^{September11 2001 was one of the most horrific days in American history; on that day thatshook our nation, an album was released that embodied the spirit of American capitalismand all the good and bad that goes along with it more than any other album inthe history of this great nation.  Furthermore,the album helped bring back a sense of normalcy to the city that was hithardest on 9/11, New York. That album is Jay Z’s The Blueprint.}  

^{Onthe opening track The Rulers Back Jay raps, “I'm representin for the seat where Rosa Parks sat, Where Malcolm X was shot,where Martin Luther was popped.” While Jay uses that line to pay homage tocivil rights leaders who strove for equality, what Jay Z strives for on theBlueprint is not a seat at the table.. He wants to own the table. He wants toown the restaurant the label is in. He wants to run the city where therestaurant is located. Furthermore, he knows that despite those cival rightsleaders hard work, the only way that will happen is if he works harder,outsmarts his competition, and fights off everyone who tries to take what hehas earned or might jeopardize what he has accomplished. Jay points out that,in his particular line of work which is music it is not just talent that earnsyou money; you got to also make sure that people are not screwing you over. Inthe song Izzo, Jay raps “ Label owners hate me I'm raisin the status quo up-I'm overchargin niggaz for what they did to the ColdCrush [1] Pay us like you owe us for all the years that you hoedus-We can talk, but money talks so talk mo'bucks.”
            The track “You Don’tKnow” is the both the numerical center piece in terms of track order and the philosophicalcenter piece of the album where Jay Z details his by any means necessary riseup from the projects to the penthouse. The song begins with a thumping beat andone of those sped up voiced samples that immediately hit you like an adrenalinerush. The first lyrics Jay Z spits are lines about the neighborhood he camefrom: “There's so muchcoke that you could run the slalom-And cops comb the shit top to bottom” Later hegoes on to explain why he left the life of selling bricks of coke to sellingrap music. One might think it was for the love of the music, but Jay Z inkeeping with his capitalistic ethos simply describes it as a business decisionwhen he raps “Put this shit in motion ain't no rewindin me back
Could make 40 off a brick but one rhyme could beatthat” followed later by his classic boast “Momma ain't raised no fool-Put me anywhere on God's green earth, I'll triple myworth.”}

            ^{JayZ also admits to not just the hard work that helpedhis rise to the top, butsome of the more ruthless tactics one must partake in after they have reach ahigh status in order to stay there. Jay Z had signed a rapper named Amil whowas most famous for doing the last verse on the song “Can I get A” a couple ofyears earlier. Amil eventually released a solo album under Jay Z’s Rocafellarecord label that barely sold anything. Jay Z mentions that this caused him todrop Amil from his record label; Jay Z does not mention this overtly but it oneof the subtle and brilliant subliminal puns in history in these lines: “you gota couple of Beans and you don't have a Clue-Your situation is Bleek, I'ma keepit Real cause-Fuckin with me, you gotta drop a mil-Cause if you gonna cop somethin you gotta cop for real”  The line “you gotta drop a mil” is a punreferring the need to spend millions of dollars to keep up with him and hisdropping of Amil (a-mil) from his record label in a move of corporate efficientcapitalism. In addition, he uses puns in those lines to refer to the artistsstill on his label like Memphis Bleek, Beanie Seigal, and DJ Clue. But waitthere is another level of subtext. Those lines are a homage to fellow Brooklyn legendaryrapper The Notorious Big who similarly rapped the names of his label matespuffy, the lox, black rob, and Mase in his final verse on the songVictory.  A couple of quick lines and 3levels of meaning that could easily be missed. The Blueprint is filled withmultilayered lines like that.}

            ^{JayZ does not just celebrate all the riches that his hard work and capitalistic connivinghave helped him attain, but also laments the negative aspects that come alongwith success. On the song Song Cry he tells a heartbreaking story about how hisever growing ego and appetite for material things led to the destruction of hisrelationship with his first love who helped him when he was nothing. The entireordeal has left Jay Z cold hearted with his admitted inability to even shed atear over the situation which he expresses on the chorus with the refrain “ Ican’t see em coming down my eyes, so I gotta make the song cry.”}

^{Aside from the emotional toll thatreaching a high status in society can take on the relationships you had whenyou were not as wealthy, another negative aspect is all the jealousy thatsuccess breads in everyone around you. Jay Z addresses that Jealousy on thesong Heart Of The City. The song features a chorus that is the best of the manyreworked soul style samples that a then mostly unknown producer by the name ofKanye West uses to give a cohesive feel throughout the album.  Jay Z address the jealous people around himwith dexterous word play and complex rhyme schemes: “I wake up to more bullshit-You knew mebefore records, you never disrespected me-Now that I'm successful you'll pullthis shit-Nigga I'll step on your porch, step to your boss-Let's end thespeculation, I'm talkin to alla y'all-Malesshouldn't be jealous that's a female trait-Whatchumad cause you push dimes and he sell weight?-Y'all don't know my expenses, Igotta buy a bigger place-Hehehe, and morebaggies, why you all aggie?-Nigga respectthe game, that should be it-What you eatdon't make me shit.”}

            ^{Whenan artist like Jay Z creates a capitalistic brand around himself, he will notonly have lesser artists/brands around him, he will also have artist/brandsthat are his legitimate rivals. In Jay Z’s case that rival of equal stature wasNas. The Blueprint was released during the lyrical battle between Jay Z and Nasthat ended going down as the greatest rap battle in history.}[2] ^{I wasin Boston in during the battle when new diss records where being released allthe time. I remember heading home from classes during my first year of collegeeagerly anticipating what new battle songs like the classic Blueprint album cutThe Takeover with its menacing reworking of a Doors beat would be leaking thatday that the now defunct  Boston hip hopstation Hot 97.7 was going to play. From anecdotal information I got frompeople living in New York at the time and from articles in magazines I read,the young people actually living in New York where doing the same thing andthen some. More than anything else for my generation the Jay Z vs. Nas rapbattle at the time brought a sense of normalcy and exciting distractions backto life after the numbing horror of September 11 attacks. For that both Jay Zand Nas both need to be commended. (In addition, Jay Z along with other rapperslike Sean Puffy Combs and Dr Dre also donated upwards of a million dollars eachto help families victimized by 9/11. )}

     ^{Eventhe songs on The Blueprint that where more slight in theme where classics. The trackGirls Girls Girls and the hidden remix at the end of the album featured complexrhymes schemes and subtle references to everything from Aretha Franlin to abrilliant working in into the lyrics of a comedy bit from the amazing comedyspecial Eddie Murphy Raw.}[3] ^{One ofthe few non Kanye produced tracks is Hola Hovito which features a jumpy Latininfused beat from Timberland that gets under your skin.}

^{Imentioned earlier that Jay Z battled his only rival for the best rapper aliveat the time Nas on the Blueprint. There was only one other rapper at the timewho anyone would consider being near Jay Z in lyrical ability at the time andthat was Eminem who is the only actual other rapper on the Blueprint. On thetrack Renegade both Eminem and Jay Z try to one up each other with brilliant verseswith a staggering amount of alliteration and multisyllabic rhymes. Here is aquick sample of what I mean from one of Eminem’s verses: “Now who's the king ofthese rude ludicrous lucrative lyrics-Who couldinherit the title, put the youth in hysterics” For mostof the album, Jay Z describes how he rose to the top via his own wits; however,on the last official cut the touching Blueprint (Moma loves me) Jay Z givestribute to all those in his life who helped him get to where he was. Thoughtthat is the last official cut on the album, the album does not stop but insteadcomes back to life after a few minutes of silence with the lyrical exercisetrack Breathe Easy. In that song Jay Z spits “I'm far from being God-But I workgoddamn hard” He may not be god, but with The Blueprint album Jay Zearned the ability to claim the God MC baton from Rakim and also earned my pickfor Album of the decade.}