The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on September 11, 2001, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.
"Idioteque" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their fourth album, Kid A (2000). The song is listed at #8 on Pitchfork Media's top 500 songs of the 2000s, ranked #56 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of the 2000s and ranked #33 on Rolling Stone's 2018 list of "100 Greatest Songs of the Century - So Far". In 2008, the song was featured on Radiohead: The Best Of. A live version appears on the 2001 EP I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings.
Madvillainy is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, comprising MC MF Doom and producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004 on Stones Throw Records.
The College Dropout is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.
By All Means Necessary is the second album from American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released on May 31, 1988 on Jive Records. After the 1987 murder of DJ-producer Scott La Rock, MC KRS-One moved away from the violent themes that dominated his debut, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released on June 10, 2008, by Cash Money and Universal Motown. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists' records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream. The album features appearances from Jay-Z, T-Pain, Robin Thicke, Busta Rhymes, and Kanye West, among others. It also features Static Major, who is credited posthumously following his death in February 2008.
"Stuntin' Like My Daddy" is the first single from Birdman and Lil Wayne's album, Like Father, Like Son. It peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, won the 2007 BET Viewer's Choice Award, and was named the 94th best song of 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine.
Person Pitch is the third solo album by American recording artist Noah Lennox under his alias Panda Bear, released March 20, 2007 by Paw Tracks. Departing stylistically from his prior work as both a member of Animal Collective and a solo artist, the album was recorded using the Roland SP-303 sampler and is largely composed of manipulated samples, loops, and Lennox’s layered vocals. He described it as a collection of "super dubby and old sounding" songs inspired by his recent marriage, fatherhood, and move to Portugal.
We All Belong is the fourth album by Dr. Dog. It was released on February 27, 2007. The album finds the band adding more to their typical indie-rock sound, including a wider variety of instruments and psychedelic group harmony. The entire record, as well as the preceding Takers and Leavers EP, was recorded on 24-track tape. This album was number 39 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007. The song "Old News" was number 40 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The album was twice sampled by rapper Chiddy Bang, "Ain't It Strange" on "Grab a Plate" and "My Old Ways" by The Preview's "Old Ways".
Kala is the second studio album by British hip hop artist M.I.A.. It was released on 8 August 2007 by XL Recordings. M.I.A. named the album after her mother and said her mother's struggles in life are a major theme of the recording. It was mainly written and produced by M.I.A. and Switch, and features contributions from Timbaland, Diplo, Afrikan Boy and The Wilcannia Mob.
"Lip Gloss" is the debut single by American hip hop recording artist Lil Mama. It was released June 19, 2007, as the lead single from her debut album VYP: Voice of the Young People.
"Let It Go" is a song by American R&B recording artist Keyshia Cole. It was written by Cole, Jack Knight, Cainon Lamb, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliott for her second album Just Like You (2007) and samples "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume, and "Don't Stop the Music" by Yarbrough and Peoples, while also interpolating "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G., who also sampled "Juicy Fruit." An uptempo song written by all three artists with Jack Knight, Cainon Lamb and James Mtume and produced by Lamb and Elliott, it marked the first collaboration between any of the three artists with one another.
"I Get Money" is the third single from 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. This song was #14 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The song peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
"Just Fine" is a song by the American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart for her eighth studio album, Growing Pains (2007), while production was helmed by Pha and Stewart. It was released as the album's lead single in October 16, 2007. The song peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, while also topping the US Hot Dance Club Play.
Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub is the first mixtape by American artist Santigold and Philadelphia-based DJ Diplo, released on July 15, 2008.
"Swagga Like Us" is a song by American hip hop recording artists Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and British recording artist M.I.A.. It was released on September 6, 2008, in the United States as the fifth single from T.I.'s album Paper Trail, and was also slated for inclusion on Jay-Z's eleventh album The Blueprint 3 (2009), although it ultimately did not make the final track listing. The song was produced by West and is constructed primarily around a vocal sample of "Paper Planes" by British musician M.I.A.
"Christmas in Harlem" is a song by hip-hop recording artist Kanye West. The track features rapper Cyhi the Prynce and R&B singer Teyana Taylor, both of whom are signed to West's label GOOD Music. Produced by Hit-Boy, the song contains samples of "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "Mercy Mercy Me ", both by soul musician Marvin Gaye, and "Strawberry Letter 23" by singer-songwriter Shuggie Otis. The track features a holiday theme, and features various references to Christmas and customs associated with the holiday.
Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Yung Chedder, Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997.
"The Story of O.J." is a song by American hip hop artist Jay-Z from his thirteenth studio album 4:44. It was produced by Jay-Z and No I.D.. Following the release of the album, the song charted in a couple of regions, entering and peaking at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as charting at number 88 on the UK Singles Chart. It received three nominations at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. The song features samples from Nina Simone's song "Four Women".
