6 Star Albums

Part 3: The Blueprint – Jay-Z

Ah Jay-Z. Who can fail to love the Jigga Man? For years he's been one of the most respected artists anywhere; hugely popular in the hip hop community, but also with the mainstream. He was the first hip hop artist to headline at Glastonbury, headlined the 2012 Hackney Weekend festival, and is half of one of the biggest power couples in entertainment.

The Blueprint is probably where Jay-Z's road to international superstardom began. Although his two previous albums both reached number 1 in the US charts, The Blueprint was the first to chart in countries such as France and the Netherlands, and the first to make the top 40 chart in the UK. The album was also awarded hip hop magazine The Source's highly coveted 5 mics award, and has been named in top album lists by everyone from Entertainment Weekly, to Rolling Stone, to NME. Something else interesting to note is that The Blueprint also probably marks the beginning of Kanye West's rise, with him becoming known as one of hip hop's leading producers for his work on this album.

Musically, the album has an extremely soulful sound, created through its use of samples on most of its tracks. Some of my favourite songs such as 'Girls, Girls, Girls', 'Never Change', and the excellent 'Heart of the City' stand out for me precisely because of their 70s style soul instrumentals. Another standout song, 'Song Cry', is an emotional track where Jay-Z uses the soulful beat to discus past relationships and regrets.

Another landmark for this album is its place as part of the first major rap feud since the East Coast vs West Coast battles of the mid-1990s, which ended with the death of 2pac and the Notorious B.I.G. The track 'Takeover' was aimed by Jay-Z at Nas, at a time when they were the two most respected rappers in New York, battling to be best in the city, a title left behind by B.I.G. 'Takeover' is a powerful statement to Jay-Z's rivals, delivered with a driving beat. It was a song that many hip hop listeners thought would leave Nas unable to respond and possibly end his career. This was until Nas came back with the explosively aggressive 'Ether', from his own classic album Stillmatic; a response that surprised listeners and increased Nas' reputation hugely.

Other notable songs that make The Blueprint are 'Hola Hovito', with one of my favourite beats and its singalong chorus, 'Izzo', one of Jay-Z's most popular singles ever, and 'Renegade', featuring Eminem. Renegade was used by Nas to insult Jay-Z in 'Ether', with the line "Eminem murdered you on your own shit". This is a line I've heard many hip hop fans agree with, but me? I'll just say Eminem's flow on the track is amazing and contrasts with Jay's less spectacular lines.

The Blueprint is a damn good listen, and a cultural milestone, with its links to the rise of Jay-Z, Kanye West, and even Nas to an extent. Its legacy has allowed Jay-Z to become the biggest star in hip-hop, make a fortune of over $450 million, and gain a reputation as one of the greatest rappers of all time.