Product Details

* Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
* Number of Discs: 1
* Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
* Label: Roc-a-Fella
* ASIN: B00005O54T
* Also Available in: Audio Cassette | LP Record
* Average Customer Review: based on 420 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,190 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #1,635 in Music

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1. The Ruler's Back Listen Listen
2. Takeover Listen Listen
3. Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
4. Girls, Girls, Girls Listen Listen
5. Jigga That N***a Listen Listen
6. U Don't Know Listen Listen
7. Hola' Hovito Listen Listen
8. Heart Of The City (Ain't No Love) Listen Listen
9. Never Change Listen Listen
10. Song Cry Listen Listen
11. All I Need Listen Listen
12. Renagade Listen Listen
13. Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) Listen Listen
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
The Blueprint may be Jay Z's most captivating record since Reasonable Doubt, but its predictably detached mood reflects the master hustler's superior ability to trick out lackluster subject matter with lyrical complexity and brief flashes of manufactured introspection. The Blueprint, a solid mix of preprogrammed radio hits ("Izzo," "Girls, Girls, Girls") and better-than-average mid-tempo compositions ("Never Change," "Song Cry"), confirms the Brooklyn rapper's legendary status. Blistering flames of the Queensbridge/Jay Z feud fan high with "Takeover," a direct attack on Nas, set over the Doors' rock & roll burner, "5 to 1." "Renegade" provides the album's only full-on guest appearance. Jay and Eminem take this opportunity to address haters (within the industry and in the general population) who don't understand the mind of an artist. Jigga spells it out on the title track: "Reasonable Doubt--classic, shoulda went triple." The Blueprint might not be quite on par with Reasonable Doubt but it is reasonably good. --Rebecca Levine
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4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
J HOVA RETURNS TO THE THRONE, October 17, 2001
Reviewer: J. Brittman (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This is Jay-Z's best album since "Life and Times, Vol. 3." The first 9 tracks are real strong and then fade towards the end of the album. Undoubtedly the best song on "The Blueprint" is Takeover, a harsh condemnation of Nas Escobar and his weak mic skills. The sampling and background music for Takeover are beautifully lifted from the Doors "Five to One" including the appropriately looped Morrison verse "Yeah, we're taking over, come on." Jay-Z totally and thoroughly dismisses Nas' claims that he unlawfully sampled a line from one of his songs. J Hova dominates the track. Heart of the City is another great song that anchors the album referencing such diverse influences as The Fugees, The Fat Boys, Richard Pryor, and Ike and Tina Turner. The beats are strong on "The Blueprint" and J Hova raps mainly solo throughout the entire album except for Renagade with Eminem, a rarity in today's rap game. But Jigga wanted to show that he doesn't need to depend on anyone else's mic skills to move his album. This ranks right up with Reasonable Doubt as one of Jay-Z's best efforts. Pick it up for Takeover alone. Highly Recommended.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Primo, March 8, 2005
Reviewer: Southern Man (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
I've been disappointed with so many rap albums that are anchored around a few good tunes with a lot of dull filler in between. (OK, that's not exactly unique to rap these days). The Blueprint however is absolute killer from start to finish. Only "Jigga That N*" doesn't quite hold up to repeated listens, at least to these ears. Overall, the rhymes are entertaining although don't break a lot of new ground from the usual rap themes. The beats are awesome and are what really push this over to classic territory.

The CD kicks off with "Ruler's Back", a song so astonishingly good that it sets unrealistic expectations on the rest of the CD. Still, if only for "U Don't Know", "Hola Hovito", "Heart Of The City", "Never Change", "Song Cry", and "Blueprint" this would be a recommended purchase. Considering that all of the other tracks are very good at least, this is a must even if you own only a handful of East Coast rap CDs.

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The Blueprint by Jay-Z, February 13, 2006
Reviewer: David Foskin (Waterford, Ireland) - See all my reviews
The career of Shawn Carter better known as Jay-Z has been a turbulent one filled with unmitigated success and clockwork precision. Six albums into his career Jigga seems to still be going strong. Some things have remained the same, platinum album after platinum album. While other intangible aspects of Jigga's work have been in constant flux. One of these fluctuations has been his sonic landscaping or "beats" for the layman. On the first four albums D.J. Premier was almost a virtual hallmark that signified the formula that made Jigga successful. However after a recent beef involving Jigga, Primo and the latter's extended fam M.O.P. Primo has been a no show on his last two releases.

Where as Reasonable Doubt thrived on a sonic backdrop of gritty East Coast Hip Hop. His later releases have used conventual's appetites of his fan base to dictate his sound. Be it in the form of Juvenile and New Orleans bounce or southern dialect and UGK. After all don't forget all those dance tracks on Volume 1. The Blue Print however marks a turning point for Rocafella that actually began with the release of Beanie Sigel's sophomore album earlier this summer. Like Sigel's album, the Blue Print is a sample-laden composition amalgamating vintage 60's and 70's samples with modernized percussion reminiscent of the Wu's Enter the 36 Chambers. Songs like Heart of the City incorporates a Bobby "Blue" Bland interpolation and helps augment the visualization of the composition painted by Jigga's vivid lyrics. Other works like "Never Change" and "My mother loved me" are prime examples of how this new formula fits perfectly with the conversational almost storyteller flow Jay Z is famous for.

The only down side is Jigga's lyrics. Don't get me wrong he probably hasn't come this raw since Volume 2 but there is a dimension that made that album as well as reasonable doubt classics. This album falls short of that mark because frankly some of these tracks just don't fit Jiggas strengths. The beats are dope but in certain spots they due little more than provide the beat count. This causes some tracks to be more memorable than others. Still Jigga remains consistent dopeness as usual I guess he is focused man. ( )