Jay-Z is an artist who needs no introduction, so instead of rambling on about all of his accomplishments, I'll focus on the task at hand; “Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse”.

It was nearly one year ago that Jay-Z released his ever so successful Blueprint (September 11, 2001), an album that fit quite nicely into his impressive discography. Since that album dropped, Jay-Z has slipped an MTV Unplugged album onto the store shelves, racking up 2 releases in a matter of months. While the MTV Unplugged release does not show off any new material, the album features the unique unplugged sound, which is very impressive. The next few months would be equally as busy for the rap giant, as he would begin preparing new tracks for yet another album.

On November 12, Jay-Z will be dumping several months of hard work onto those familiar store shelves. In addition, this newest release is a double album consisting of 25 new songs, including artists such as: Biggie, Rakim, Dre, Big Boi, Lenny Kravitz, Sean Paul, MOP, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, etc. According to the previous list, one might expect nothing other than excellence, but I urge you to clear that notion or else you may find yourself in a sense of shock.

The first disc from "Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse" offers a sound that is not typical Jay-Z, but instead offers a large amount of hip hop variety. I wouldn’t be so bold to claim that this disc will offer something for everyone, but I feel that fans of this album will flock from several different sub genres of hip hop, if they flock at all. The first 11 tracks of the double disc are not extraordinary, but are solid enough to gain the attention of many listeners. Contrary to most of his past releases, the first 11 jams do not captivate listeners, but instead slip in and out of their minds initially noticed, but later forgotten. The replay ability aspect is minimal at best, however if the listener is looking for a somewhat relaxed Jay-Z sound, then this album may suit those needs. I would be a fool to label this disc (01) as poor, but it does fall well short of the expectations that have been built for it.

Before turning my head completely, I slipped Disc 02 into the player and pushed play. To my dismay it was more of the same style that was used on the previous 49:41. The initial tune (Diamonds Forever) wasn’t horrible, but it (like most of the previous songs) was missing something. Even after dozens of listens I am having a difficult time pinpointing what exactly is absent. In any event, this was the first song that I enjoyed; if only slightly. My favorite track, ironically, fell directly behind Diamond is Forever. The beat is very well done, very catchy, and yes original. The song has a feeling of old-school Jay-Z; a feel that has been missing since Blueprint. The remaining tracks on Disc 02 are considerably better than their Disc 01 counterparts, but Disc 02 has its hollow spots. In fact, the hollow spots are far too common. I am not claiming that you will dislike all of the tracks, but I feel that any hip hop listener would not be able to sort out 12 good tracks from the total 25. Like I mentioned before, this is being sold as a double album, when the true fact remains that a good single album couldn’t be comprised from this lackluster set of tunes.

Would I recommend this album?
In a word: NO. I wish had the opportunity to preach the greatness of the album, but the album is clearly not great. It seems as though it was slightly rushed and it is highly possible that "Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse" may contain a few B sides that weren’t included on previous albums. If you are a true fan to Jay-Z and his music, then I would highly suggest that you add this to your collection, but to the novice bandwagon listeners, stay away. Besides, 25 tracks could be a little overwhelming to some listeners, as the heavy set list may go unappreciated. I honestly feel that some of the included jams are really good, but like I stated previously: Jay-Z is capable of much more and for that reason the expectations that have been placed by many critics and listeners alike may cause this album to receive inflated criticism. For whatever reason, I donate 3 Planets.

Disc 01
01 A Dream feat Faith and Biggie
02 Hovi Baby
03 The Watcher 2 feat DrDre, Rakim and Truth Hurts
04 Bonnie and Clyde feat Beyonce
05 Excuse Me Miss
06 What They Gonna Do feat Sean Paul
07 All Around The World
08 Poppin Tags feat Big Boi, Killer Mike, Twista
09 Fuck All Nite
10 The Bounce
11 I Did It My Way

Disc 02
01 Diamond Is Forever
02 Guns and Roses feat Lenny Kravitz
03 U Don’t Know (Remix) feat MOP
04 Meet The Parents
05 Some How Some Way
06 Some People Hate
07 Blueprint 2
08 Nigga Please feat Young Chris
09 2 Many Hoes feat. Memphis Bleek
10 As One feat Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Chris, Peedie Crakk, Sparks, Rell
11 A Ballad For The Fallen Soldier
12 Show You How (Bonus Track)
13 Bitches and Sister (Bonus Track)
14 What They Gonna Do Part 2 (Bonus Track)

Ramz Rating:  3 out of 5 Planets


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