Jay-Z - The Blueprint 2
Review by vanilla coek
Jay-Z received a lot of shit over his 2002 release, The Blueprint 2:
The Gift & The Curse. Most people hated the album, which was a two-disc affair.
While Jay's original Blueprint was loaded with mostly great songs, the Blueprint
2 has quite a few duds. However, there are still some pretty amazing tracks.
THE GOOD:
'The Watcher 2' featuring Dr. Dre, Rakim, and Truth Hurts is a classic in every
sense of the word. Dre's original song from his 2001 album was the shit, but
this sequel is even tighter. The beat is similar to the first, but the addition
of James Bond-like sound effects was a great idea. Bangin' track, one of my
faves.
'Excuse Me Miss' is a Neptunes-produced track featuring Pharrell Williams.
Usually, Pharrell = instant garbage, but the song is surprisingly good. Some of
Jigga's lyrics are weak, but I highly enjoy the song anyway.
'Poppin' Tags' featuring Big Boi, Twista, and Killer Mike is hella good. All
four guys drop tight verses while Sleepy Brown delivers an uber-catchy chorus.
I would love to see Jay do some more collaborations with these guys.
'I Did It My Way' is a nice introspective track that samples Paul Anka's 'My
Way'. The beat is dope and it fits with Jigga's flow perfectly.
'Diamond Is Forever' is one of the album's best. Ron Feemster's production on
the track is flawless. The song, which praises the Roc-A-Fella clique, has a
very dark sound to it. It's an excellent opener for the second disc.
'Guns and Roses' featuring Lenny Kravitz is a pretty solid track. Kravitz does
an amazing job here, as does Heavy D on production. Jay is tight, too, but he
is outshined by Kravitz.
'U Don't Know Remix' featuring M.O.P. is a massive improvement over the original
song that was on the first Blueprint. M.O.P.'s hardcore street rapping adds a
lot to the track and gives it a much grittier and darker touch. M.O.P. totally
waste Jay on the track, but it is still dope as hell.
'Meet the Parents' is a classic storytelling track from Jay-Z. Hov narrates a
story about the struggles of a family ridden with the conflicts of thug life.
The song features some amazing songwriting and a memorable ending. One of Jay's
best.
'Some People Hate' has tight production from Kanye West. Here Jigga raps about
how people hate him and compares himself to 2Pac. The 2Pac comparison is bound
to anger some, but the song is still pretty good. Kanye's killer production
really helps here.
'A Ballad For The Fallen Soldier' contains some heartfelt lyrics from Jay and
some surprisingly good production from the Neptunes. In the song, he compares
the life of a hustler to the life of a soldier. It's actually a solid
comparison and it makes for an emotional song.
'Show You How' is a quick and enjoyable track, although it is loaded with Jay's
braggadocio. Even if you despise the egotistical lyrics, you have to respect
the good production.
'Bitches & Sisters' is a decent enough song where Jay-Z raps about women like
only he can. He compares bitches to sisters. Some of the comparisons are
interesting, and the production is solid. It's good enough to fall in the
'good' category here.
THE AVERAGE:
'A Dream' featuring Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. could have been great,
but it turned out to be nothing more than a novelty track. Hov raps about a
dream he had about Biggie, but his lyrics get annoying fast. He says 'said'
after damn near every word. Faith Evans' chorus is powerful. Biggie's
appearance in the song is his first verse from his classic hit single 'Juicy'.
It's cool to hear his verse over a different beat, but I just feel that the
track as a whole could have been executed so much better.
'Hovi Baby' is nothing more than your typical braggadocio Jay-Z track. Just
Blaze provides a nice beat for the song, but it does get tiring after a while.
Jigga's lyrics, while highly narcissistic, aren't that terrible. As a whole,
the song is merely okay.
'What They Gonna Do' featuring Sean Paul is an attempt from Jay at performing
reggae-style. Sean Paul has an admittedly unique voice, but he does very little
on the song. His appearance is in the form of two lines during the chorus:
'Yo Yo Yo, Yo Yo Yo / Show out her wild side, stick out her backside'.
That's it. The production is good, but Jay's lyrics just seem uninspired.
'All Around the World' featuring LaToiya Williams is decent, but nothing
impressive. Jay raps about how he considers himself an icon all around the
world (get it? Har har). LaToiya's singing in the hook is fine, but once again
the song just seems uninspired overall.
'The Bounce' featuring an un-credited Kanye West has some tight production from
Timbaland (who seems to be more 'miss' than 'hit'). However, the lyrics are
just more of Jay's bragging. I will give him credit for a surprisingly good
flow here, but that's about it.
'Some How Some Way' featuring Beanie Sigel and Scarface is a pretty bland track.
The production is boring, and Jay and Beanie's verses are weak. Scarface saves
the song from being entirely skippable.
'Blueprint 2' has some kick-ass lyrics from Jay-Z, but the GODAWFUL chorus is
enough to send the song to medicoreville. In a pitiful Austin Powers
impression, Jay delivers a hook of: 'H, O V A / The Blueprint 2 baby, on the
way / H, O V A / I got my mojo back baby, oh behave' With a better hook,
this song could have been the shit.
'2 Many Hoes' has some entertaining lyrics, but Timbaland's production is wack.
The song is about how Jay gets annoyed when fellas come up and talk to him while
he's trying to get himself some pussy. Good lyrics (for the most part), bad
production.
THE BAD:
'03 Bonnie and Clyde' featuring Beyonce Knowles is the MTV hit that completely
ripped off 2Pac's 'Me and My Girlfriend'. The song just makes me sick. I skip
this song every time I listen to the album.
'Fuck All Nite' is total garbage produced by the Neptunes. Pharrell's
appearance in the song makes me want to vomit. Wack lyrics and a pathetic beat
do not good song make.
'Nigga Please' featuring Young Chris also has crap lyrics and weak production.
Damn you, Neptunes!
'As One' features all of Jay's buddies at the ROC. Of course, this means plenty
of wack lyrics. The song is just so bad that I can't help but laugh when I hear
it. I know it's just a 'fun' club track, but the ROC crew still could have done
a better job'
'What They Gonna Do Part II' is MUCH worse than the original. The version with
Sean Paul was merely decent at best, but this 'sequel' makes me want to
violently chop my ears off with a machete. The beat is terrible, and Jay's
lyrics are just'.UGH!
THE VERDICT:
So let's see here'we have twelve good, eight average, and five bad songs. This
could have been a killer single album, but as a two-disc'er it is pretty
disappointing. Still, even though you'll be skipping what seems like every
other song, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse is worth a purchase at its
discount price (usually costs the same as normal albums). It's not Jay's best
effort, but it's still worth checking out because of its handful of classic
songs.
---
Here's what the perfect Blueprint 2 album would be to me:
01. Diamond Is Forever
02. The Watcher 2
03. Meet the Parents
04. Poppin' Tags
05. U Dont Know Remix
06. Excuse Me Miss
07. A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier
08. Guns and Roses
09. Bitches and Sisters
10. Some People Hate
11. Show You How
12. I Did It My Way
*13. 2 Many Hoes (hidden track)
*14. A Dream (hidden track)
The Gift & The Curse. Most people hated the album, which was a two-disc affair.
While Jay's original Blueprint was loaded with mostly great songs, the Blueprint
2 has quite a few duds. However, there are still some pretty amazing tracks.
THE GOOD:
'The Watcher 2' featuring Dr. Dre, Rakim, and Truth Hurts is a classic in every
sense of the word. Dre's original song from his 2001 album was the shit, but
this sequel is even tighter. The beat is similar to the first, but the addition
of James Bond-like sound effects was a great idea. Bangin' track, one of my
faves.
'Excuse Me Miss' is a Neptunes-produced track featuring Pharrell Williams.
Usually, Pharrell = instant garbage, but the song is surprisingly good. Some of
Jigga's lyrics are weak, but I highly enjoy the song anyway.
'Poppin' Tags' featuring Big Boi, Twista, and Killer Mike is hella good. All
four guys drop tight verses while Sleepy Brown delivers an uber-catchy chorus.
I would love to see Jay do some more collaborations with these guys.
'I Did It My Way' is a nice introspective track that samples Paul Anka's 'My
Way'. The beat is dope and it fits with Jigga's flow perfectly.
'Diamond Is Forever' is one of the album's best. Ron Feemster's production on
the track is flawless. The song, which praises the Roc-A-Fella clique, has a
very dark sound to it. It's an excellent opener for the second disc.
'Guns and Roses' featuring Lenny Kravitz is a pretty solid track. Kravitz does
an amazing job here, as does Heavy D on production. Jay is tight, too, but he
is outshined by Kravitz.
'U Don't Know Remix' featuring M.O.P. is a massive improvement over the original
song that was on the first Blueprint. M.O.P.'s hardcore street rapping adds a
lot to the track and gives it a much grittier and darker touch. M.O.P. totally
waste Jay on the track, but it is still dope as hell.
'Meet the Parents' is a classic storytelling track from Jay-Z. Hov narrates a
story about the struggles of a family ridden with the conflicts of thug life.
The song features some amazing songwriting and a memorable ending. One of Jay's
best.
'Some People Hate' has tight production from Kanye West. Here Jigga raps about
how people hate him and compares himself to 2Pac. The 2Pac comparison is bound
to anger some, but the song is still pretty good. Kanye's killer production
really helps here.
'A Ballad For The Fallen Soldier' contains some heartfelt lyrics from Jay and
some surprisingly good production from the Neptunes. In the song, he compares
the life of a hustler to the life of a soldier. It's actually a solid
comparison and it makes for an emotional song.
'Show You How' is a quick and enjoyable track, although it is loaded with Jay's
braggadocio. Even if you despise the egotistical lyrics, you have to respect
the good production.
'Bitches & Sisters' is a decent enough song where Jay-Z raps about women like
only he can. He compares bitches to sisters. Some of the comparisons are
interesting, and the production is solid. It's good enough to fall in the
'good' category here.
THE AVERAGE:
'A Dream' featuring Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. could have been great,
but it turned out to be nothing more than a novelty track. Hov raps about a
dream he had about Biggie, but his lyrics get annoying fast. He says 'said'
after damn near every word. Faith Evans' chorus is powerful. Biggie's
appearance in the song is his first verse from his classic hit single 'Juicy'.
It's cool to hear his verse over a different beat, but I just feel that the
track as a whole could have been executed so much better.
'Hovi Baby' is nothing more than your typical braggadocio Jay-Z track. Just
Blaze provides a nice beat for the song, but it does get tiring after a while.
Jigga's lyrics, while highly narcissistic, aren't that terrible. As a whole,
the song is merely okay.
'What They Gonna Do' featuring Sean Paul is an attempt from Jay at performing
reggae-style. Sean Paul has an admittedly unique voice, but he does very little
on the song. His appearance is in the form of two lines during the chorus:
'Yo Yo Yo, Yo Yo Yo / Show out her wild side, stick out her backside'.
That's it. The production is good, but Jay's lyrics just seem uninspired.
'All Around the World' featuring LaToiya Williams is decent, but nothing
impressive. Jay raps about how he considers himself an icon all around the
world (get it? Har har). LaToiya's singing in the hook is fine, but once again
the song just seems uninspired overall.
'The Bounce' featuring an un-credited Kanye West has some tight production from
Timbaland (who seems to be more 'miss' than 'hit'). However, the lyrics are
just more of Jay's bragging. I will give him credit for a surprisingly good
flow here, but that's about it.
'Some How Some Way' featuring Beanie Sigel and Scarface is a pretty bland track.
The production is boring, and Jay and Beanie's verses are weak. Scarface saves
the song from being entirely skippable.
'Blueprint 2' has some kick-ass lyrics from Jay-Z, but the GODAWFUL chorus is
enough to send the song to medicoreville. In a pitiful Austin Powers
impression, Jay delivers a hook of: 'H, O V A / The Blueprint 2 baby, on the
way / H, O V A / I got my mojo back baby, oh behave' With a better hook,
this song could have been the shit.
'2 Many Hoes' has some entertaining lyrics, but Timbaland's production is wack.
The song is about how Jay gets annoyed when fellas come up and talk to him while
he's trying to get himself some pussy. Good lyrics (for the most part), bad
production.
THE BAD:
'03 Bonnie and Clyde' featuring Beyonce Knowles is the MTV hit that completely
ripped off 2Pac's 'Me and My Girlfriend'. The song just makes me sick. I skip
this song every time I listen to the album.
'Fuck All Nite' is total garbage produced by the Neptunes. Pharrell's
appearance in the song makes me want to vomit. Wack lyrics and a pathetic beat
do not good song make.
'Nigga Please' featuring Young Chris also has crap lyrics and weak production.
Damn you, Neptunes!
'As One' features all of Jay's buddies at the ROC. Of course, this means plenty
of wack lyrics. The song is just so bad that I can't help but laugh when I hear
it. I know it's just a 'fun' club track, but the ROC crew still could have done
a better job'
'What They Gonna Do Part II' is MUCH worse than the original. The version with
Sean Paul was merely decent at best, but this 'sequel' makes me want to
violently chop my ears off with a machete. The beat is terrible, and Jay's
lyrics are just'.UGH!
THE VERDICT:
So let's see here'we have twelve good, eight average, and five bad songs. This
could have been a killer single album, but as a two-disc'er it is pretty
disappointing. Still, even though you'll be skipping what seems like every
other song, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse is worth a purchase at its
discount price (usually costs the same as normal albums). It's not Jay's best
effort, but it's still worth checking out because of its handful of classic
songs.
---
Here's what the perfect Blueprint 2 album would be to me:
01. Diamond Is Forever
02. The Watcher 2
03. Meet the Parents
04. Poppin' Tags
05. U Dont Know Remix
06. Excuse Me Miss
07. A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier
08. Guns and Roses
09. Bitches and Sisters
10. Some People Hate
11. Show You How
12. I Did It My Way
*13. 2 Many Hoes (hidden track)
*14. A Dream (hidden track)
| Final Score - 7/10 |