

 Jay's best album, ever!
This is the best Jay-z album released to this day. You can start the CD at track one and never have to skip over a track. The worse song IMO in Takeover but even that was a really hot track, I listened to it all the time. It has been said that the whole album was recorded in one day besides Renegade with Eminem which was recorded the following day. So this album was(never written but freestyled) done from scratch to finish in 48hours! It's amazing such a great album can involve such little effort. Still in 2007 I listen to this album on a daily basis. This is a must have for any CD collection. IMO it's the best rap album to be released since BIG's Ready to Die. September 21, 2007

 WACK
First of all, KRS-One is a way better MC than Jay-Z will be ever be. He already made an album called blueprint. Since when is it cool to steal a classic rappers album name?

That being said, how does this guy call himself the 'king' of ny? If had a penny for every nyc rapper with more talent (and ORIGINALITY) than Jay-Z i would be rich. This guy bites rhymes from all the greats: Notorious BIG, Eric B., Slick Rick, even Pac! Honestly, if you think that there is any depth to this album then you have no ear for rap music. Other than a couple pop/radio friendly songs this album is wack. Jay-Z has no right to diss anyone. I don't care if he is an enteprenuer, or a philanthropist, he is NOT a great MC. The best way to describe Jay-Z (any album or song):
AVERAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He has no unique style like Big did. He rides the coat tails of other, better rappers who have already had their moments. Jay-Z said that he tries to keep his flow like liquid, meaning that he can change at anytime and not be the same. But what that really means is that he has no style or flow and just copies other rappers. He has never created ANYTHING original, unique, or even worthwhile than changed the rap game. September 15, 2007

 Trully the Blueprint for the Hip-Hop Music of Today
This album showed the industry how to make a classic album without going commercial to the point where the music becomes corny. The Blueprint is a combination of the hands down best lyricist in the game with the best production. Jay-Z has ran rap music since he released Vol.2...Hard Knock Life and this album showcased his talent in his prime. Full of great production by mostly Kanye West and Just Blaze, the Blueprint highlights Jay-Z's ability to carry his own album without a bunch of big name features. In fact, the only feature on the album is Eminem on the song "Renegade". They both destroy the track lyrically.

This album was so good that it found a way to shine even though it was released on 9/11. Many people forget that fact. Despite the release date, The Blueprint still maintained its place in the market and sold very well. That's an example of Jay-Z's control over the industry. The album had so many highlights that it is hard to pick a few without mentioning every song.

One highlight was the song "Takeover" which dissed Prodigy and Nas. This song started one of the biggest battles in rap's history between Jay-Z and Nas. The Blueprint is full of a bunch of great songs and most of them could have been potential singles. After this album you could hear a lot of other rappers trying to steal Jay's style. He gave them the blueprint and it led to a bunch of baby Jay-Z's. The only problem is that he is so good it doesn't matter. No one can touch him. Jay-Z said it best in "Hola Hovito", "If I ain't better than Big, I'm the closet one." A classic.... July 13, 2007

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