Jay-Z- The Blueprint 20 Years Later
Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter was a hustler who came up in the 90s as a hustler turned rapper who migrated from Brooklyn. Before him was Big Daddy Kane who is still the best golden age MC Hip-Hop has ever seen. Coming under his mentor Jaz-O, The tongue twisting Jay made waves in the underground and believed to be one of the freshest MC’s the East Coast has ever embraced. Joining the ranks as his rival and top MC, Nas; Jay-Z has managed to make himself a contender and a competitor in the sport called rap. Dropping Reasonable Doubt in 1996, Jay-Z made his mafioso presence seem real with visuals like Dead President’s where it show’s all the Brooklyn Mc’s at the table shooting dice, Jay-Z stood in as the East Coast and West Coast were bumping head’s in the 90s.
There were rumors about him and 2Pac due to the Against All Odd’s name drop and there been situations where Jay-Z had an underground beef with Harlem’s own Ma$e due to who was hotter at the time. After The Notorious B.I.G and 2Pac passed away, Hip-Hop were looking for more people to come and take the wave. The West and East rested the beef and began working together. In fact, growing up Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg were the top tier MC’s to grace the microphone, especially in the pre millennium days. During those times, he dropped In My Lifetime Vol. 1 which was my favorite Jay-Z CD because he continued the Mafioso persona along with street gritty tales of Brooklyn. Hard Knock Life Vol. 2 was a commercial success with all the songs that CD hold’s and Life And Times Vol. 3 also brought in Jay more commercial success as Jay-Z remained consistent and fragile with the project’s he makes. In fact although Dynasty is a compilation album, he managed to turn it into his own as he kills the intro. The year 2000 was honestly Jay-Z’s because of how he started and how he managed to be consistent. Please young reader’s, no more comparison’s between him and Drake because you are talking about two different pieces of soil that made their own dirt.
Songs and disses between Nas and Jay-Z surfaced multiple of times and with the 2000’s coming strong, this album is important because of how the Nas and Jay-Z beef came into part. Two talented MC’s who decided to trade shot’s at one another and deciding to kill each other with scathing lyrical disses towards one another. Jay-Z performed the debut of The Take Over at Summer Jam in 2001 which had fans dropping their jaw’s. The night of the BET Awards, Jay-Z debuted Izzo in 2001 during a performance where he is running around in a Lattrell Spreewell Knicks jersey.
On September 11, the day the tower’s dropped was the same time albums were getting released and Jay-Z managed to sell copies during this time of agony and pain. During 9/11, things were getting out of hand where people lost stocks and loved ones that were on that plane ride. Jay-Z’s Blueprint was an example of how to make triumph over tragedy. As we dig track by track, we will dig deep on why this album was special.
- The Ruler’s Back- For kid’s who don’t remember, Kanye West before he married a Kardashian was a musical genius who crafted and curated albums before making his own music. Jay-Z starts the track off right with his Slick Rick Ruler’s back interpolation and Jay-Z doing what he does best is giving his food for thought.
- The Takeover- The diss that shook the world up. This is a diss where Mobb Deep get their shot on where Jay-Z claims he seen a picture of Prodigy dressed as Michael Jackson and Nas get’s dissed on with Jay-Z questioning his street credibility.
- Izzo (H.O.V.A)- The Jackson 5 sample makes this a fun exciting track for Jay-Z to boast over.
- Girls, Girls, Girls- A funny song about the woman Jay-Z met on tour and how many woman he came across that have different personalities and flaws.
- Jigga That Nigga- A fun club bounce for his fans. This reminds me of how the 2000’s rap use to be. More bounce and fun going on.
- U Don’t Know- This is the best track on this album where he talks his numbers. If you were a teenage kid in 2001 listening to this, you would want to get your money up. I know I did because of the stocks and numbers he brings up in his lyrics.
- Hola Hovita- A funny bragadocious song for Hov to reach for his Spanish fans. This is Hov at his best and the track produced by Timbaland gave it a free spirit that your soul will be lifted.
- Heart of the City- The many questions, why the fugee’s break up? There are questions in this song but Hov is the answer.
- Never Change- A confession of a hustler to spill his pain out and cry
- Song Cry- A sad romantic song about how money can change love. Jay-Z makes a song about a woman he met while he was still hustling and when he makes it into the game, the relationship is falling apart.
- All I Need- What he needs is what we wanted. Nike Air’s, can we say a hustler’s anthem
- Renegade Feat. Eminem- The only feature and this song creeped me out because I honestly heard Royce Da 5'9 before I heard Jay, thanks to the search engine Kazaa. I assume that Eminem took Royce off due to small disagreements and Jay hopped on it. Kid’s, understand this song and the song called “Syllables” feat. 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, & Cashis is the only song you will hear Hov and Em together.
- Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)- the saddest outro where Hov spills his family history and explains how he and his family came up in the rap game. His background helped him progress and since then, Hov has managed to run his circle well.
- Lyrical Excercise- Back then, there were things called hidden tracks and this song was one of the best hidden tracks in the world. In the song, he talks about how rap is a workout so he trains all year around writing rhymes in his head and recording them. This is a hard thing to do and Jay must’ve did a lot of practice getting his craft right.
- Girls, Girls, Girls part 2- Again with this hilarious track, Jay raps more about lust among the woman he has met and continues to tell funny stories of what has happened.
Overall- Jay-Z made his 5th album a classic and a masterpiece in the world of Hip-Hop. The food for thought flow is so good, you’ll want to lick the spoon. Jay-Z has solidified himself as a rapper, competitor, and business man. Jay-Z has also been through times where things were changing but managed to adapt in the times that are changing. Hov also battled with rappers who are just a lyrical threat as he is. Overall, this album is a classic and it deserves to be in the music hall of fame or college campus for studies. This is a great piece of work that needs to be appreciated.
Live From The Stove Top,
Andrew Kenekham AKA Druski Dru
