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The Blueprint - Jay-Z
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Uncut
    100
    Almost every tune sounds like a hit. [Dec 2001, p.108]
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  2. All Music Guide
    100
    A fully realized masterpiece.
  3. The A.V. Club
    90
    Trades the chilly, futuristic minimalism of S. Carter for a warmer, more organic sound rooted in the soul and funk of the '60s and '70s
  4. Pitchfork
    87
    The Blueprint is possibly the least sonically inventive hip-hop chart topper in years-- stunning and captivating for sure, but still loungily comfortable enough to sleep to.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    By its close, 'The Blueprint' has eloquently mapped out life's foundations: laughter, tears, joy and pain, and has marked the Jigga as the complete rapper.
  6. Sonicnet
    80
    The Blueprint is not a perfect album. Some of the material is undoubtedly filler. But this recording makes it clear that hip-hop is supposed to be fun -- and that Jay-Z is having a ball.
  7. CDNow
    80
    13 tracks of the kind of confident, effortless wordplay that made him a household name in the first place.
  8. PopMatters
    80
    While The Blueprint falls short of his debut's brilliance, it is easily the best Jay Z recording since that release.
  9. L.A. Weekly
    80
    Blueprint is his best since debuting with Reasonable Doubt in 1996.
  10. E! Online
    75
    The Bed-Stuy boy musters up enough of his own charisma, charm and wit to build another solid release.
  11. Dot Music
    70
    It's not radically new - although the Timbaland and the Trackmasters contributions are genuinely exciting - but it's exactly what a lot of people want to hear from a hip-hop album right now.
  12. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    But for an MC claiming to represent ''for the seat where Rosa Parks sat,'' one expects a bit more.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 37
  3. Negative: 3 out of 37
  1. chimsijheh
    0
    wack dont was ur time
  2. rabseye
    10
    easily one of the best rap album of the decade if not the best. personally i believe it matches the black album and reasonable doubt in quality and may even outshadow them. ultimately jay z at his best… Full Review »
  3. Smartine7
    10
    An album that flawlessly balances mainstream appeal and a high level of street (underground) credibility. Jay's flow and rhymes are at their respective peaks, and his lyrical content is as diverse as it is real. Upon its release, The Blueprint redefined the modern hip-hop sound and lived up to its title by creating a template for all future emcees to follow. In 2001, Carter created a masterpiece and (finally) an album that was on par with Reasonable Doubt.… Full Review »
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