Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

Do you want in on hip-hop’s dirty little secret? Well, not even rap’s greatest icons have been able to pull of a memorable, fast-forward-free double disc—2Pac’s All Eyez on Me and Wu-Tang Clan’s Wu-Tang Forever included. On this follow-up to part one, Jay teams up with Destiny’s Child’s Beyoncé on “03 Bonnie & Clyde,” a so-so remake of 2Pac’s “Me and My Girlfriend.” The Dr. Dre-produced remix to “The Watcher,” featuring Rakim, reveals that, in addition to expanding his audience, Jay is interested in appealing to his tried-and-tested demographic—East Coast hardrocks. He rounds out the first disc with “I Did It My Way,” sampling Paul Anka’s version of “My Way” and equating his Rap Pack (Kareem Burke, Dame Dash) to the Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. Don’t laugh. The stronger second disc contains some pleasant surprises. The Lenny Kravitz-fuelled braggadocio of “Guns and Roses” titillates, while Jay’s Jeru the Damaja-like “Bitches and Sisters” is sure to stir up accusations of misogyny. In the end, not even Jay can tear through 11 hot tracks, much less 25. —Dalton Higgins

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To release seven strong albums in as many years is a phenomenal achievement. Just ask Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. The rapper’s fans know he won’t let them down, so Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse is as near to a no-risk investment as this notoriously variable genre can produce. In hip-hop, stars are born, rise, shine briefly, then fade and fall with alarming speed. Yet, seven years after his independently produced debut, Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z is still shining. This sprawling, contrary, brash and supremely competent double CD isn’t without its faults, but they’re easily overlooked. Whether resurrecting the career of a forgotten producer (Heavy D’s “Guns & Roses” should do for his career what “Hard Knock Life” did for the 45 King’s) or continuing to nurture new talent (Just Blaze and Kanye West, unknown before the first Blueprint, produce the majority of tracks here), Carter knows how to get the best from his collaborators. And, especially considering he works on his lyrics “live”, committing them to both memory and tape instead of writing them down, Jay’s wordsmithery is particularly impressive. Nobody in rap history can match his consistency; the only problem will be living up to his own standards. —Angus Batey