On this day 20 years ago, Jay Z releases The Black Album

[Stick Up Kid]

This was Jay’s last great album

 

[mundL]

Best album of 2003

Jay was a hero... his collabs with LP still hit to this day too

Only thing that slightly bothers me are some of the flows they light af

 

[semicko82]

This was Jay’s last great album

What about American Gangster

 

[International Playa]

My 3rd favorite album after

Reasonable Doubt and In My lifetime volume 1

Blueprint??

 

[King Poetic]

Blueprint??

Forgot about that one

So about even with the black album for me

 

[RennisDeynolds]

Was a great moment in hip hop when this came out. Fade to Black is a great movie

 

[Stick Up Kid]

What about American Gangster

Very good album, with some joints on there.. but not a great album, especially for someone of Hov's caliber.. who has classics in RD, Blueprint, Vol 2, Black Album.

 

[etrofllenrod504]

Album was better in it’s time, don’t think it aged well like most of Jay’s work

Change Clothes was just Jay thinking he could get away with anything

I’m one of the few that feel like Jay just floated all over that song. Not the same caliber of song but, like how big floated over mo money mo problems.

 

[Mac Ten]

20 years? Man I remember exactly where I was. Vividly. It was a moment in time. Geez man, time flies

I was a kid when this album came out….


My Dad used to play this and Beg For Mercy when they came out.



Nas kinda pushed Jay to create a dope album when his back was against the wall.


The Black Album was him accepting defeat. He strategically retreated and laid low for a bit. I don’t he wanted to make Brooklyn look bad by losing to a another Queens nikka(50 Cent) either.

 

[CM_Burns]

I loved this at the time but tbh I dont go back to it now. The subject matter being retirement in so many songs doesn't hit the same now. Now I'd still want to listen to Lucifer, maybe Threat and Justify my Thug.

 

[god shamgod]

Allure(best song)
What more can I say
Psa
Moment of clarity

The Rest trash imo



Never liked lucifer ,change clothes sucks,dirt off my shoulder with that wakk timbaland beat , December 4th mid ,99 problems aiight.always been an extremely overrated album

Matter of fact this album dropped the same day as g unit beg for mercy. I copped both and played beg for mercy way more