B. Cox reminisces about Jay-Z's eight album The Black Album as it turns 20. Heading into this album, it was being touted as Jay-Z last album as he was to "retire" to take up the mantle of president of Def Jam Records after the album was released. The news and fallout from it lead to a acrimonious split of the three founders and owners of Roc-A-Fella Records: Jay, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. The news of Jay-Z's impending retirement while he was still on top of his game in every aspect, raised the profile of this album to another level.
Teaming up with an all-star cast of producers, it was an epic album to say goodbye: mainstays Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Timbaland were on board to produce songs along with newcomers 9th Wonder and the Buchanans along with industry veterans DJ Quik and Rick Rubin. Focusing on his last album, Jay-Z toed the line of lyrically exclaiming his career in review as proud veteran while simultaneously giving us his trademark varied flow and style to show he could still make a hit and be hungry. Noted in the album is a more mature and at peace vibe from Jay-Z as he celebrated and reflected.
The album was boosted by three singles: "Change Clothes" feat. Pharrell Williams, "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "99 Problems". The anticipation and acclaimed pushed the album to triple platinum certification. It is noted along with 1996's Reasonable Doubt and 2001's The Blueprint with being Jay-Z's classic albums. The album was also supported by a documentary feature film Fade To Black, which chronicled Jay-Z's "farewell" concert at Madison Square Garden in 2004.
Visit The Vault Classic Music Reviews Online
Buy Exclusive The Vault Podcast Merchandise!
Support The Vault Classic Music Reviews on Buy Me A Coffee
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/vaultclassicpod
Build Your Own Amazing Podcast Website In Less Than 5 Minutes!
https://www.podpage.com/?via=ivecre8
Show Notes
Albumism: Jay-Z 'The Black Album' Turns 20 | Album Anniversary
https://albumism.com/features/jay-z-the-black-album-anniversary
GRAMMY Awards: 8 Ways Jay-Z's 'The Black Album' Changed Hip-Hop
https://www.grammy.com/news/jay-z-the-black-album-changed-rap-game-hip-hop-anniversary
Andscape: The enduring allure of Jay-Z's 'The Black Album'
https://andscape.com/features/jay-z-the-black-album-anniversary/
Capital Xtra: Jay-Z: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Black Album
https://www.capitalxtra.com/artists/jay-z/lists/the-black-album-facts/dangermouse-the-grey-album/
Support this podcast at — https://redcircl
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.