The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse (stylized as The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse) is the seventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 12, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album serves as a sequel to his sixth album The Blueprint (2001). Parts of the album were later reissued for his album, titled Blueprint 2.1 (2003). The album debuted at number one, shipping with first-week sales of 545,000 units. The album is certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2013, Jay-Z cited this album as his second-worst due to an overabundance of songs on the album.[1]

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 12, 2002
RecordedDec 2001 – Sept 2002
Studio
  • Baseline (New York)
  • Record One (Los Angeles)
  • Encore (Los Angeles)
  • Master Sounds (Richmond, Virginia)
  • Manhattan Center (New York)
  • Boiler Room (Providence, Rhode Island)
  • Sony Music (New York)
GenreHip hop
Length108:24
Label
Producer
Jay-Z chronology
The Best of Both Worlds
(2002)
The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse
(2002)
Blueprint 2.1
(2003)
Singles from The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse
  1. "'03 Bonnie & Clyde"
    Released: October 10, 2002
  2. "Hovi Baby"
    Released: November 12, 2002
  3. "Excuse Me Miss"
    Released: February 4, 2003

Background

'03 Bonnie & Clyde features Jay-Z's then-girlfriend Beyoncé.

The recording sessions took place after Jay-Z's critically acclaimed and commercially successful sixth album The Blueprint (2001). The production on the album was handled primarily by Just Blaze and Kanye West – both of whom had recently established themselves as two of hip-hop's most celebrated producers due to the success of The Blueprint – while other producers include The Neptunes, Timbaland, No I.D., Darrell "Digga" Branch, Charlemagne, Big Chuck, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Kendrick, Heavy D, and Neff-U. Unlike The Blueprint which was almost void of guest appearances, The Blueprint² features many featured guests, even out-of-genre artists that include Lenny Kravitz and Sean Paul. Other features include West Coast rapper and producer Dr. Dre, Rakim, Beyoncé, Faith Evans, Beanie Sigel and Scarface. The album also includes an uncredited verse from Kanye West on the Timbaland-produced track "The Bounce". Pharrell also provides vocals and hooks of many of his produced tracks, for example "Excuse Me Miss" and "Nigga Please". Though the album has no strict concept, the album contains two discs. The first disc titled "The Gift" features mainstream, pop-oriented music. The second disc titled "The Curse" contains dark, emotional, and bravado street songs such as the dark-toned retelling of "Meet the Parents", the emotional substance of escaping the dangerous ghetto in "Some How Some Way", the dissing of Nas and Jaz-O in "Blueprint2", and the bravado "Nigga Please".

"The Bounce"

West's verse on the track "The Bounce" marked his first appearance as a rapper on a Roc-A-Fella release (although he contributed an uncredited hook to the Blueprint's "Never Change" the previous year), which was on the sequel to The Blueprint (2001), an album he helped produce.[2][3]

Vocals from Audio Two's 1987 single "Top Billin'" are sampled throughout the song.[4] As well as this, it samples vocals from Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun's 1993 song "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" throughout.[4] Pitchfork described "The Bounce" as Jay-Z showing 'extreme assonance'.[5] In 2003, the track peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and remained on it for a total of seven weeks.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic64/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Blender[9]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(1-star Honorable Mention)[10]
Entertainment WeeklyC[11]
NME[12]
Pitchfork7.5/10[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
Spin9/10[16]
Uncut[17]

The Blueprint 2 received lukewarm reviews from critics.[18] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 64, based on 19 reviews.[7] According to Nathan Rabin, the record "led many to claim that [Jay-Z] lost his vise-like grip on rap music". In his review for The A.V. Club, Rabin deemed it "overreaching but surprisingly solid", featuring a first disc of clever pop-rap jams and a second that was "darker and more erratic".[19] Rolling Stone critic Christian Hoard said The Blueprint 2 was another "strong record from hip-hop's most dependable voice" but felt Jay-Z's flow was more impressive than the production, finding it "long on both bouncy funk and forgettable R&B samples".[15] AllMusic's John Bush believed Jay-Z showcased some exceptional songs but could not carry the 110-minute double album as consistently as its predecessor.[8] Soren Baker was more critical in the Chicago Tribune. He felt Jay-Z's reworking of other rappers' music ("A Dream", "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", and "The Watcher 2") was unimaginative while the rest of the album lacked his usual enthusiasm.[20] "It reminds me of nearly every other double CD", David Browne wrote in Entertainment Weekly. "It could have been a good single disc."[11] Robert Christgau named "U Don't Know (Remix)" and "Poppin' Tags" as highlights while writing in his Village Voice consumer guide that he was disappointed Jay-Z sampled Paul Anka for "I Did It My Way" when he could not get permission to use Frank Sinatra's recording of "My Way".[21]

Rollie Pemberton was more enthusiastic in his review for Pitchfork, writing that Jay-Z "weaves his way through every imaginable style and flavor with unyielding expertise".[13] Billboard hailed it as "the most ambitious and most fully realized album of his career",[22] while Q felt it surpassed his previous album.[14] In the opinion of Spin critic Chris Ryan, The Blueprint 2 found Jay-Z "tightening the screws of his delivery" and discovering a "bruising poetry in a flow that once seemed clumsily conversational".[16]

Track listing

Disc one: The Gift
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."A Dream" (featuring Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G.)4:12
2."Hovi Baby"4:21
3."The Watcher 2" (featuring Dr. Dre, Rakim and Truth Hurts)5:55
4."'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (featuring Beyoncé)
Kanye West3:25
5."Excuse Me Miss"The Neptunes4:41
6."What They Gonna Do" (featuring Sean Paul)Timbaland4:54
7."All Around the World" (featuring LaToiya Williams)
No I.D.3:52
8."Poppin' Tags" (featuring Big Boi, Killer Mike and Twista)Kanye West6:00
9."Fuck All Nite"
  • Carter
  • Williams
  • Hugo
The Neptunes4:19
10."The Bounce" (featuring Kanye West)
  • Carter
  • Mosley
  • West
  • Timbaland, Kanye West
4:18
11."I Did It My Way"
  • Jay-Z
  • Big Chuck
3:42
Disc two: The Curse
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Diamond Is Forever"
  • Ron Feemster
  • Big Chuck
3:56
2."Guns & Roses" (featuring Lenny Kravitz)4:26
3."U Don't Know (Remix)" (featuring M.O.P.)
  • Just Blaze
4:27
4."Meet the Parents"
  • Carter
  • Smith
Just Blaze4:59
5."Some How Some Way" (featuring Beanie Sigel and Scarface)
Just Blaze5:37
6."Some People Hate"
Kanye West4:32
7."Blueprint2"
Charlemagne4:49
8."Nigga Please" (featuring Young Chris)
The Neptunes4:38
9."2 Many Hoes"
  • Carter
  • Mosley
Timbaland3:34
10."As One" (featuring Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Young Gunz, Peedi Crakk, Sparks and Rell)Just Blaze3:49
11."A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier" (featuring Marc Dorsey and Pharrell Williams)
  • Carter
  • Williams
  • Hugo
The Neptunes4:42
12."Show You How" (bonus track)
  • Carter
  • Smith
Just Blaze2:59
13."Bitches & Sisters" (bonus track)Just Blaze2:39
14."What They Gonna Do, Part II" (bonus track)
  • Carter
  • Darrell Branch
Darrell "Digga" Branch3:47

Blueprint 2.1

Blueprint 2.1
Studio album (reissue) by
ReleasedApril 8, 2003
Genre
Label
Producer
Jay-Z chronology
The Blueprint2: The Gift & the Curse
(2002)
Blueprint 2.1
(2003)
The Black Album
(2003)
Singles from Blueprint 2.1
  1. "La-La-La"
    Released: 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[23]
RapReviews.com(8.5/10)[24]
Rolling Stone[25]

Blueprint 2.1 is a reissue by rapper Jay-Z, created from a re-cut version of The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse.[26] It was certified gold by the RIAA. One single was released from the album, "La-La-La".

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."A Dream" (featuring Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G.)Kanye West3:46
2."Hovi Baby"Just Blaze4:21
3."The Watcher 2" (featuring Dr. Dre, Rakim and Truth Hurts)5:54
4."'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (featuring Beyoncé Knowles)Kanye West3:24
5."Excuse Me Miss"The Neptunes4:40
6."All Around the World" (featuring LaToiya Williams)No I.D.3:52
7."Guns & Roses" (featuring Lenny Kravitz)Heavy D4:25
8."U Don't Know (Remix)" (featuring M.O.P.)Just Blaze4:27
9."Meet the Parents"Just Blaze4:58
10."Some How Some Way" (featuring Beanie Sigel and Scarface)Just Blaze5:36
11."The Bounce" (featuring Kanye West)Timbaland4:17
12."What They Gonna Do, Part II"Darrell "Digga" Branch3:47
13."La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)" (Bonus track)The Neptunes4:42
14."Stop" (Bonus track)Swizz Beatz2:53
15."Beware of the Boys (Jay-Z Remix)" (Bonus track)Punjabi MC3:59
16."Blueprint2" (Bonus track)Charlemagne4:49
17."Bitches & Sisters" (Bonus track)Just Blaze2:37

In other media

Bonus tracks

The album contains two bonus tracks (after "What They Gonna Do, Pt. II") not included in The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse. The track "Stop" is a new cut and "La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)" can also be found on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Bad Boys II . The bonus tracks are unlisted and do not have track numbers. The Jay-Z remix of Punjabi MC's "Beware of the Boys" is included as an additional bonus track on the European version only and is lifted off Punjabi MC's album/CDS.

In other media

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[43] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[45] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. Life+Times. "The Scoreboard | Life+Times". Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  2. "The Complete History of Kanye West Guest Verses". Complex. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  3. "Digging deep: Kanye's sharp edge". Dummy Mag. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  4. The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (CD liner). Jay-Z. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2002. p. 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. "JAY-Z: The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse / Blueprint 2.1 Album Review". Pitchfork. 7 October 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  6. "Jay-Z The Bounce Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  7. "Jay-Z Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2002-11-12.
  8. The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse at AllMusic
  9. "Review". Blender. December 2002. p. 156.
  10. Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Album: Jay-Z: The Blueprint 2". Robert Christgau. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  11. Browne, David; Drumming, Neil; Serpick, Evan (November 19, 2002). "Three EW critics give Jay-Z's Blueprint 2 a spin". Entertainment Weekly. EW critics give Jay-Z's Blueprint 2 a spin Archived from the original on January 25, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2023. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
  12. "Jay-Z : The Blueprint 2 : The Gift & The Curse". Nme.Com. 2005-09-12. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
  13. Archived April 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Review". Q. January 2003. p. 120.
  15. Hoard, Christian (November 12, 2002). "The Blueprint, Vol. 2: The Gift and the Curse". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  16. Ryan, Chris (2003-06-24). "Jay-Z, 'The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse' (Roc-a-Fella) | SPIN | Albums | Critical Mass". SPIN. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
  17. "Review". Uncut. January 2003. p. 119.
  18. Muhammad, Cedric (November 15, 2002). "Hip-Hop Fridays: In Defense Of Jay-Z And Blueprint 2". Black Electorate. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  19. Rabin, Nathan (2002-12-06). "The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse: Jay-Z | Music | MusicalWork Review | The A.V. Club". Origin.avclub.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
  20. Baker, Soren (November 24, 2002). "The Blueprint 2 – The Gift & The Curse". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  21. Christgau, Robert (February 11, 2003). "Consumer Guide: The Prelude". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  22. "The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse". Billboard. November 30, 2003. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  23. AllMusic review
  24. RapReviews.com review
  25. Rolling Stone review
  26. "Blueprint 2.1 (Special Edition w/ 2 Bonus Tracks): Jay-Z: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  27. "Jay-Z Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  28. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jay-Z – The Blueprint 2 – The Gift & The Curse" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  29. "Lescharts.com – Jay-Z – The Blueprint 2 – The Gift & The Curse". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  30. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  31. "Charts.nz – Jay-Z – The Blueprint 2 – The Gift & The Curse". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  32. "Swisscharts.com – Jay-Z – The Blueprint 2 – The Gift & The Curse". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  33. "Jay-Z | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  34. "Jay-Z Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  35. "Jay-Z Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  36. "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  37. "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  38. "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  39. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  40. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  41. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  42. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  43. "Canadian album certifications – JAY Z – The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse". Music Canada.
  44. "British album certifications – JAY Z – The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  45. "American album certifications – JAY Z – The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse". Recording Industry Association of America.
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