The Blueprint

For other uses, see Blueprint (disambiguation).
The Blueprint
Jay-Z sitting on top of a table smoking a cigar while wearing glasses and a jacket reading "Rocawear" at the back. On the table, an ashtray a pack of cigars, microphone, and other items. Out-of-background, people are seen, with the shoes only viewable.
Studio album by
Jay-Z
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2001 (2001-09-11)
RecordedApril–July 2001
StudioBaseline Studios (New York City)
Genre
Length63:25
Label
Producer
Jay-Z chronology
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
(2000) 		The Blueprint
(2001) 		Jay-Z Unplugged
(2001)
Singles from The Blueprint
  1. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
    Released: July 28, 2001
  2. "Girls, Girls, Girls"
    Released: October 2, 2001
  3. "Jigga That Nigga"
    Released: January 29, 2002
  4. "Song Cry"
    Released: April 16, 2002[1]

The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.

At the time of the album's recording, Jay-Z was awaiting two criminal trials, one for gun possession and another for assault, and had become one of hip hop's most dissed artists, receiving insults from rappers such as Nas, Prodigy, and Jadakiss.[2][3] The album is also notable for both its producers Kanye West and Just Blaze's breakouts as major producers. West produced four of the thirteen tracks on the album, including the songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and the controversial "Takeover", which included diss lyrics aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy, while Just Blaze produced three tracks, "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Song Cry", and "U Don't Know", also including the hidden bonus track "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)".

The Blueprint was universally acclaimed by music critics, particularly for Jay-Z's performance and the album's soul-based soundscape. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time as well as one of the greatest albums ever made in general. Despite its release coinciding with the September 11 attacks, it sold over 427,000 copies in its opening week and debuted at number one in the US, holding the spot for three weeks. It was later certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2018, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," becoming the first entry created in the 21st century.[4]

  1. ^ "Song Cry/Hola' Hovito - Jay-Z | User Reviews | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Strauss was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Baker, Soren. Review: The Blueprint. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-09-05.
  4. ^ Andrews, Travis M. (March 20, 2019). "Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2019.