The Blueprint, recognized by the Library of Congress for its artistic brilliance, represents the moment when my personal connection to Jay-Z was stamped. 11 to counteract bootlegging.Īs I look back after 20 years, the album represents a time capsule because it reveals two people, Jay-Z and myself, who, in some ways, just don’t exist anymore. Originally planned for a November release, the release date was moved to Sept. I planned to drive to Circuit City after school to purchase an album I’d been awaiting all summer, The Blueprint by Jay-Z. I’d just started driving and the world was opening up. It had been a day of anticipation for me at Matoaca High School in Virginia during the second week of classes. Across multiple platforms, the terrorist attack on America is being revisited with the gift, and grief of 20 years of hindsight. 3.Life and Times of S.Say the date and watch the reaction: Sept. If you already own it, keep it, but if you absolutely need to have this one, then burning it is the best way to give the defunct Dynasty some love.īEST TRACKS: "Where Have You Been" "Soon You'll Understand" But as I mentioned above, there are flashes of brilliance here which make the transition into The Blueprint seamless.īUY OR BURN? I can't recommend this one. It's honorable that Jay wanted to step aside to give some of the spotlight to his friends, but with the exception of Just Blaze, Kanye, and Freeway, the shine was just wasted. The chorus is ass, though.įINAL THOUGHTS: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia is a hot mess. Listen to this song (where both Sigel and Jigga literally cry while recounting their shitty relationships with their respective fathers) and tell me you don't feel their pain. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN (JAY-Z and BEANIE SIGEL) Jay really should have just made this an outright solo album.ġ6. Witness a flash of the brilliance that Jay-Z would soon display on The Blueprint. Very entertaining, and when it comes down to it, isn't that all a song really needs to be?ġ3. 1-900-HUSTLER (JAY-Z, BEANIE SIGEL, MEMPHIS BLEEK, and FREEWAY) The chorus on this is some of the corniest shit ever.īig bucks, no whammies, no whammies.STOP! Dammit!ġ2. PARKING LOT PIMPIN' (JAY-Z, BEANIE SIGEL, and MEMPHIS BLEEK) Also, hearing Kells sing how he's "not guilty" is like a sadistic joke.ġ0. Not a bad song (I like the video more, but I can't find it online), but the fact that this led to both of those Jay-Z/R. GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT (JAY-Z and R. The last song Amil did for the Roc before Jay changed the locks and "forgot" to send her the keys to the building.ĩ. YOU, ME, HIM, and HER (JAY-Z, MEMPHIS BLEEK, BEANIE SIGEL, and AMIL) Wouldn't sound out of place on In My Lifetime, Vol. STICK 2 THE SCRIPT (JAY-Z and BEANIE SIGEL) GET YOUR MIND RIGHT MAMI (JAY-Z, MEMPHIS BLEEK, and SNOOP DOGG)ħ. Scarface from the Geto Boys especially shines here.Ħ. I believe this to be the first Jay/Kanye collaboration. THIS CAN'T BE LIFE (JAY-Z, BEANIE SIGEL, and SCARFACE) Ostensibly a sequel to "Streets Is Watching" off of the second LP. STREETS IS TALKING (JAY-Z and BEANIE SIGEL) You've already made up your mind about this one, so we'll move on.Ĥ. I JUST WANNA LOVE U (GIVE IT 2 ME) (JAY-Z)Īnother of those "You've heard it before" songs, this time produced by The Neptunes.
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I saw a skit once on Saturday Night Live, with Will Ferrell, dressed up as Robert Goulet, performing Bleek's verse (the one that starts out "Who the fuck want what") along with the rest of the Dynasty. CHANGE THE GAME (JAY-Z, BEANIE SIGEL, and MEMPHIS BLEEK) His intent was to put the whole fam on display, including the heavily bearded Freeway, and two producer talents who would end up being bigger than the Roc itself: Just Blaze and Kanye West.Īs can be expected from an album of this sort, guest appearances are abundant, and it is also abundantly clear that Jay-Z is a much better rapper than everyone else involved.Ģ. Shit, there are songs on here where Jay doesn't even bother appearing. This is a Roc-a-Fella showcase album, through and through. Def Jam decided that the album would move more units if it were marketed as a Jay-Z album, hence the cover. The unimpressive collective consisted of Memphis Bleek, Amil, Beanie Sigel, and Jay himself. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, Jay's fifth "solo" album, actually started life as a Dynasty collaboration album.