The Chronicles of Jay Z: Marking the 15th Anniversary of ‘The Blueprint’

Ironically, the album titled the turning point in the career of then 30-year-old Jay Z. The Blueprint laid out the direction in which his already legend would become legendary. The symbolic and iconic masterpiece was a defining moment in the genius of music. The Blueprint, executively produced by Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, oozes Roc-A-Fella epicness since September 11, 2001 until now. The album also holds a sadden memory that day, the day of the 9/11 attacks that the world will never forget. In Hip Hop, the album was the beginning of the end of a trilogy that will go down in the history books of greatest of all time. The all-in-blue memento was perfectly written and stories were perfectly told. Producing handles by some of the greats: Kanye West, Just Blaze, Trackmaster, Timbaland, Bink, and Eminem, who also lended a hand as the album’s solo guest contributor on one of the hardest tracks, “Renegade.” The beat hits so hard as the vocals ring off in your ears and Jigga and Eminem’s bars flow so fluently together.

After hitting you so hard once it would only be appropriate that Jigga came through for the ladies on “Girls, Girls, Girls.” On the track, Jay Z gets around the globe showing love to every type of woman there is. He gives us tears with “Song Cry,” behind a hot melody and a brilliant storyline; “They say you can’t turn a bad girl good, but once a good girl’s gone bad, she’s gone forever…” The meaning runs deep, the feeling is real, and the the tone is raw in expression. “Never Change” forever holds an authenticity that can never be denied, “I’ll never change, this is Jay all day…”

“The Takeover” is timeless and was done effortless in response to the famous beef at that moment in time; “Ask Nas, he don’t want it with Hov, nooo!” Jay made the statement of all with “The Ruler’s Back” and shows there is no love with “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)”, later performed with Mary J. Blige. “U Don’t Know” reigns as the greatest track on The Blueprint, “U don’t know what you do…” “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” is the album’s anthem, “I can’t leave rap alone, the game needs me…” The Blueprint is truly a classic, all 13 tracks included plus two bonus tracks, “Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise) and “Girls, Girls, Girls (Remix)” To Hip Hop this spells legendary and the best Hov album in history; not to mention his very own closing remark in the thank you’s: