The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse
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| The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse | ||
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| Studio album by Jay-Z | ||
| Released | November 12, 2002 (US) | |
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |
| Label | Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam | |
| Producer(s) | Kanye West Just Blaze Dr. Dre The Neptunes Timbaland No I.D. Heavy D Big Chuck Jimi Kendrix Ron Feemster Charlemagne Darrell 'Digga' Branch |
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| Professional reviews | ||
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| Jay-Z chronology | ||
| The Best Of Both Worlds (2002) |
The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002) |
The Blueprint 2.1 (2003) |
The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse is rapper Jay-Z's 2002 double LP music album. Parts of the album were later reissued as The Blueprint 2.1 in 2003.
The album surpassed its predecessor in commercial success, going 4x platinum in the U.S. alone, but was criticized for its more pop-oriented sound as well as its plethora of guests, when The Blueprint had been almost devoid of guest appearances.
Though the album has no strict concept in view, the first disc The Gift generally has more upbeat, party-oriented tracks, including the hit singles "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" and "Excuse Me Miss." The Curse has a somewhat darker tone, including disses to Nas and Jay-Z's former mentor Jaz-O on "Blueprint 2" and a dramatic street-oriented tale on "Meet the Parents."
Signed Roc-A-Fella Records producers Kanye West and Just Blaze, as well as longtime collaborators The Neptunes and Timbaland contributed heavily to the album's production. Other collaborators who had not produced for Jay-Z before including Dr. Dre, Heavy D, and No I.D. contributed as well.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Disc one: The Gift
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Featured guest (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Dream" | S. Carter, C. Wallace, K. West, S. Combs, J.C. Olivier, J. Mtume | Kanye West | Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. |
| 2 | "Hovi Baby" | S. Carter, J. Smith, K. Edmonds | Just Blaze | Additional vocals: Christy Love |
| 3 | "The Watcher 2" | S. Carter, A. Young, W. Griffin | Dr. Dre | Dr. Dre, Rakim & Truth Hurts Background vocals: Terri |
| 4 | "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" | S. Carter, K. West, T. Shakur, D. Harper, T. Rouse, T. Wrice, P. Nelson | Kanye West | Beyoncé Knowles |
| 5 | "Excuse Me Miss" | S. Carter, P. Williams, C. Hugo | The Neptunes | Additional vocals: Pharrell Williams (uncreditted) |
| 6 | "What They Gonna Do" | S. Carter, T. Mosley | Timbaland | Sean Paul |
| 7 | "All Around the World" | S. Carter, D. Wilson, G. Clinton Jr., W. Collins, Hawkins, J. Jefferson, C. Simmons, J. Vitti, J. Theracon, B. Hawes | No I.D. | LaToiya Williams |
| 8 | "Poppin' Tags" | S. Carter, A. Patton, C. Mitchell, K. West, W. Robinson, R. Michael | Kanye West | Big Boi, Killer Mike & Twista Additional vocals: Sleepy Brown and Debra Killings |
| 9 | "Fuck All Nite" | S. Carter, P. Williams, C. Hugo | The Neptunes | Additional vocals: Pharrell Williams (uncreditted) and Tanisha Carnes |
| 10 | "The Bounce" | S. Carter, T. Mosley | Timbaland | Kanye West (uncreditted) Guest vocals: Raje Shwari |
| 11 | "I Did It My Way" | S. Carter, C. Stanton, J. Kendrix, J. Revaud, G. Thibaut, P. Anka, C. Francois | Jimmy Kendrix and Big Chuck |
[edit] Disc two: The Curse
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Featured guest (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Diamond Is Forever" | S. Carter, C. Stanton, T. Feemster | Ron Feemster and Big Chuck | Additional vocals: Michelle Rosario |
| 2 | "Guns & Roses" | S. Carter, D. Myers, J. McCrea | Heavy D | Lenny Kravitz |
| 3 | "U Don't Know (Remix)" | S. Carter, J. Grinnage, E. Murray, J. Smith, B. Byrd | Just Blaze | M.O.P. |
| 4 | "Meet the Parents" | S. Carter, J. Smith | Just Blaze | |
| 5 | "Some How Some Way" | S. Carter, D. Grant, B. Jordan, J. Smith, M. McGloiry | Just Blaze | Beanie Sigel & Scarface |
| 6 | "Some People Hate" | S. Carter, K. West, B. Russell | Kanye West | |
| 7 | "Blueprint²" | S. Carter, H. Charlemagne, E. Morricone | Charlemagne | |
| 8 | "Nigga Please" | S. Carter, C. Ries, P. Williams, C. Hugo | The Neptunes | Young Chris Additional vocals: Pharrell Williams (uncreditted) |
| 9 | "2 Many Hoes" | S. Carter, T. Mosley | Timbaland | Additional vocals: Timbaland |
| 10 | "As One" | S. Carter, M. Cox, L. Pridgen, C. Ries, E. Del Barrio, K. Johnson, M. White, V. White, J. Smith, P. Ziyas, H. Muhammed | Just Blaze | Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Gunz, Peedi Crakk, Clinton Sparks & Rell |
| 11 | "A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier" | S. Carter, P. Williams, C. Hugo | The Neptunes | Additional vocals: Marc Dorsey |
| 12 | "Show You How"* | S. Carter, J. Smith | Just Blaze | |
| 13 | "Bitches & Sisters"* | S. Carter, J. Smith, I. Hayes, D. Porter | Just Blaze | |
| 14 | "What They Gonna Do Part II"* | S. Carter, D. Branch | Darrell "Digga" Branch |
*Bonus tracks
[edit] Samples
[edit] The Gift
A Dream
- Vocals from "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G.
Hovi Baby
- "Diggin' On You" by TLC
The Watcher 2
- "The Watcher" by Dr. Dre
'03 Bonnie & Clyde
- "Me And My Girlfriend" by 2Pac
All Around the World
- Interpolation of "Sadie" by B. Hawes
- "Theme From The Black Hole" by George Clinton
- "Children Get Together" by Ed Hawkins
Poppin' Tags
- "After All" by W. Robinson
Fuck All Nite
- Interpolation of "U Don't Have To Call" by Usher
I Did It My Way
- "My Way" by Paul Anka
[edit] The Curse
Guns & Roses
- "Arco Arena" by Cake
U Don't Know (Remix)
- "I'm Not To Blame" by Bobby Byrd
Some How Some Way
- "Castles Of Sand" by Jermaine Jackson
Blueprint 2
- "The Ecstasy Of Gold" by Ennio Morricone
As One
- "Fantasy" by Earth, Wind & Fire
Bitches & Sisters
- "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" by Kim Preston
Some People Hate
- "A Word Called Love" by Brenda Russell
[edit] Album singles
| Single cover | Single information |
|---|---|
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"'03 Bonnie & Clyde"
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"Hovi Baby"
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"Excuse Me Miss"
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[edit] Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 1 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 8 |
| Preceded by 8 Mile Soundtrack by Various Artists |
Billboard 200 Number 1 Album November 30, 2002 - December 6, 2002 |
Succeeded by Up! by Shania Twain |
