The Black Album (Jay-Z album)

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The Black Album
Aqua
  • The Buchanans
  • Eminem
  • DJ Quik
  • Just Blaze
  • Kanye West
  • Luis Resto
  • The Neptunes
  • Rick Rubin
  • Timbaland
    • Jay-Z chronology
    Blueprint 2.1

    (2003)     		The Black Album
    (2003)     		Unfinished Business
    (2004)
    Singles from The Black Album
    1. "Change Clothes"
      Released: November 4, 2003
    2. "Dirt off Your Shoulder"
      Released: March 2, 2004
    3. "99 Problems"
      Released: April 27, 2004

    The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs,[1] although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.

    The Black Album was promoted with a retirement tour by Jay-Z. It was also supported by three

    quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2023. The songs "Encore", "Dirt off Your Shoulder", and "99 Problems" are all on the mashup EP, Collision Course with Linkin Park
    .

    Critical reception

    Professional ratings
    Aggregate scores
    SourceRating
    Metacritic84/100[2]
    Review scores
    SourceRating
    AllMusic[3]
    Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
    The Guardian[5]
    Mojo[6]
    MSN Music (Expert Witness)A[7]
    NME8/10[8]
    Pitchfork8.0/10[9]
    Q[10]
    Rolling Stone[11]
    USA Today[12]

    The Black Album was met with widespread critical acclaim. At

    average score of 84, based on 19 reviews.[2] AllMusic's John Bush claimed Jay-Z was retiring at his peak with the album.[3] Vibe magazine said it was remarkable as an apotheosis of his genuinely thoughtful songwriting and lyrics "delivered with transcendent skill",[13] while Steve Jones from USA Today said even with "top-shelf work" from elite producers, the album was elevated by Jay-Z's uniquely deft and diverse rapping style.[12] Writing for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin felt Jay-Z returned to "brevity and consistency" on an album that demonstrated his lyrical abilities and, more importantly, hip hop's best producers.[14] Jon Caramanica wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that The Black Album was both "old-school and utterly modern", showcasing Jay-Z "at the top of his game, able to reinvent himself as a rap classicist at the right time, as if to cement his place in hip-hop's legacy for generations to come".[15]

    Some reviewers were less enthusiastic. In

    vamp-till-ready shout-outs were overblown at best" at the time of its release, but they came to sound "prophetic" because of the entrepreneurial success and fame he continued to achieve afterwards. "He's got a right to celebrate his autobiography in rhyme because he's on track to become a personage who dwarfs any mere rapper," Christgau wrote, "and not only can he hire the best help dark green can buy, he can make it sing."[7]

    In 2005, The Black Album was nominated for a

    Complex named it one of the "classic" records of the previous decade.[23]

    Commercial performance

    The Black Album debuted at number one on the US

    triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over three million copies.[29] As of July 2013, the album had sold 3,516,000 copies in the US.[30] According to Billboard, it became Jay-Z's top selling record of the 2000s and the 136th highest selling record of the decade in the United States.[31]

    Three singles were released from the album and appeared on the

    Hot 100, while "99 Problems" peaked at number 30.[32]

    Remixes

    In December 2004, Roc-A-Fella Records released The Black Album on vinyl with no beats underneath Jay-Z's lyrics, spurring producers and DJs to rework his farewell disc 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 from the Beatles' self-titled album (also known as the "White Album"), breaking with the Roc-A-Fella's tradition of not releasing acappella 12-inches, so producers could "remix the hell out of it."[33]

    Several notable reworkings were released but of all the remixed albums, The Grey Album was the most popular. The hype around The Grey Album gained notoriety when

    statutory license should be provided in the same manner as if an artist were to perform or record a cover version of a song. Hundreds of websites publicized the event with 170 hosting the album for download. Over 100,000 copies were downloaded on that day alone.[36] The legal repercussions of the protest were minimal; a number of the participants received cease and desist
    letters from EMI, but no charges were filed in connection with the event.

    Track listing

    All song samples, writing and production credits are according to the album booklet.

    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    1."Interlude" 
    Public Service Announcement (Interlude)"
    • Carter
    • Smith
    • Raymond Levin
    		Just Blaze2:53
    11."Justify My Thug"
    		DJ Quik4:04
    12."Lucifer"
    • Carter
    • West
    • Hugh Perry
    • Armend Cobi
    • Maxie Smith
    		West3:12
    13."Allure"
    • Carter
    • Williams
    • Hugo
    		The Neptunes4:52
    14."My 1st Song"
  • Joe "3H" Weinberger
    		• 4:45

    Track notes

    Sample credits

    Personnel

    Adapted from AllMusic.[37]

    • Aqua – producer
    • Marcella Araica – assistant
    • Vincent "Hum V" Bostic – vocals
    • David Brown – engineer, mixing assistant
    • Shari Bryant – marketing
    • Buchannans – producer
    • Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer
    • Shawn Carter – executive producer, liner notes, primary artist, producer
    • Demacio Castellon – engineer
    • Cedric The Entertainer – guest artist, vocals
    • Don Crawley – vocals
    • Damon Dash – executive producer
    • Tony Dawsey – mastering
    • DJ Quik – mixing, producer
    • Danee Doty – vocals
    • Jimmy Douglas – mixing
    • Eminem – mixing, producer
    • Sharlotte Gibson – vocals
    • Walik Goshorn – photography
    • Leon Harris – vocals
    • Keenan "Kee Note" Holloway – bass
    • Ken "Duro" Ifill – mixing
    • Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua – A&R
    • Just Blaze – producer
    • Gimel Keaton – engineer, mixing
    • Steve King – bass, engineer, guitar, mixing
    • Jason Lader – programming
    • Darcell Lawrence – A&R
    • John Legend – vocals
    • Jonathan Mannion – photography
    • Rob Mitchell – A&R
    • The Neptunes – producer
    • 9th Wonder – producer
    • Amber Noble – marketing
    • Felix Pappalardi –
    • Luis Resto – keyboards, producer
    • Rick Rubin – mixing, producer
    • Lenny Santiago – A&R, photography
    • Andrew Scheps – engineer, mixing
    • Robert Sims – art direction, design
    • Chris Steflene – assistant engineer
    • Michael Strange Jr. – engineer
    • Darrell Thorp – mixing
    • Timbaland – producer
    • Richard Travali – mixing
    • Joseph Weinberger – producer
    • Eric Weissman – sample clearance
    • Kanye West – producer, vocals

    Charts

    Certifications

    Region Certification Certified units/sales
    Canada (Music Canada)[59] Platinum 100,000^
    United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Platinum 300,000^
    United States (RIAA)[29] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

    ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
    ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

    See also

    References

    1. ^ Toure. Superstardom is Boring: Jay-Z Quits Again. New York Times, 2003, p. AR33.
    2. ^ a b "Reviews for The Black Album by Jay-Z". Metacritic. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    3. ^ a b Bush, John. "The Black Album – Jay-Z". AllMusic. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    4. ^ Drumming, Neil (November 24, 2003). "The Black Album". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    5. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (November 21, 2003). "Jay-Z: The Black Album". The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    6. ^ "Jay-Z: The Black Album". Mojo (122). London: 104. January 2004.
    7. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (September 9, 2011). "Jay-Z". MSN Music. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
    8. ^ "Jay-Z: The Black Album". NME. London. November 22, 2003. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
    9. ^ Schreiber, Ryan; Pemberton, Rollie; Goldstein, Hartley; Mitchum, Rob; Bowers, William; Chennault, Sam; DiCrescenzo, Brent; Dahlen, Chris; Plagenhoef, Scott (November 16, 2003). "Jay-Z: The Black Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    10. ^ "Jay-Z: The Black Album". Q (210): 108. January 2004.
    11. ^ a b Touré (November 19, 2003). "Jay-Z: The Black Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    12. ^ a b Jones, Steve (November 16, 2003). "Jay-Z goes out on top of his game". USA Today. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
    13. ^ "Review: The Black Album". Vibe. No. 120. January 2004.
    14. ^ The A.V. Club review
    15. ISBN 9780743201698
      .
    16. ^ Christgau, Robert (January 13, 2004). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 26, 2012 – via robertchristgau.com.
    17. ^ "Grammy Award nominees in top categories". USA Today. Associated Press. February 7, 2005. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
    18. ^ Grammy Award Winners. Retrieved on 2011.05.10.
    19. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020.
    20. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Jay-Z, 'The Black Album'". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2009.
    21. ^ Pitchfork staff (September 30, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 100–51". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
    22. ^ Slant staff (February 1, 2010). "The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s: 10–1". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
    23. Complex
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    24. ^ a b "Back In 'Black': Jay-Z Swan Song Bows On Top". Billboard. November 19, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
    25. ^ Dansby, Andrew (November 19, 2003). "Jay-Z Tops 2Pac, G-Unit". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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    28. ^ Joe D'Angelo (December 10, 2003). "Diary of Alicia Keys Enters Billboard Chart At #1". MTV. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
    29. ^ a b "American album certifications – JAY Z – The Black Album". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
    30. ^ Paine, Jake (July 10, 2013). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/7/2013". HipHop DX. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
    31. ^ "Decade-end Charts". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
    32. ^ Gantt, Kareem (October 16, 2014). "Back in the day review: Jay-Z: 'The Black Album'". AXS. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
    33. ^ Reid, Shaheem (January 26, 2004). "Remixers Turn Jay-Z's Black Album Grey, White and Brown". MTV.
    34. ^ York, Jillian C. (April 24, 2014). "The fight to protect digital rights is an uphill battle, but not a silent one". The Guardian. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
    35. ^ Rambarran, Shara (2013). "'99 Problems' but Danger Mouse Ain't One: The Creative and Legal Difficulties of Brian Burton, 'Author' of The Grey Album". Popular Musicology Online. 3.
    36. ^ Rimmer, p. 130
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    42. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
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    59. ^ "Canadian album certifications – JAY Z – The Black Album". Music Canada.
    60. ^ "British album certifications – JAY Z – The Black Album". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Black Album in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
    1. ^ John Lennon is credited to the Lennon-McCartney partnership although McCartney wrote this particular song solo.

    External links

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