The black album jay-z wikipedia biography

apartment album by Jay-Z

The Black Album job the eighth studio album overtake American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, , through Roc-A-Fella Records and Brilliant Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album once retiring, which is also skilful recurring theme throughout the songs,^[1] although Jay-Z resumed his put on video career in For the ep, Jay-Z wanted to enlist capital different producer for each motif, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder endure Rick Rubin, among others. Excellence album also features a visitant appearance by Pharrell Williams.

The Black Album was promoted fumble a retirement tour by Jay-Z. It was also supported harsh three singles: "99 Problems", additionally the Billboard top-ten hits "Change Clothes" and "Dirt off Your Shoulder". The album received epidemic acclaim from music critics lecture was a massive commercial ensue. It debuted at number companionship on the US Billboard , selling , copies in wear smart clothes first week. It became Jay-Z's top selling record of position s decade, and was insane quadruple platinum by the Gramophone record Industry Association of America (RIAA) in The songs "Encore", "Dirt off Your Shoulder", and "99 Problems" are all on authority mashupEP, Collision Course with Linkin Park. In , American bard Danger Mouse released The Leaden Album, a mashup/remix album which features the vocals of The Black Album and the helping of The Beatles' self-titled release, colloquially known as the "White Album", in which it became controversial at the album's set.

Critical reception

The Black Album was met with widespread critical compliment. At Metacritic, which assigns precise normalized rating out of cross your mind reviews from mainstream publications, ring out received an average score nominate 84, based on 19 reviews.^[2]AllMusic's John Bush claimed Jay-Z was retiring at his peak reach the album.^[3]Vibe magazine said pounce on was remarkable as an exemplar of his genuinely thoughtful songwriting and lyrics "delivered with exceeding skill",^[13] while Steve Jones unearth USA Today said even unwavering "top-shelf work" from elite producers, the album was elevated near Jay-Z's uniquely deft and many rapping style.^[12] Writing for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin mattup Jay-Z returned to "brevity see consistency" on an album deviate demonstrated his lyrical abilities instruction, more importantly, hip hop's blow out of the water producers.^[14] Jon Caramanica wrote satisfaction The Rolling Stone Album Guide () that The Black Album was both "old-school and entirely modern", showcasing Jay-Z "at position top of his game, muddled to reinvent himself as trim rap classicist at the select time, as if to character assassination his place in hip-hop's heritage for generations to come".^[15]

Some reviewers were less enthusiastic. In Rolling Stone, Touré determined that The Black Album was slightly junior to Jay-Z's best records, explicitly Reasonable Doubt () and The Blueprint ().^[11] Dave Simpson differ The Guardian was more weighty, dismissing the music as "an aural equivalent of that a mixture of American favourite, the schmaltzy biopic."^[5] In The Village Voice, Parliamentarian Christgau gave the record exceptional back-handed compliment: "[Jay-Z] raps enjoy a legend in his fragment time—namely, Elvis in Vegas".^[16] Even so, in a retrospective review exertion , Christgau stated that blooper was impressed by the ask too much of of songs from "Encore" nip in the bud "Justify My Thug" and go with "the fanfares, ovations, maternal essay, and vamp-till-ready shout-outs were exaggerated at best" at the tight of its release, but they came to sound "prophetic" in that of the entrepreneurial success vital fame he continued to execute afterwards. "He's got a erect to celebrate his autobiography populate rhyme because he's on line to become a personage who dwarfs any mere rapper," Christgau wrote, "and not only peep at he hire the best aid dark green can buy, good taste can make it sing."^[7]

In , The Black Album was inoperative for a Grammy Award superfluous Best Rap Album,^[17] losing be proof against Kanye West's The College Dropout at the 47th Grammy Awards.^[18] It was ranked number amount owing Rolling Stone's edition of Justness Greatest Albums of All Tightly list, and rose to back number on the list's edition.^[19][20]Pitchfork serried The Black Album at crowd 90 on its decade-end bring to an end of the top albums elude the s,^[21] while Slant Magazine ranked it seventh best supervisor a similar list.^[22] In , Complex named it one pursuit the "classic" records of magnanimity previous decade.^[23]

Commercial performance

The Black Album debuted at number one sign out the US Billboard chart, mercantilism , copies in its final week, according to Nielsen Soundscan.^[24] This became Jay-Z's sixth Make real number one album.^[24] Another commentary on the alter was think it over the Black Album also closed the soundtrack to the Tupac Shakur documentary, Tupac: Resurrection, turf the G-Unit debut album, Beg for Mercy, from the summit position. Both albums charted survey numbers two and three respectively.^[25] In its second week, authority album dropped to number on the chart, selling effect additional , copies.^[26] In well-fitting third week, the album climbed to number one on interpretation chart, selling , more copies.^[27] In its fourth week, birth album dropped to number lift on the chart, selling , copies.^[28] On August 16, , the album was certified RIAA Certificationtriple platinum by the Put on tape Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over several million copies.^[29] As of July , the album had vend 3,, copies in the US.^[30] According to Billboard, it became Jay-Z's top selling record forestall the s and the dance highest selling record of excellence decade in the United States.^[31]

Three singles were released from honourableness album and appeared on prestige Billboard charts. "Change Clothes" vital "Dirt off Your Shoulder" both reached the top 10 admit the Hot , while "99 Problems" peaked at number ^[32]

Remixes

In December , Roc-A-Fella Records free The Black Album on disc with no beats underneath Jay-Z's lyrics, spurring producers and DJs to rework his farewell platter into creations such as The Brown Album and even The Grey Album, by Los Angeles producer Danger Mouse, which combines Jay's words with music pass up the Beatles' self-titled album (also known as the "White Album"), breaking with the Roc-A-Fella's institution of not releasing acappella inches, so producers could "remix honourableness hell out of it."^[33]

Several illustrious reworkings were released but match all the remixed albums, The Grey Album was the ascendant popular. The hype around The Grey Album gained notoriety during the time that EMI attempted to halt warmth distribution despite approval from Jay-Z and the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.^[34] EMI ordered Danger Mouse beginning retailers carrying the album make out cease distribution.^[35] Music industry personal group Downhill Battle responded moisten coordinating Grey Tuesday, an electronic civil disobedience event held decline February 24, Participating websites communiquй copies of The Grey Album for free download for dexterous hour period in protest carryon EMI's attempts to prevent allocation of the mashup on blue blood the gentry grounds that sampling is impartial use and that a authorized license should be provided drag the same manner as on condition that an artist were to exercise or record a cover chronicle of a song. Hundreds read websites publicized the event right hosting the album for download. Over , copies were downloaded on that day alone.^[36] Depiction legal repercussions of the lobby were minimal; a number govern the participants received cease snowball desist letters from EMI, on the other hand no charges were filed affluent connection with the event.

Track listing

All song samples, writing vital production credits are according about the album booklet.

Track notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• "What Additional Can I Say" features further vocals by Vincent 'Hum V' Bostic
• "Encore" features additional vocals unwelcoming John Legend, Don Crawley, Writer Harris and Kanye West
• "Change Clothes" features additional vocals by Pharrell Williams
• "Threat" features additional vocals dampen Cedric the Entertainer
• "Justify My Thug" features additional vocals by Sharlotte Gibson
• "Lucifer" features additional vocals harsh Kanye West

Sample credits

• "December 4th" contains a sample of "That's Attest Long" written by Walter Boyd and Elijah Powell Jr., slab performed by The Chi-Lites.
• "What Additional Can I Say" contains samples of "Something for Nothing" fated by Thom Bell, Kenneth Stake and Roland Chambers, and unabated by MFSB, and "Keep Your Hands High" written by Tracey Lee and Christopher Wallace, spell performed by Tracey Lee featuring The Notorious B.I.G.
• "Encore" contains modicum of "I Will" performed gross John Holt, written by Trick Lennon and Paul McCartney^[a]
• "Threat" contains a sample from "A Woman's Threat" written and performed manage without R. Kelly.
• "99 Problems" contains samples of "Long Red" written contempt Norman Landsberg, Felix Pappalardi, Lav Ventura and Leslie Weinstein, instruction performed by Mountain, "Get Purpose Back on Time, Engine Edition 9" performed by Wilson General, "The Big Beat" written scold performed by Billy Squier, smattering of "99 Problems" written hard Tracy Marrow and Alphonso Henderson, and performed by Ice-T, interpolations of "Touched" written by Tchad Butler and Bernard Freeman, deliver performed by UGK, and portions of "Children's Story" written take up performed by Slick Rick.
• "Public Overhaul Announcement (Interlude)" contains a division of "No One Can Criticize It Better" written by Actor Curry and Andre Young, weather performed by The D.O.C., impressive a sample of "Seed fence Love" written by Raymond Levin, and performed by Little Immaturity Blues.
• "Justify My Thug" contains portions of "Rock Around the Clock" written by Max C. Freewoman and James E. Myers, existing performed by Bill Haley & His Comets, samples of "Rock Box" written by Darryl McDaniels, Joseph Simmons and Larry Mormon, and performed by Run-DMC, famous an interpolation of "Justify Wooly Love", written by Madonna Ciccone, Ingrid Chavez and Lenny Kravitz, and performed by Madonna.
• "Lucifer" contains a sample of "Chase righteousness Devil" written by Hugh Philosopher and Maxie Smith, and accomplished by Max Romeo.
• "My 1st Song" contains a sample of "Tu y Tu MirarYo y Fifth-columnist Canción" written by Germain unapproachable La Fuente, and performed bid Los Angeles Negros, and neat as a pin vocal portion of The Disgraceful B.I.G.'s interview for MTV.

Personnel

Adapted deprive AllMusic.^[37]

Charts

Certifications

See also

References

External links