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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
The Black Album
Universal acclaim
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 63 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Def Jam
Release Date: 14 November 2003
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rap
Summary
The hugely successful Brooklyn rapper worked with an A-list of producers (including Just Blaze, Kanye West, Aqua, Eminem, Rick Rubin and The Neptunes) on what he has stated will be the final release of his career. (Sure it will.)
Also By This Artist: American Gangster Kingdom Come The Blueprint The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse The Blueprint 3
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Danger Mouse: The Grey Album
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Mojo
A magnificent record. [Jan 2004, p.104]
Dot Music
It easily stands comparison not just to the stars Jay-Z has been forced to compete with since 1996, but to the all-time greats of hip hop history.
Read Full Review >Vibe
It's monumental because it's a culmination of Jigga's natural thoughtfulness delivered with transcendent skill. [Jan 2004, p.120]
Launch.com
There are better storytellers, there are better battle rappers, there are undoubtedly rhymers with more on their minds. But there isn't a better MC around, if you're talking about the art of sheer mic domination.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
The Black Album stands up alongside Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint as Z's most ambitious work.
Read Full Review >ShakingThrough.net
Carter's sulky obsession with proving himself against a field that has all but laid down and acknowledged him as its master detracts from the hard-won grandeur wrought by this nostalgic magnum opus of self-regard (to say nothing of the engaging beats and typically nimble rhymes).
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
The Black Album's bling-bang reportage mostly rings redundant. [28 Nov 2003, p.121]
PopMatters
The Black Album turns out to be... a surprisingly meticulously constructed coda to Jay-Z's extensive and prosperous career.
Read Full Review >Amazon.com
While it probably won't be remembered as his best album, The Black Album is his most personal to date and features some of his most compelling writing.
Read Full Review >Blender
This is Jay-Z's suicide note and his glowing eulogy rolled into one. [Jan 2004, p.106]
Pitchfork
Even in falling short of Jay's classics, Reasonable Doubt and 2001's The Blueprint, it manages to eclipse 1999's brilliant Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter as his third-best album-- which in itself still makes it one of the year's best.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Excellent, although not quite the epoch-defining triumph its hype suggested it might be. [Jan 2004, p.108]
Neumu.net
The Black Album is a spectacular farewell if that's what it turns out to be.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Given one last chance to make an impact, Jay-Z has come up with one of the better albums of his career, though perhaps a shade lesser than his very best, Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
Review 1: The Black Album’s failings fall upon Jay-Z’s shoulders as much as his producers. [Score=64] Review 2: The majority of the beats here are mediocre. [Score=38]
The Guardian
For all the dark wordplay, the album is an aural equivalent of that old American favourite, the schmaltzy biopic.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 63 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Rodrigo R. gave it a10:
Jay-Z's best album, one of the best albums ever made, it's real hip-hop, it's black music! 99 problems, dirt off your shoulder best songs from album!
Lucky gave it a10:
This album is hot shit!
Dan A gave it a9:
A wonderful coup de grace for Jay'z "retirement." It really is a shame he went and made Kingdom Come. This would've finished the legacy off fine.
Gill gave it a9:
Not his best album but still pretty damn amazing. Considering where he is in his career.
Brannon M gave it an8:
High Quality shit
Robert C gave it a9:
He goes through his whole career perfect send off
[Anonymous] gave it a7:
Overall it was a good album, but I was expecting so much more for the Jigga's "last album". It was still a great album, just a little disappointing.
