The hardest album Jay-Z ever had to make: “The most difficult”
Jay-Z has had an illustrious career, and the number of full-length studio albums he has produced is unfathomable. The Brooklyn artist has released a range of different projects, but one series that was particularly well-received was The Blueprint series.
The trilogy of albums was erratically released between 2001 and 2009, with the last being The Blueprint 3. The first instalment of the series was almost solely produced by Kanye West, with several contributions from Just Blaze. That said, in 2009, after several years of Hov collaborating with other producers, including Swizz Beatz and Hit-Boy, the pair reunited.
As hip-hop’s sonics evolved, Jay-Z needed to adapt his sound and maintain relevance. Following the success of Graduation and 808s & Heartbreak, West understood the direction hip-hop was moving in, and as Hov looked to rebrand, he promised he’d help Jay-Z create the last Blueprint.
In an interview with CLASH magazine, the ‘Marcy Me’ rhymer detailed how the process began, recalling, “Kanye came along to my show and brought me a CD full of beats, and they were all sequenced. So he’s like, ‘This is the album,’ and I was, ‘Woah – slow down.’ Kanye thought it was done and ready. But that was pretty much the foundation for what would become The Blueprint 3.”
During his conversation with the publication, Jay-Z expressed that he felt that the third instalment of the series was just as important as the first. Expressing the shift in sound and how it signalled a new phase for him, Hov added, “The first Blueprint was a return to my roots. It was like the soul samples that I grew up listening to. This album sets the blueprint for the next generation. We are becoming those icons we looked up to – for this new generation, kids look up to us that way. Me, Kanye, Justin. I just wanted to return to making music like that.”
Following the release of The Blueprint 3, Hov made a humble admission that he found the process extremely hard. Speaking with Interview magazine, Jay spoke about how difficult its creation was compared to the other albums he’s made in his career, stating, “The Blueprint 3 was the most difficult album that I’ve ever made.” He asserted that he found it tough because The Blueprint 3 was sending him in a new direction that was unfamiliar to him.
One final reason he found it hard was because he actively chose not to surround himself with what he loosely described as industry sycophants. Detailing this he concluded, “The reason I’ve been grounded, though, and able to make the album, is because I’ve allowed my friends to come with me and voice an opinion. That’s who keeps you grounded—the people who have known you longest. People who don’t know you, you don’t know their motive. They smile at you all day, ‘Oh, that’s great. You’ve done it again! You’re the greatest!’ And that’s not good for an artist!”