#464: The Blueprint- Jay-Z

Listened to: MP3

Admit it, you missed me.

Anyway, let’s kick-off this continuation with Jay-Z’s finest moment, The Blueprint. With the decade ending, every magazine was quick to jump on this or Kanye West’s The College Dropout as the “Best Album Of The Decade”. Now, while I may not personally agree (American Idiot is, but we’ll just let that slide), let’s delve into Hova’s 2001 release and see why these guys made the choice they did.

The album launches in on “The Ruler’s Back”, with a 70’s funk-style beat, and Jay declaring his dominance, which he will assert for many songs and albums to come. Jay lays out his typical, rapid-fire lines, continually reusing the same words in the same rhythmic locations in order to emphasize the sound and meaning. Even if his lyrics aren’t the most eloquent, from track one Jay presents a poet’s sensibility of rhythm. The “Rocky”-esque trumpets that charge in during the chorus only reinforce the regal attitude Jay tries to convey. He displays himself as a larger than life character, a king, an emperor, and charging into track 2, the Doors sampling “Takeover”, Jay proves that while he may be a godfather, that still makes him a gangsta. Rather than try and make boisterous claims of dominance, Jay basically says “Yeah, Roc-a-fella’s got you beat. Just look at the facts”. This song, in essence, is a giant “fuck you” to rapper Nas, whom Jay had a rivalry with (you can read more on that here). However, Jay’s compositional sensibilities and the wide scope of his musical taste show themselves here. Last track was 70’s funk, now we’ve got The Door’s “Five to One” and moments of “Fame” by David Bowie, made dark and domineering. Plus, whether or not you care about the feud, hearing Jay say Nas has “one hot album every ten year average.” has to make you recoil and say “Ouch.”

“Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” brings real a New York hip-hop sound to the album, sampling “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5, though it sounds more like Snoop Dogg than the Jay I’m used to. Shouting out a Ebonics-riddled choral like “H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A” seems so…simple. While the verses are full of great rhymes, the chorus just seems to easy. Moving into the soft, sensual beat of “Girls, Girls, Girls”, one if reminded of Marvin Gaye’s album What’s Going On, the way they use the sounds of people speaking, this time French women, as an instrument of sorts, to enhance the environment of the song. This is the most full sounding song thus far, full of various elements that show that Jay learned from Biggie and made better. The soft, slow nature of the song doesn’t inhibit his rhythm, and his lyrical agility is still sharp and impressive, but now it’s got a much more chill vibe. This is one of those “roll down the windows, it’s summer.” tracks.

The French speech returns over piano, to ease the transition into the hard beats into “Jigga The Nigga”, where Jay spits rhymes about, what else, how much better than you he is. If “Girls, Girls, Girls” is what you cruise to the beach to, “Jigga The Nigga” is the hard, heavy track that makes you wish your Subaru Outback had hydraulics. “U Don’t Know” keeps the heavy beat, but gets even more violent force behind it. Without all the heavy, over-produce backing, Jay-Z’s lyrics hit even harder, and you realize how much rhythmic finesse. Even when he’s talking about the typical rap subjects of money and violence, he seems to speak from a different vantage point. You have to respect that he’s no longer pretending to be “street-broke” like most of the other million-dollar rappers. Jay lives the high life, and he speaks from it. Jay-Z is the Hugh Hefner of rap. You admire him because he lives a lifestyle you want to live. Sharp dressed, wealthy, making records, clothes, and hitting the town like he owns it. Jay-Z is the modern-day American dream, and there’s an air of class to even his most crude rhymes.

“Hola’ Hovito” is Timbaland’s contribution to the album, before he was the hero of the Billboard charts that he is today. That bouncy beat, the computerized back-ups, the Danny Elfman-esque slightly creepy vibe, “Hola’ Hovito” is definitely unique, and causes even the most stiff people to bounce in their seats. Jay seems to understand the significance of the sound of a word more than the meaning, and manages to use “motherfuckers” several times to rhyme itself, but never once does it feel foolish or ignorant. The rap-less ending, however, really highlights what a great platform Timbaland crafted for Jay’s lines. If you ever want to understands why Timbaland is revered as he is, play this track. “Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)” begins with Jay saying how Biggie predicted the trials Jay himself now faces (“My nigga Big predicted this exactly/Mo’ money, mo’ problems-gotta move carfully”). Sampling “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” by Bobby Blue Bland gives the song that air of 70’s New York, the kind you saw in Midnight Cowboy, Fritz The Cat, and American Gangster. If on the Black Album, Jay tells us a bitch ain’t one of his 99 problems, here’s where he tells you what those 99 problems are. It should be noted, if it wasn’t obvious, that a certain Mr. West’s hand was in this track, as “Takeover”, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and the next track, the gently triumphant “Never Change”. “Never Change” takes on a gentle beat that’s so richly soulful that even lines like “I’m still fucking with crime, ‘cause crime still pays” and “where your balls at” sound inspiring, until you think about the words themselves. But that’s a testament to Jay-Z, that his delivery of the lines are so musical you don’t even need to listen to the lyrics to enjoy the track. Typically, I hate rap listeners who ignore the meaning of the lyrics, but if you’re one of those, this track’s perfect for you.

The feel keeps on through “Song Cry”, but this time Jay really is speaking from a honest and emotional point. The song is about the dissolution of a relationship, and the recognition of his mistakes. It’s impressive to watch him step away from praising himself and talking big, and instead opening himself up and admitting that he’s a mortal who makes mistakes. “Shit, I gotta live with the fact that I done you wrong forever.” shows Jay-Z’s inner turmoil, while “I can’t see them coming down my eyes, so I gotta make this song cry” recalls to every man that inborn desire to hide all emotions so as to not appear weak. Undeniably one of his most honest, beautiful, and best tracks to date. “All I Need” seems to be Jay recovering his “street cred” after bearing his soul, calling out all the younger rappers trying to challenge his supremacy.
“Renegade” features Jay (most magazines’ choice for “Artist of the Decade”) rapping alongside the producer of the track, Eminem (the true “Artist of the Decade”). This song takes on a much darker, horror-film-vibe, as is typical of Eminem’s oeuvre. Jay, on this track, proves that he can keep up with Mr. Mathers (which is near impossible, just listen to “Forever”), with both of them talking about their typical themes, Jay about rising up from the streets to become wealthy, and Em about being an unintentional role-model to kids. This track is the darkest on the album, full of quiet, subdued rage, and it is here that you see these two prove why they are the kings of this new empire of rap.

The “final” track, that is, the final track listed on the album’s back is “Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)”, one of the many tributes Jay gives to his mother and family throughout his career. The track samples “Free at Last” by Al Green, and serves as a musical “thank you” note to everyone that raised him, while lamenting his father’s disappearance. This emotional track would have served as a good finale, but after a pause, the first hidden track “Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)” jumps in, which starts with Jay speaking about his creative process, then charging in with one of the album’s more intimidating tracks, where Jay expels his virtues and skills, and flipping lines around with such acrobatic agility as to be almost unintelligible. Following that is a remix track 4 of “Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2)” which allegedly features guest vocals by the late Michael Jackson, though this has yet to be confirmed. Personally, I don’t believe it, but if it is him, I have a new-found respect for the man.

All in all, The Blueprint is a phenomenal rap album for the fact that it’s indescribably great. Read over this review, and almost nothing I say indicates why this album is as praised as it is, and that’s because it’s just the feel of the album, the sick rhymes and brilliant beats. It’s an undeniably enjoyable album, and the portrait of a truly gifted artist at his best, and it brought a little light to a New York ravaged with tragedy (it came out on 9/11). I recommend it highly to anyone looking for a good album for a long ass drive with the windows all the way down and the bass all the way up.

Next up (I’m gonna try and play catch-up as best I can) is #325: Slowhand by Eric Clapton.

Yeah, I missed you all too.

-Mike