Reacting to 'The Blueprint' by Jay Z
Added 2022-12-29 21:23:05 +0000 UTCHave a happy New Year everyone, be safe! See you in 2023!
Direct Play Link: https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/play/27377/2c8d47ca-a4f8-492a-992e-2f8e3ea04778
Comments
It's been a little while since I've tuned in (real life stuff), but your camera quality looks CRISP. I don't know what you bought, but good choice!
Steven
2023-01-09 19:25:11 +0000 UTC100% Bob would appreciate the vulnerability shown on that album but he needs to listen to Lemonade first!
Matt Eaton
2023-01-04 16:02:51 +0000 UTCBecause it's his channel
Alex VonBerg
2023-01-04 04:24:33 +0000 UTCIs it too late to recommend the Renegade performance Em and Jay did on Letterman in the 2010s, it was awesome when I saw it as a teen, random out of album cycle performance on the roof top of the Ed Sullivan Theatre
SizTheWorld
2023-01-03 15:10:32 +0000 UTCHe did The Low End Theory in case you missed it. MM may be next but not for quite some time.
Dylan Woods
2023-01-01 21:01:55 +0000 UTCMMLP2 'even better' than MMLP1 and Eminem Show? C'mon man, that album is mediocre.
Wasp Genocide
2023-01-01 19:52:53 +0000 UTCEther is pretty overrated if you ask me. It's five minutes of Nas throwing dubious insults ("Gay-Z", "Women find you ugly", "You look like a camel") and being angry that Jay had the gall to backstab him. There's some good stuff there, but Takeover is more concise and much more hard hitting ("One hot album every 10 year average" is the best line to come out of that whole beef by a mile).
Wasp Genocide
2023-01-01 19:34:27 +0000 UTCWould love to watch you react to A Tribe Called Quest. Specifically their last album. I think that’s right up your alley
Antonio Macias
2022-12-31 08:24:48 +0000 UTCKanye and the production of this album was heavily influenced by Ghostface Killah's album "Supreme Clientele", which also had the soul sample chop sound
snooza
2022-12-31 05:54:43 +0000 UTCEther review by Nas is a must after this album review 💯
Livin Legin
2022-12-30 23:37:30 +0000 UTCIt mostly comes down to demand. The audience, including Jay-Z fans, have encouraged him to start with Reasonable Doubt and do The Blueprint next. Most want the Black Album after that, American Gangster and 4:44. The four albums that preceded the Blueprint just don't have as much support.
Dylan Woods
2022-12-30 21:57:38 +0000 UTCWhen you listen to Takeover again, listen to the last 2 lines in verse 3. Those were super disrespectful but not obvious. Renegade was originally Eminems song. He had given it to Royce Da 5’9 but took it back to give it to Jay-Z when he wanted to collab. Kanye’s chorus on Never Change was from Jays perspective. He would often come up with concepts for Jay and feature on the song. He wasn’t speaking for himself. Obviously.
DJ Avenger
2022-12-30 19:52:37 +0000 UTCthis month has been probably my favorite month of reactions youve done. 3 old school classics and one of my favorite r&b records of this generation. More jay = more Ws
RandomPig
2022-12-30 19:45:17 +0000 UTCTakeover is the better song. Ether is the better diss track. It’s just so mean
Tyler Johnson
2022-12-30 19:24:45 +0000 UTCYou gotta do Black Album and 4:44. 4:44 is my favorite Jay album. Black Album is a hell of a victory lap filled with tons of hits. Really hope we can get more Jay
Tyler Johnson
2022-12-30 19:24:15 +0000 UTCHot take! People make a big deal about renegade because it's Eminem and Jayz but imo it's not even a top 25 song in Jayz's discography...
Lowkey_kountry
2022-12-30 18:48:16 +0000 UTCGreat oberservation regarding Jay Z vs Drake during Girls, Girl, Girls! Although Drake's bars do improve later on. As far as samples and the singing if you're into soul music (mostly 60s & 70s) those songs probably would resonate more. Also, it was kind of the philosophy in the late 90s early 00s that if the rappers sang the hook even though not the greatest singers more people would sing along because it was more relatable, that's where your 50 cents and Ja Rules became popular.
Lowkey_kountry
2022-12-30 17:38:37 +0000 UTCOn izzo, you talk about the contradiction between the beat and the lyrics. I think it’s more of an intentional juxtaposition, pretty common in the soul-sampling style of production that kanye helped popularize early in his career. You all these soul and r&b classic love songs being flipped by gangsta rappers into songs about life on the streets. Even Kanye does this in the opening track of The College Dropout, We Don’t Care. And he goes even further by having a children’s choir sing the hook about drug-dealing. So I get if it’s not your cup of tea, but it’s definitely an intentional stylistic choice, rather than an oversight
Thomas Lee
2022-12-30 16:44:28 +0000 UTCI want to see a 4:44 reaction, but I think Black Album then 4:44
Gerardo Rojas
2022-12-30 16:32:50 +0000 UTCI disagree, I thought Recovery was really good. I think its subjective, some people love Encore but I think its mid. Like Toy Soldiers, Rain Main, & Mockingbird are the standouts.
Gerardo Rojas
2022-12-30 16:32:07 +0000 UTCPersonally I like takeover more than ether but you can't hear one without the other, if you do more Jay, black album and 4:44 are must
Jack Banner
2022-12-30 15:31:01 +0000 UTCGlad you enjoyed the album, it's one of my favorites, just a few things, the album technically ends with blueprint, so the reflective feel is how the album is supposed to end artistically. Lyrical exercise and ggg2 are bonus "hidden" tracks that come on after a bit of dead air at the end of blueprint. Kinda like seeing a movie and getting the story and then having a bonus teaser after the credits.
Jack Banner
2022-12-30 15:28:05 +0000 UTCLol. This must be a child.
De
2022-12-30 14:15:52 +0000 UTCMake your soul burn slow isn’t a joke. Jay was rattled as fuck. Ether is still being played & discussed today. Even you couldn’t resist commenting.
De
2022-12-30 14:12:25 +0000 UTCYeah theres a response called "Ether" by Nas, i think it's one of the best diss tracks. Love to see you react to it
Matt
2022-12-30 13:54:07 +0000 UTCI’m a fan Bob. So respectfully, you listened to every Kanye album in order. Meanwhile, you skipped 4 Jay-Z albums between RD & Blueprint. Jay is arguably considered the GOAT to many if not top 5 or 10 all time. I want to know the thought process behind skipping “In My Lifetime”. “Hard Knock Life” which earned him his biggest hit up until then. Establishing him as a mainstream artist. “The Life and Times”saw him continue his success. “The Dynasty” album earned him his biggest hit up until then. All of those albums also have CLASSIC Jay-Z tracks that are apart of his story. And you couldn’t mention his resume without them. You skipped most of his prime but you didn’t do that for Kanye.
DJ Avenger
2022-12-30 13:41:28 +0000 UTCNAS bodied jay z on ether
sam
2022-12-30 08:55:25 +0000 UTCthere’s an amazing song of the Dynasty album about Jay’s relationship with his father called Where Have You Been, with Beanie Sigel, where Jay talks more in depth about not having a dad around, and also an extremely emotional verse by Beanie Sigel toward his own father.
McSwagburgerXL
2022-12-30 07:43:28 +0000 UTCPlease do 4:44 as soon as you can!
Trevor
2022-12-30 07:27:56 +0000 UTCOne of his worst
Dildeep Singh
2022-12-30 07:11:15 +0000 UTCPLEASE react to Nas' response to Takeover. It's called Ether and is considered one of the best diss tracks of all time.
Callie D
2022-12-30 06:38:17 +0000 UTCMy favorite album of all time, I think. Awesome reaction Bob. The Black Album is arguably just as good or better btw!
Joseph Kiley
2022-12-30 06:13:18 +0000 UTCMid album don’t do it Bob
Joseph Kiley
2022-12-30 06:10:30 +0000 UTCAfter listening to "Takeover" and The Blueprint album, you now HAVE to react to Nas' response "Ether" and the Stillmatic album that it appears on. Stillmatic isn't as highly regarded as The Blueprint, but it was considered a comeback album at the time for Nas, as he was at the lowest point of his career (artistically) in the 2 years before it dropped.
Will H
2022-12-30 05:51:36 +0000 UTCYes key means kilo it's not an annotation mistake tho that's just a term for it
EEF
2022-12-30 05:51:29 +0000 UTCNah Ether is just a bunch of gay jokes/dick jokes, takeover is a way better diss
Joseph Kiley
2022-12-30 05:35:22 +0000 UTCAs far as Takeover. Many people thought Nas was over, buried by the weight of Jay's popularity and corporate influnce. Nas' response was one the greatest in hiphop history. Ether was an earthquake followed by a tsunami. It's widely regarded as the best diss record. And he released it on Jay's birthday, Jay first heard it while he was in a club celebrating.
De
2022-12-30 03:54:11 +0000 UTCListening to this album again with you....I can definitely see the influence it had on Lupe Fiascos food and liquor which is super dope that you'll be doing that album soon. Lupe has often stated that Jay Z is his favorite rapper especially while he was comming up developing his craft during this era
Paul Salvador Estrada
2022-12-30 03:38:59 +0000 UTCBob, I'm so thankful for this thing you started man. It's been a journey... I saw the notification today that you reacted to "The Blueprint" finally so I actually went and got a case of beers and settled in for this extra important one, and I was all smiles so many times. You mentioned a good streak after a few songs and I knew the next one coming up, knowing it was gonna continue... Few comments: 1) "I thought he was going down to help the troops" in the V.A. cracked me up real bad 2) Certain critiques you have of Jay-Z (on this first realtime recorded listen of yours as always, let's not forget) actually seem to be the point though, like the cheery friendly sounds of "IZZO" being juxtaposed with certain poignant subject matter, like he's using that light energy to sneak in the darker points. Because one thing Jay always did manage to do well is to speak to three demographics simultaneously: the streets, the mainstream and the business world, so that's a huge part of his strength 3) Eminem murders "Renegade" so bad I'm actually impressed Jay-Z went on to even use this song on the album, though Jay does have great lines in his verses of his own as well. And I understand Bob that you've heard Eminem albums so as to not being able to call them reactions, but are you sure you don't want to do videos on his clearly better albums than the SSLP like you suggested, and go for the more personal imo clearly superior MMLP or ES or even Encore? Not to mention in my opinion his even better albums MMLP2 and the insanely dope Kamikaze LP from 2018... Alright it's a win-win anyway, I'm just saying, can't wait for fresh honest Eminem reactions from Bob in 2023 now that you've clearly got a firmer grasp of the genre... 4) Also I can't wait for The Black Album from two years later now, DAMN :)
Stefan Borglycke
2022-12-30 03:19:18 +0000 UTCI agree there are certain nuances that Jay and Nas were battling on at the time, with the whole "King of New York" implications and the (super)ugly goings on behind the scenes that were very well documented and remained especially important while they were happening... Nas touches more deeply on this in "You're Da Man" on Stillmatic and then later on "Last Real Nigga Alive" on God's Son. But ultimately, Nas waiting a couple of months to respond giving everyone room to accept his death before coming back with this unexpectedly supreme knockout punch, while also keeping moral high ground for you-know-what Jay did with you-know-who and their mothers getting involved, and then with Jay reacting emotionally on air to the HOT 97 poll and even admitting defeat in "Blueprint2" giving Nas that official win, that's what was important at the time. Today I wonder how "Takeover" stacks up to "Ether" for a new listener, but it probably plays out a little differently just going off of the two tracks. I do know minutia of the time and legacies and statuses at stake will be lost on most who weren't actually there to follow everything in realtime, but that goes for all of history so what's new? The important thing is Nas in 2022 still texting Jay saying "This ain't over", laughing :'D :'D They both won, man. In the end this is two W's... And as much as Jay-Z sprung to being God of the Game with this album Blueprint (mostly off the "Takeover" move and the album's quality in itself), Nas did win the actual battle if scores of the time are kept. Also Nas had a big reality check from this test and locked in on his legacy being the rap messiah he always had been, going into serious battle-tested veteran mode and never looked back. Add +20 years on top of this event, going back in memory and now being able to look back on all the albums and moments that would follow, DAMN :)
Stefan Borglycke
2022-12-30 02:32:11 +0000 UTCIt takes massive nuts to flip a Micheal Jackson sample like that. And Kanye had those. Plus a ton of talent.
nate kirsh
2022-12-30 02:01:20 +0000 UTCYou should listen to Nas - Ether. Takeover is a phenomenal track but Ether is the best diss song of all time. The song literally developed it’s own slang for “ethering someone”
Shaquan WP
2022-12-30 01:46:49 +0000 UTCIts funny you bring up all the hypocrisy in his lyrics about cheating lol, whenever you get to it, 4:44 is Jays most recent album but regarded as one of his best up there now. Its a much more mature project, largely abou his infidelity in his marriage. Crazy that he released such a good project that late in his career too.
Isaac Robichau
2022-12-30 01:13:49 +0000 UTCSo great to see you react to my favorite artist of all time. If I had to sum up my childhood with a single album, this would be the one. Renegade and Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) are both in my top 5 songs of all time. I'm sure you've heard by now but Ether is Nas' response to Takeover. There's also a couple of really good videos out there breaking down the beef and the songs.
Unknown User
2022-12-30 01:06:19 +0000 UTCJust take the L and move on.
Xavvi
2022-12-30 01:02:31 +0000 UTCEther has no more or less facts then Takeover.
Anthony Smith
2022-12-30 01:01:00 +0000 UTCI mean it's a big deal because Jay made it a big deal - he literally bragged about it as a point of owning on his song. When it was made public that he was full of shit it calls into question the reputability of all his other questionable claims. This isn't hard.
Xavvi
2022-12-30 00:35:53 +0000 UTCdude why you act like that publishing shit is a big deal lmao. Yall dont care about Nas calling Jay gay and ugly so why care about that. Its a diss track my guy
james moore
2022-12-30 00:31:46 +0000 UTCDon't listen to this Nas stan agenda Bob. Once you do ether/Stillmatic I'll have the actual non-biased and sourced facts for you. That's said the serchlight thing is true; yet these ppl will never cop to the provable lies/exaggerations on ether which basically all disstracks do; because they're filled with hatred and are agenda driven.
Anthony Smith
2022-12-30 00:24:33 +0000 UTCThis like came full circle for me. lol I clearly remember quoting the beginning of the song Renegade in one of my first comments to your videos. I wish I could remember what album it was. I am thinking it was a Kendrick album. So many people say Eminem washed Jay Z on that song, and I have always thought that even though Em had a solid couple of verses, Jay's verses are extremely underrated. I am sure if you ever react to Nas "Ether", that conversation will come up. lol
Wesley
2022-12-30 00:15:20 +0000 UTCHappy New Year to you and yours Bob, love your takes on the music ❤️ ps. Jay Z vs Nas beef is legendary in Hip Hop music. At the time, common thought was that Nas was ‘falling off’ after his first two albums, and it wasnt getting better. Long story short, Jay Z released ‘Takeover’, and everyone thought Nas and his career were done for…until Nas dropped ‘Ether’.
Peter Sakalia
2022-12-30 00:09:03 +0000 UTCMASSIVE W
Vervanta
2022-12-30 00:08:31 +0000 UTCI will say this upfront to get ahead of it - I've seen folks that were not raised in hip hop and don't know the full background or the history of new York at that time react to Takeover and then Ether and come away thinking Nas' reply wasn't as good, but for any folks that know better Nas fucking murdered him. Jay went hard, no doubt, but he also misrepresented or straight up lied about some shit (that whole thing about Nas getting fucked and Jay paying Serchlite, MC Serch came out recently and proved that Nas was getting laid off of Dead Presidents and that Jay basically was full of shit, for one instance). The amount of borough knowledge, the amount of old school hip hop knowledge and then Nas just exposing Jay for all his BS and dick riding of multiple mentors just cemented it and that's why "ethered" is a term now and "takeovered" isn't. Besides, after this long and with all the recent Kings Disease Albums I feel like the argument can be put to rest - Nas is the GOAT.
Xavvi
2022-12-29 23:45:27 +0000 UTCJay-Z – The Blueprint (2001) Official Music Videos Izzo (H.O.V.A.) https://youtu.be/GRKmpn3SBdw Girls, Girls, Girls https://youtu.be/UCFAkD4EkYI Song Cry https://youtu.be/w5srnNrICJo Live Performances Izzo https://youtu.be/SNXLqfsLBFk Song Cry https://youtu.be/qU4C7u2A5mU Rhyme Schemes Takeover https://youtu.be/4shr_cb8rKU Renegade https://youtu.be/KQpEvQsWeOk Samples Wax Only https://youtu.be/Scsi7H2f3qg Interviews 60 Minutes https://youtu.be/_mxZ3_UkxHo There is an annoying hissing sound on this one. I recommend watching without headphones. Jay Z on the Blueprint https://youtu.be/WXDHhkvKPjo Ye on the Making of “Izzo H.O.V.A.” https://youtu.be/xoZ1TqxL27c Video Essays Pitchfork | The Blueprint (5 Minutes) https://youtu.be/DSWDOZ1GxM4 Reviews Dead End Hip Hop https://youtu.be/TQg9p6KOU9s
Dylan Woods
2022-12-29 23:38:30 +0000 UTCether is mandatory now by the way
shaun
2022-12-29 23:35:53 +0000 UTCdamn that's a long journey
snooza
2022-12-29 23:20:14 +0000 UTCU Don’t Know - maybe one of the best hip hop songs ever. Just Blaze was fucking unstoppable back then. Can’t wait for you to get to 4:44, my personal favorite Jay album, sees a much more mature and introspective Jay.
VeganMilk
2022-12-29 23:16:42 +0000 UTCAfter hearing your take on Jay being with different ladies and struggling to stay faithful, 4:44 has to be your next Jay reaction. It is the greatest self reflective hip hop album ever and touches on every criticism you made in this video. Great reaction as always
Jonah Douglas
2022-12-29 23:14:31 +0000 UTCGoing off your comments during Renegade, if you haven't already listened to Recovery on your own, it would certainly be worth your time to do a reaction to it. It's much less shock value while still having great lyricism and passion.
Ryan
2022-12-29 23:03:39 +0000 UTCyou should probably react to Nas - ether if you think jay z destroyed him here cause thats not really the common opinion lol
Maya
2022-12-29 22:52:48 +0000 UTCNobody likes Diddy all over Biggies music, but he is the one that convinced Big to rap over sample beats that blew him up
james moore
2022-12-29 22:47:57 +0000 UTCMan, this is actually the first Hip-Hop album I ever listened to in full when I was like 9-10 years old. Jont dropped on 9/11 so school had let us out early and my older brother had got a copy, I stole it from him and the rest is history sparked a lifetime love affair with Rap music. Definition of a classic IMO
YetiCoolBrother
2022-12-29 22:28:51 +0000 UTCNas reply makes Jay z’s look like kidz bop😭
Jadan Mcbean
2022-12-29 22:26:51 +0000 UTCYou should react to diss songs like you did with the freestyles video since you like Takeover so much, I recommend Nas-ether, 2pac- hit em up, and Ice Cube- Vaseline. THESE ARE KNOWN AS THE THREE MOST BRUTAL
Jadan Mcbean
2022-12-29 22:20:12 +0000 UTCBlack Album still my favorite jay project......Jay has so many good albums.....really looking forward to if you're reading this it's too late but wish it was nothing was the same. I think ud like it more
John
2022-12-29 21:58:08 +0000 UTCPlease do It Was Written so we can do Stillmatic.
Dylan Woods
2022-12-29 21:47:06 +0000 UTCHappy new year! Thanks for the early drop!
SlumpJones
2022-12-29 21:42:44 +0000 UTCReasonable Doubt is great, The Blueprint is better but I think The Black Album is his best. The production crew on there is insane. Hopefully there’s a reaction to that down the road and sooner than a year lol. Happy New Years, Bob!
Christian Lourenco
2022-12-29 21:39:24 +0000 UTCYessss!!
L
2022-12-29 21:37:34 +0000 UTCHell yea. Haven't even started yet but reasonable doubt and blueprint...I really hope Stillmatic is on the list eventually so you can pick a side lol
Paul Salvador Estrada
2022-12-29 21:29:27 +0000 UTCFuck yeah! Happy new year man!
Hollywood Hulk Logan
2022-12-29 21:27:23 +0000 UTCgod bless you bob
Isaac Robichau
2022-12-29 21:25:01 +0000 UTCLETS GOOOO
ImOGFH
2022-12-29 21:24:31 +0000 UTCOn a Thursday? 🔥
james moore
2022-12-29 21:24:14 +0000 UTCI think by 20231 you can definitely fully explore hip hop. Happy new year big dog
Shawn Harden
2022-12-29 21:24:05 +0000 UTCI love you Bob, Happy new years
Oliver Hed
2022-12-29 21:23:43 +0000 UTC
