The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through 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.
The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse is the seventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. A double album, it was released on November 12, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album serves as a sequel to his sixth album The Blueprint (2001). The album debuted at number one, shipping with first-week sales of 545,000 units. The album is certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2013, Jay-Z cited this album as his second-worst due to an overabundance of songs on the album. A one-disc reissue, titled Blueprint 2.1, was released in 2003.
The Blueprint 3 is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009, on Roc Nation and Roc-A-Fella, through distribution from Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. It is the third album in the Blueprint series, preceded by The Blueprint (2001) and The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at several recording studios and was handled by Kanye West, No I.D., The Neptunes, Jeff Bhasker, Al Shux, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, The Inkredibles, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland. The album also features guest appearances by Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, J. Cole and Alicia Keys among others.
Timucin Lam, known professionally as Jax Jones, is an English DJ, producer and remixer. He rose to prominence in 2014 by featuring on Duke Dumont's number-one single "I Got U". He followed this up with his own singles "You Don't Know Me" featuring Raye and "Instruction" featuring Demi Lovato and Stefflon Don in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Jax's debut studio album, Snacks (Supersize), was released in 2019.
Rachel Agatha Keen, known professionally as RAYE, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues (2023) was released independently to critical and commercial success, and won Album of the Year at the 2024 BRIT Awards. Among five other awards for which she was a recipient, RAYE broke the record for most wins and nominations for an artist at the ceremony in a single year.
Stephanie Victoria Allen, better known by her stage name Stefflon Don, is a British rapper and singer. She rose to fame after her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2016, Allen released her debut mixtape Real Ting followed by another mixtape, Secure, in 2018.
Pahuldip Singh Sandhu, known by his stage name Steel Banglez, is a British record producer and musician of Indian Punjabi descent. He is currently signed to Warner Bros. Records. Best known for his production work with artists including Mist, MoStack, J Hus and Wiley, Steel Banglez achieved his first chart hit as a lead artist when his track "Bad" reached the top 30 on the UK Singles Chart in February 2018. His highest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart is "Fashion Week" featuring British rappers AJ Tracey and MoStack which peaked at number 7.
"Calypso" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Luis Fonsi and English rapper and singer Stefflon Don. Fonsi co-wrote the song with Dyo, Stefflon Don and its producers Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo. The song was first released through Universal Music Latin Entertainment on June 14, 2018 as the third single from his tenth studio album, Vida. A remixed version of the song with Colombian singer Karol G, was released on August 18, 2018. The song reached number one in Argentina and Chile, as well as the top 10 in Bolivia, Panama and Spain.
The discography of British singer-songwriter Raye consists of one studio album, one live album, six extended plays (EPs), thirty five singles, ten promotional singles and twelve guest appearances. In addition to her own releases, Raye has also been a songwriter for other artists including Beyoncé, Little Mix, Mabel, Zara Larsson, Ellie Goulding and Hailee Steinfeld.
British rapper and singer Stefflon Don has made numerous recordings since 2016.
D-Block Europe, often abbreviated to DBE, is a British hip hop collective consisting of Adam Nathaniel "Young Adz" Williams, and Ricky Earl "Dirtbike LB" Banton.
High Expectations is the debut studio album by English singer Mabel. It was released on 2 August 2019 by Polydor UK. Originally scheduled for release on 15 July, the album was pushed back to 2 August to alter several songs. Mabel worked with writers and producers such as Tre Jean-Marie, Steve Mac and MNEK to create the album, with its tracks incorporating elements of pop and R&B.
Harrison James Armstrong, known professionally as Aitch, is a British rapper from Manchester. He rose to fame in 2018 with the track "Straight Rhymez". His debut studio album Close to Home (2022) reached number two on the UK Albums Chart.
"Taste (Make It Shake)" is a song recorded by British rapper Aitch, released as the lead single from Aitch's second extended play AitcH20 on 31 July 2019. The song was written by Aitch, Jake Jones, James Murray and Mustafa Omer, and produced by Whyjay.
The discography of British rap duo D-Block Europe consists of three studio albums, six mixtapes, and forty-nine singles.
"Regardless" is a song by English singer Raye and drum and bass band Rudimental, released on 20 November 2020 as the fifth single from Raye's debut mini-album, Euphoric Sad Songs. The song's music video was released on 8 January 2021."Regardless" peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart and charted successfully in Eastern Europe, reaching number one in Bulgaria, and the top five in Romania and Russia.
"Ferrari Horses" is a song by British hip hop collective D-Block Europe featuring British singer Raye. It was released as a single in 2021 from D-Block Europe's 2020 album The Blue Print: Us vs. Them, reaching number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and being certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In 2023, it was remixed by British DJ and producer Cassö and retitled "Prada", which charted higher in the UK and internationally.
Close to Home is the debut full-length studio album by British rapper Aitch, released in 2022. The album features guest appearances from Mastermind, Ashanti, New Machine, Bakar, AJ Tracey and Ed Sheeran. The release has received generally favourable reviews from critics, who have noted the evolution of the rapper's style and persona as well as the diversity present in the individual tracks, but criticised the uneven quality of the songs.
My 21st Century Blues is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Raye. It was released independently by Human Re Sources on 3 February 2023. The album is Raye's first project following her departure from Polydor Records in 2021. Largely co-written and produced by herself, she worked with notable names including Mike Sabath, BloodPop, Punctual, and Di Genius. The album features guest appearances from 070 Shake and Mahalia. My 21st Century Blues received acclaim from critics, with some publications including Variety naming it as one of the best albums of 2023. It lyrically explores themes including Raye's struggles with addiction, misogyny, insecurity, body dysmorphia, and sexual assault.
Cian Francis William Wright, known professionally as Clavish, is a British rapper from Stamford Hill, London. He is currently signed to the German-British Universal subsidiary, Polydor Records. He is noted for his signature flow on trap and drill beats. In December 2022, Clavish earned his first UK Top 10 with the D-Block Europe-assisted "Rocket Science" which peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. His first mixtape Rap Game Awful released on 13 January 2023 and debuted at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart.
