Uneven albums like Hard Knock Life were the crossover attempts, and now that Jay-Z is "runnin' this rap sh*t," a fully realized masterpiece like The Blueprint is the glorious result.Can't y'all see that he's fake, the rap version of T.D. Besides, when you're already the top MC in the game, there's no need for crossover attempts. Four years later in 2001, when he released The Blueprint, no one was smirking and no one dared snicker. 's demise, many smirked and some even snickered. For once, listeners get exactly what they want: Jay-Z and nothing but Jay-Z, over beats so loaded with marvelously flipped samples the songs don't even need big vocal hooks. There’s something about being persecuted, or at least believing oneself to be persecuted, that makes people embrace and reaffirm their own identity witness Jay-Z ’s sixth album, The. The Blueprint Review by Jason Birchmeier + When Jay-Z dropped 'The City Is Mine' in 1997 and claimed New York's hip-hop throne upon the Notorious B.I.G. Moreover, if the rhymes and beats alone don't make The Blueprint a career highlight for Jay-Z, the minimal guest appearances surely do. He also has a brother, Eric, who resides in upstate New York. Besides rhymes that challenge those on Reasonable Doubt as the most crafted of Jay-Z's career to date in terms of not only lyrics but also flow and delivery, The Blueprint also boasts some of his most extravagant beats, courtesy of impressive newcomers Kanye West and Just Blaze. Mickey), an employee at Rocawear and Andrea (or Annie), a corrections officer at Rikers Island Prison. There are 12 other songs on The Blueprint - and they're all stunning, to the point where the album seems almost flawless. And by the time he brutally dismisses two of his most formidable opponents, Mobb Deep and Nas, less than ten minutes into the album, there's little doubt that Jay-Z's status as the top MC in the game is justified. By 2001, he’d alreadylaunched his own clothing line, Rocawear, and had recently started promoting his short-lived Armadale vodka. So when Jay-Z opens The Blueprint dropping rhymes about "runnin' this rap sh*t," it's not so much arrogance as it is a matter of fact. Blueprint is also a transitional testing ground for one of Jay-Z’s favorite commercial tricks: rapping about his own products rather than those belonging to others. Yes, Jay-Z had risen to the top of the rap game in the late '90s and solidified his position with gigantic hits like "Big Pimpin" and "I Just Wanna Love You (Give It 2 Me)." Furthermore, The Blueprint's leadoff single, "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," dominated urban radio numerous weeks before the album hit the streets, generating so much demand that Def Jam had to push up the album's street date because it was being so heavily bootlegged. Soul samples courtesy of Just Blaze and Kanye West gave 2001s The. At this point in time, nobody in New York could match Jay-Z rhyme for rhyme and nobody in New York had fresher beats - and many would argue that Jigga's reign was not just confined to New York but was, in fact, national. Verse 1 H-O-V-A I got my mojo back, baby, 'Oh, behave' Nah, nah, don't be afraid Y'all and your articles hock spit at Jay Y'all, from afar, threw darts my way What you thought, I would not have. Before he was a businessman or a business, man, JAY Z was one of raps best rhymers. The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse was a complete turn, a set of half-cocked crossovers, bloated to bursting with guest features that obscured his talents. Four years later in 2001, when he released The Blueprint, no one was smirking and no one dared snicker. The Blueprint of the first volume was Jay-Z as vital as hed ever been, storming back to the hardcore after a few years of commercial success. When Jay-Z dropped "The City Is Mine" in 1997 and claimed New York's hip-hop throne upon the Notorious B.I.G.'s demise, many smirked and some even snickered.
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