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Throwback Classic: Jay-Z – The Blueprint
Article by:
John Kennedy
 “Ask Nas, he don’t want it with Hov / Noooooo!” Jay-Z shouted during his infamous 2001 Summer Jam performance, just after lambasting Prodigy of Mobb Deep. With this sole battle invitation, the most exciting period of modern hip-hop was born. Suddenly, hip-hoppers were divided between reigning ruler Jay-Z and street sultan Nas in the most intense rivalry since The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac. With both artists set to close the year with albums, the pressure was on for bona fide classics – and neither artist would disappoint.
Dropping the same day as the Twin Towers, The Blueprint crashed onto the hip-hop scene and instantly solidified Jay-Z’s kingship over the rap world. Quickly addressing his adversary through formal song, Jay rides Kanye’s guitar-laced backdrop on “Takeover” spitting sultry lines in Nas’ direction. “You ain't live it, you witnessed it from your folks’ pad / then scribbled in your notepad / and created your life,” Jigga states, questioning the Queensbridge rapper’s street credibility. Then he attacks Nas’ career, claiming he “fell from top-ten to not-mentioned-at-all” and has “one hot album, every ten year average.” The cherry on top of the diss track: “Yeah, I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong / you made it a hot line; I made it a hot song,” Jay rhymed, referring to his sampling of Nas’ voice on Reasonable Doubt’s “Dead Presidents.”
But this competition was about more than who could win in battle; it was about who could put out the best quality of music. It was clear that Jay was up to the challenge as he dropped his dopest album since his debut. “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” became one of the biggest hits of his career, as Kanye effectively reworked the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” Just Blaze’s soulful melody backed Jay-Z’s female breakdown on “Girls, Girls, Girls,” as Jay spit entertaining descriptions of his many women: “I got this paranoid chick, she’s scared to come to the house / a hypochondriac who says ‘ouch’ before I whip it out.” He gives a more sincere account of his relationships with the fairer sex on “Song Cry,” where he describes a bond broken by money, fame and lust. Later, we learn all of the elements that contributed Shawn Carter’s persona on the reflective finale “Blueprint (Momma Loves Me).”
He held down the party front with “Jigga That Ni**a,” “Hola Hovito,” and the infectious, head-bobbing “U Don’t Know.” But his lyrical dexterity is best displayed on the Bink-laced “All I Need” and bonus track “Lyrical Exercise,” where Jigga exhibits impeccable wordplay using workout terms at will: “I run the block (run) / pull up in the drop (pull up) / push up on my money (push up) / I’m in great shape dunny.” The album’s prize piece lies in its only guest appearance. On “Renegade” Jay-Z trades lines with Eminem as they both address the disdain they receive from critics. Regardless of who came harder on the track, Jay and Em put forth their best bars to create a contemporary classic cut.
The Blueprint is the defining masterpiece of Jay-Z’s career: commercial, street, personal and introspective, all at the same time.
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