Jay-Z Blueprint: The Gift & The Curse CD

THE BLUEPRINT 2 was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. "Excuse Me Miss" was nominated for Best Rap Song.

It's hard not to somewhat admire the guts of a rapper who would lead off his album by not merely sampling a hearty slice of the hallowed Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" while Faith sings in the background, but by claiming Biggie's tacit approval on "A Dream." This is before he compares himself to Jesus at least three times. It's exactly this sort of unyielding confidence ever teetering on the verge of megalomaniacal arrogance that propelled Jay-Z to the pinnacle of the rap world.

As 2002 wound to a close, the prolific Sean Carter dropped the sequel to the critically lauded, platinum-selling THE BLUEPRINT; two CDs, no skits, no filler, nothing but urgent poetics over tight tracks. Jay-Z may never possess the elevated prose of his arch-rival Nas, but he knows the power in brevity, in a terse, well-turned phrase. While he's always been an eccentric sampler, on THE BLUEPRINT VOL. 2 he pares away any hint of gimmickry or excess. On "Guns And Roses," he effortlessly reconfigures a Cake instrumental as picture-perfect backdrop to a stark parable about life's duality as Lenny Kravitz wails along. Overall, THE BLUEPRINT VOL. 2 continues and builds upon the legacy of the Queens megastar MC.

Jay-Z kept The Blueprint incredibly tight, focusing on a single sound and letting nothing interfere with some of the best raps of his career. The Blueprintý: The Gift & the Curse is a radically different record, with the most respected rapper in the business trying on a range of styles, collaborating with a lot of guests (from Rakim to Lenny Kravitz to Scarface to Beyoncé Knowles), and working with an army of producers (Neptunes, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Heavy D, Kanye West). No one else in hip-hop possesses enough power of personality to carry a 110-minute double album, and if Jay-Z can't quite manage it either, he certainly delivers some solid material in the process. The discs are split into "The Gift" and "The Curse," though there's no concept in view, just a loose collection of tracks ranging from unapologetically sexed-up party joints to theatrical

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Personnel includes: Jay-Z, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., Dr Dre, Rakim, Truth Hurts, Beyonce' Knowles, Sean Paul, Latoiya Williams, Big Boi, Killer Mike, Twista, Lenny Kravitz, M.O.P., Beanie Sigel, Scareface, Young Chris, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Guns, Peedi Crakk, Sparks & Rell.

Producers include: Kanye West, Just Blaze, Dr Dre, Timbaland, No I.D.

Personnel: Debra Killings, Michelle Rosario, Christian Love, LaToiya Williams, Marc Dorsey, Raje Shwari, Sleepy Brown (vocals); Eric Johnson , Mike Elizondo (guitar, keyboards); Scott Storch (Fender Rhodes piano); Camara Kambon (keyboards); Just Blaze (scratches); Terri, Truth Hurts (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: John Frye; Jason Goldstein; Doug Wilson; Dr. Dre; Jimmy Douglas; Lenny Kravitz; Patrick Viala; Richard Travali.

Recording information: Baseline Studios, New York, NY; Encore Studios, LA; Manhattan Center, New York, NY; Master Sound Studios, VA; Record One, LA; The Boiler Room.

Photographers: Albert Watson; Rebecca Meek; Jonathan Mannion.

Personnel: Jay-Z, Notorius B.I.G., Dr. Dre, Scarface, Twista, Big Boi, Killer Mike, M.O.P., Beanie Sigel, Young Chris, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Guns, Peedi Crakk, Rell (rap vocals); Lenny Kravitz, Faith Evans, Raje Shwari, LaToiya Williams, Beyonce Knowles (vocals); Just Blaze (various instruments, vinyl scratches); Eric "E-Bass" Johnson (various instruments); Scott Storch (Fender Rhodes piano); Mike Elizondo, Camara Kambon (keyboards); Debra Killings (bass); Mark Dorsey, Michelle Rosario, Sleepy Brown, LaToiya Williams, Truth Hurts, Christy Love, Hovi Baby (background vocals).

Producers include: Kanye West, Blaze, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, Timbaland.

Rolling Stone (12/12/02, p.92) - "...Something of a hip-hop WHITE ALBUM: two discs worth of party anthems and serious songwriting..."
Spin (1/03, p.71) - Ranked #13 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...This may be hip-hop's first consistently great double album--funny, sonically dense, blessedly free of wacky skits..."
Q (01/03, p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...He's aflame, energy sparking from every laser-sharp line, every supercharged beat, every lunging string sweep..."