Skip to main content

In Depth Review: Jay-z's Blueprint 1

Opening Opinion: 10/10
As you may or may not know, this is, what I consider to be the best rap album of all time. I’ve had this opinion actually for a while now. Let’s get into the review. Jay-z aka Shawn Corey Carter dropped this album back on 9/11/01 a day that lives in infamy. He even brags on the Blueprint 2 that the terrorist attack couldn’t stop this album from being successful. So what really makes this superior to Reasonable Doubt? Let’s go!
First there’s the lead single, Izzo (H.O.V.A.), a great party track that just feels really damn good on the ears you know. The beat is infectious here. It’s one of the things that makes this album so damn good. Jay raps about his come up. Another single, Girls Girls Girls, is a classic. Jay raps about a variety of girls; Young, Project, African,Chinese ,Indian, Model, you name it. The thing is the sample is just beautifully integrated with a laid back beat.

Back to the beginning of the album. Jigga runs through The Rulers Back with relative ease. It’s not the most exciting song here but it’s good and the first line was used for Kanye West’s Good Morning Song form Graduation. Then there’s a viscious diss rap supremacy song Takeover. He goes at Mobb Deep and Nas most notably. Nas really gets dissed hard. I won’t spoil it. You can see why Nas felt so inclined to respond with Ether.

JIgga That Nigga is easily the weakest song here. It’s pretty standard, but on most albums it would be a highlight. It’s like Jay is bored with his own flow. The next song, U Don’t Know hits really hard. The beat is epic, and Jay raps, “I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in hell, I am a hustler baby, I can sell water to a well.” The Timbaland produced Hola Hovito is a win. The beat will really get you movin. Jay is really boastin here with a razor sharp flow.

The Kanye West produced Heart of the City is terrific. The chorus is great, and Jay spits hard. Never Change is also really good. Kanye West lends vocals to a decent chorus. Song Cry is really dope. It’s a song of lost love but apparently Jay messed up,  “I was just f***in those girls, I was gon’ get right back”. It’s a nice continuation of the change of pace that the previous track set. All I Need is another dope song. On most albums it would be a highlight, but here it just fits right in.

Eminem joins the show on Renegade. It’s a dark and broody song but exciting also. Nas was right, for the first time on this album Jay gets outshined. Eminem is just supercharged here. Both rappers make their case for G.O.A.T. Blueprint is the last track. He gives you a trip down memory lane in Marcy Projects. Its pretty good track, but wait there’s 2 bonus tracks. Breath Easy is like a come on now I’m the best type of song. The remix to Girls Girl Girls follows and its got a hotter beat than the original, but weaker verses.
BP2 is good, BP3 is great, but BP one is a masterpiece.



Closing Opinion 10/10
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Doja Cat Albums Worst to Best

 Doja Cat has been one of my favorite rapper/singers of the past few years. Let's see which albums are the best from her. 5) Amala (88)- Doja’s first album is honestly pretty damn good. You can tell she was still refining her sound tho on this. The last 3 songs “Juicy”, “Tia Tamera”, and “Mooo” are so good. “Candy” is another banger. The album is really well balanced being pretty much good in all areas but not really great in any tho. Favorite Track: Mooo. 4) Scarlet (90)- Believe it or not, this was an album I was on the fence about getting. I’m glad I got it. This is a rap heavy album but there’s still plenty of singing here and there. “Demons” and “F**k the GIrls” are Doja at her roughest. “Attention” was a great single. “Agora Hills” is a nice cute track. The monster single “Paint the Town Red” is the best track however. This album wa a big departure for her, but for the most part it paid off. Fav. Track Paint the Town Red. 3) Vie (92)- This was Doja returning to her pop roots,...
Read more

Tech Review: Iphone Air

 I have only had this phone for over a week but I feel the need to review it. I recently got a 512gb light gold iPhone Air. This phone is so thin. You really have to hold it for yourself to believe it. I knew when I used it at a local Best Buy I had to have it. The phone is also a modern marvel having most of the technology in the camera bump. Of course you're wondering about that camera and battery life.  Honestly the battery is decent. It gets me through the day at work with minimal charging ( I mean who goes somewhere with no charger anymore?). The camera is good too. I'm not a huge camera guy anyways. The phone's 6.5 inch Super Retina XDR OLED display is great. I really notice a difference from my old phone (iPhone 12). The phone doesn't really get that hot either which is great. One thing I'm not a huge fan of is the one speaker on the phone....but honestly it's not that bad. I usually use headphones anyways. Apple Intelligence is still in beta but I think ...
Read more

Kanye West Albums Ranked (2026 Revision)

16) Vultures 2 (72)- It should be no surprise this album is the worst of the bunch. It just comes off as lazy and uninspired most of the time. The production is decent tho. “Bomb” features Yuno Miles and his daughters: North and Chicago West…..and it's really corny. “Husband” is just god awful. I don’t know what he was going for with that one! “Fried” is pretty dope tho….and you can see the potential of “530”. 15) Donda 2 (75) - I haven’t had a lot of time to sit with this one. It’s not that bad tho…in fact it’s kind of average. I really like “City of God” which features Alicia Keys and Five Foreign. Sure lyrically its not great but the production again isn’t bad. Ultimately I feel like this has little to do with the first Donda album…. 14) 808s and Heartbreak (83) - You may be shocked to see this still near the bottom of his discography. While I bumped the score up a little from last time, I still feel 808’s isn’t all that. I love “Heartless” as it’s probably the best song. “Love...
Read more