The Blueprint

“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 Recordings1. The album was reportedly cut in two weeks, with Jay-Z recording nine songs in two days12.

The album was recorded between May and July 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City1. 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 feature1.

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 Jadakiss1. Despite these challenges, Jay-Z managed to create an album that is widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time1.

Kanye 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 Prodigy1. 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)"1.

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 weeks1. It was later certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA1.

In 2019, 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,” being the first entry created in the 21st century1.