"You're now tuned to the mu'f***in' greatest…"Ĭonfrontational, aggressive, antagonistic - The Black Album is all these things, its protagonist revelling in the role of rap's kingpin, every boastful word backed up by sales figures to make the world's biggest stadium-rockers dizzy. Of course, his retirement didn't last - but if it had, The Black Album was a perfect sign-off. Carter was to move into the corporate world, leaving the studio behind. His eighth long-player in seven years, this set brought together a number of high-profile producers - Timbaland, Rick Rubin, The Neptunes, Kanye West, DJ Quik - and was presented as a triumphant parting shot.
The Black Album was intended as the full stop on a recording career that saw Shawn Carter rise from hip hop fan in his Brooklyn home, rapping over a boombox his mother bought him (to the annoyance of his siblings), to the multi-millionaire artist known as Jay-Z. "This here is the victory lap, and I'm leaving…" Rolling Stone: 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: pub_ (number: 14) (order: 14) Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 2020 edition (number: 155) (order: 155) Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 2012 edition (number: 349) (order: 349)ĬritiqueBrainz ReviewsThere’s 1 review on CritiqueBrainz. The Brown Album by Kev Brown The Red Album by Cookin’ Soul presents Game & Jay‐Z hosted by Don CannonĮscape from the Black Album by DJ Tripp Marcy Projects and the Infinite Sadness by Spose The Black & Blue Album by Jay-Zeezer The Grey Album by Danger Mouse The Purple Album by K-12 The Slack Album by DJ N-Wee