I was a little more aggressive with the music cuts on this one since Reasonable Doubt got blocked entirely (despite heavy edits). Looks like this one will stick (for now). Do remember that Patreon is $2 for uncut reactions. The description shows all the albums available there if you feel like binging. Happy New Year!
Someone has already mentioned stillmatic by nas for his response to takeover which many consider him to beat Jay Z in Ether, great reaction, also mentioning rivals please consider doing the Infamous by Mobb Deep such a classic album many consider to be top 10 of all time, I know you’ve had lots of requests over time for it but trust me it’s a must listen, hope you had a good Christmas, happy new year 🎉
@raspsalmcivilination776 you're right, the infamous is not just a top 10 album. It's top 5. And you're the one who should get a head exam if you actually believe what you wrote previously. Lmao, pac has three albums that are better? That's such a dumb statement that it's funny
Bob, you gotta react to 4:44. It's Jay's most recent album, and came out off the heels of his cheating scandal around 2017. It's incredibly personal, akin to Mr. Morale. I'd listen to it and "Lemonade" by Beyonce, back to back
yes i would love for him to react to lemonade and then react to 4:44 so he can get an insight of what jay did wrong and his growth as a person, and their growth as a reaction. and bob seems to be a bit interested in bey
@@LEM620I think your enjoyment of this album is going to hinge on your enjoyment of hip hop as a vehicle for wordplay versus hip hop as a confessional artform
I believe “Pen to a test” refers to these things called “scantrons” used in the United State to automate multiple choice test grading. You can only use a #2 pencil on those. Pens aren’t recognized by the system.
4:44 has proven itself to be a classic. I think its been long enough, since every older rapper’s output is now compared to 4:44, and when older rappers make mature and emotionally vulnerable records, they’re immediately called “___’s 4:44”
Both of those are just very good albums without many of any classic songs on them. Neither pushed the sound forward or featured Jay anywhere near the peak of his powers
8:33 he also says the "off we go let the trumpets blow" line out of respect for Slick Rick from his song "The Ruler's Back" from his 1988 album "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick".....the whole song (especially the last verse) is a homage to that song
The sound was revolutionary form moment. It ushered in the soul sample era. Kanye didn’t start building off the sound and experimenting more until graduation, and I’d say the Kanye sound was perfected on life of Pablo.
Bob I know you’re getting a lot of comments on the Nas response track to takeover “ether” and you probably are curious to hear it and want to listen to “stillmatic” the album it’s on, but PLEASE listen to Nas discography in order. His next album that you need to review of Nas is “it was written” his 2nd album(and my personal favorite). I think you should do Nas album in chronological order the same way you did Kanye and Kendrick. It would be cool to see you experience Nas journey through hip hop. It would also give you more context once you eventually get to “stillmatic” to appreciate the song ether even more. Also if you think takeover was a great diss ether is consider the best diss track of all time.
You missed the double entendre in U Don't Know. "I could sell water to a whale" could also be "I could sell water to a well" and still makes sense. Jay Z is one of the best at the double entendre in Hip Hop. When you listen to Blueprint again, you will pick up more of those sort of lines.
Now this is a heavy hitter, so many classics! Renegade is one of the most impressive displays of lyricism. Jay-Zs verse on that song is the best verse that has ever been blown out of the park by another on the same track. Eminem absolutely killed it on that track.
You need to listen to Lupe Fiascos Food and Liquor, I genuinely think you will love that album a ton, it sonically is amazing and has some of the best lyricism you will ever hear. It’s honestly a perfect album and I think you and your family will thoroughly enjoy it.(My mom hardly listens to hiphop and she loves everything about the album.)
Like others have mentioned, you should listen to Ether by Nas. In fact, it would be cool if you did a separate reaction video to it or listen to it during your additional thoughts on The Blueprint.
You should listen to "ether" by Nas, it's a response to takeover and is recognised as one of the best diss songs of all time, it's from his album "stillmatic" which is another classic Nas album
I'm happy that you finally got to speak on Em. The bulk of criticism towards Em honestly has to do with a large portion of his fanbase that isn't doing what you're doing on this channel which is taking time to appreciate other artist and where they come from. The bulk of Em fans shit on other artist with a few exceptions like Tech N9ne for example. There's so much more that goes into it I could write a college essay on it. Everyone recognizes where Em is skill wise, the hate for the man is primarily his fanbase. Also since he's become sober and aged a bit his voice is different so he doesn't have the bravado he had on his earlier work just like he does on Renegade for example. Em would get a lot less hate if his fans would take the time to realize that there's more great artist out there in that upper tier of rap and hip hop than just Eminem.
Wow I’m so happy rn this a early birthday gift for me, jayz one of the goats, so glad you finally got to this album commenting before watching so hope you enjoyed it as much as we all have, this album is such such a classic ! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Renegade was originally made with Royce da 5'9 who is a very frequent collaborator with Eminem especially last 12 years. Then Eminem gave the song to Jay-Z for his album without changing his original verses except for that Jigga part
Good Reaction. Wow. I didn't realize you did Reasonable Doubt too. Now you have to get to Nas second album It Was Written Stillmatic is also a good one to react to so you can hear Nas kill Jay on Ether
@@mo2k638 if he would have released that instead of Supa Ugly at the time, it would have been way better. But Supa Ugly wasn't it. The Blueprint 2 diss was basically a redo of his failed response.
"what they did to the Cold Crush" refers to the pioneering group who inspired a ton of rappers but was in it before there was big money to be had. In fact, Girls Girls Girls is from one of their famous routines. They made a couple of records but their fame really came from tapes of live performances.
Jay Z wasn’t buried by Ether but he was hit with a harsh rebuttal which is why Ether was so good. People though Nas was buried by Takeover but Nas came back stronger than expected. Nas won the battle as an underdog yet both disstracks are discussed as top tier disstracks in Hip Hop History.
Fun fact: Just Blaze produced the final track on Good Kid M.A.A.D City "Compton". He also produced 3 tracks off of The Black Album by Jay-Z which you would really enjoy because the production is great.
I feel similar to you in that I prefer Late Registration way More than College Dropout. LR is a very similar album, but it’s more fleshed out, similar production but it gets grander, and it cuts out the annoying skits and filler songs of CD. LR is my favourite Ye album, his most complete album to me
If you think Jay buried Nas, you should check out his response "Ether". He absolutely murdered Jay-Z and it's the widely accepted opinion that Nas won the beef.
This album has so many things to appreciate. Jay paying hommage to Biggie quoting him and other artists, recognizing the samples (not sure you noticed on h to the izzo.)
You had the same reaction as everyone else in real time to Takeover. A few months later Nas dropped Ether, which is regarded by many as the best diss song of all time. Even today 20 years later, if someone says you got Ethered, it means you got killed in a beef and there is no answer or comeback. But Nas and Jay Z have squashed their beef and have several great songs together. Check out Black Republican, Success, and few other of their songs together. You won't be disappointed.
Let's go! Glad you enjoyed this as much as I did on first listen. If I recall correctly I was feeling the same with not being that into 2 tracks which were also Izzo and All I Need, all though they grew on me and I like them more than I did on first listen This album is a CLASSIC to me and it's in a tie for my no. 1 Jay-Z album with Reasonable Doubt (though I have more days where I have Blueprint over RD than vice versa). This was one of my first albums I got on CD (along with Raekwons OB4CL which is a classic as well). Amazing album. Just to add a lil context, this album was interesting for Jay-Z because with his albums before this he was starting to rap on more "electronic" type of production (think like Timbaland and Pharrell) with the occasional classic 90s hiphop sound so I bet it was interesting for listeners when they heard this for the first time. But reason to the style change (and reason to why I'm bringing this up) is because of Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele. Kanye and Just Blaze were heavily influenced by that album so they started giving those soul sampled beats to Jay-Z which I imagine is why he shifted the sound of the album to that sound (with Girls, Girls, Girls being actually intended to give to Ghostface). Recommend checking out U Don't Know (Remix) from Blueprint 2, I saw somewhere that Just Blaze was saying that this is actually the finished beat and that the one Jay first rapped on wasn't finished (all though the beat was still killer). Also can't wait for you to get back to Nas and eventually get to his response to Jay on Stillmatic. Excuse me for the long ass comment lol and I hope it wasn't overwhelming. I wish you and everyone else a happy new year! Thank you for 2022. Take care everyone
Most of the Eminem criticism these days is as a result of his last three albums, Revival, Kamikaze, and Music to be Murdered By. All 3 are pretty bad albums, particularly Revival. It just seems that modern day Eminem has lost his touch, is unable to connect with the youth, and no longer has anything to say. He’s like hip hops version of “Old man yells at clouds”. His chorus’s are particularly bad, and he raps incredibly fast more frequently now, and it’s really corny in my opinion, because he’s truly not saying anything. Jay Z, Kanye, and Nas (3 main examples) have been able to mature in their music as they get into their 40’s and 50’s and continue to make good music, but Eminem hasn’t.
eminems early stuff does have some interesting stuff, not just shock value. there are the horrorcore tracks and the lighthearted tracks where he's saying outlandish shit, but there are a lot of good songs on the first 3 albums imo, particularly the first 2. could be worth a revisit
@@JonSnowsGhost No. Jay-Z has hella albums. He don’t need to listen to Vol.1,2, and 3, and the dynasty album just to get to Blueprint. Most those albums aren’t that important to Jays career, except for Vol. 2 which is also a classic.
Actually It's the other way 'round...NaS buried Hov on Ether and made Jay-Z cry out loud & apologize on radio and even Jay-Z admits he lost to NaS and from that point of time the term " HE GOT ETHERED " was coined when a rapper gets bodied by another rapper in a beef.
@Akaah Panthak that's a little bit of exaggeration embellishment in your comment. Jay never cried on the radio that's just some internet falsehoods that over the years has now been passed off as truth. Never were you have a link in which Jay is actually crying on the radio I was around listening to those interviews live at that time. Did Jay sound defeated on the radio for sure however that's far from actually saying that man was crying. As much beef Jay had with various rappers over the years 50, Game, Nas, Cam Mop Deep etc and no one brings that up in the interview. No one puts that in the song and throws it in Jay face I call bs. And your comment makes it seem like Ether caused him to apologize on the radio when in reality his mother asked him to apologize because of the disrespectfulness toward Nas baby mom on Jay's Super ugly song Lastly now's no doubt Nas had the better song in my opinion as well as the majorityhowever to say he was buried is a far stretch. Again I actually listened to the live voting at New York's Hot 97 and it was somewhere like 57% to 38% . 60/40 shows a clear winner between those to songs but don't consider that a burial. Jay was responding to that H to Homo freestyle with one verse plus a couple bars on Takeover compared to two verses Plus some bars on Ether I don't think it's as big as blowout as some portray it to be..
Wrong, wrong and wrong, Jay was apologizing for his diss track against Nas "Supa Ugly" because his own mother considered it too disrespectful, get your facts right bruh
The Ruler's Back is a nod to a song off Slick Rick's album "The Adventures Of Slick Rick". On "The Ruler's Back" he ends each verse with, "So off we-go, let the trumpets-blow because the driver of the mission is a pro, The Ruler's Back."
Don’t look too much on the number of streams because Jay Z has his own streaming platform (Tidal) and for years his music was not on Spotify and Apple Music (and CZcams) because he was trying to get his streaming platform to pop off
This album had so many storylines. Jay Z jumping off the Nas beef Just Blaze and a young Kanye battling beat for beat Five platinum singles Classic Album
When comparing streaming numbers you have to take into account this was out before streaming but he went platinum. This wouldn’t have as many listens one because Jay just added recently his music to other streaming platforms because he has his own. 41:00 2 it came out a very long time ago prior to streaming
Believe it or not Nas responded with Ether on the album Stillmatic. It pretty much awakened him in a sense. Stillmatic is a great Nas album. At the time everyone felt Ether was the superior diss track and to be fair it was scathing lol. But over time I think Takeover aged better because there was some disses people didn’t even catch but give Stillmatic a listen definitely worth your time
@@JonathanIsrael708 one of the lines Because you know who (who) did you know what (what) With you know who (yeah) but just keep that between me and you for now Is referencing how Jay had an affair with the mother of Nas’ child. Is probably the biggest one. I’m sure everyone is aware now but I don’t know if a lot of people were back then, I could be wrong tho.
I like your comment about H to the Izzo being a weird mix with the beat. I forget who(dame dash?), but when describing one of the rocafella produced movies, they talked about how the hood is sometimes portrayed overly seriously in media. The reality of the black experience in America isn't always grungy, it's more dynamic than that. While the topics Jay Z is covering are grim, people still need space to live in between time so the beat being the way it is you could argue is more realistic, especially since he himself is the hopeful element
Before Kendrick, I think Jay was the last great rapper at the top of the rap game. After this it went 50-cent, Lil Wayne, then Drake... And they're not terrible, but oddly enough, Jay despite not being the "deepest" always came off as very genuine to me, where the others just kinda felt like conmen. Not the greatest at any one thing, not my personal favorite, but, he's my default answer to who is the overall GOAT of rap if I have to pick one person. It's gotta be Jay for me. The only one who paired extreme commercial success while keeping true to everything hip-hop is as a culture. His message has always been consistent, his greatest form of dissent, rebellion that's essential to the spirit of rap, is self made financial success. Can't knock the hustle. "If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense, but I did 5 mil.. i ain't been rhyming like Common since"
@@kevinh636 I mean I disagree, but I can't see where that statement is even made. Sing about me ain't an all time flow? I can see if it ain't your personal style, but rhythmically and technically, how is Kendrick not an all timer?
@@goose0078 technically it might be good, rap god is technically great by Em but do I want to listen to it? For comparison Biggie flow was butter and Kendrick just ain't it for me. And I loved GKMC so I've tried but he just doesn't compare to any of the greats for me!
@@kevinh636 I mean that's just personal taste. I can't nor do I want to argue against your personal taste. Lyrically, technically, and musically, Kendrick's stuff is on Par with Biggie imo, but if it ain't your thing it ain't your thing.
Just realized the first lines in verse 2 of Izzo (HOVA) are referenced by Kendrick in The Heart Part 5. He says “I said I’d do this for my culture, to let y’all know what a n-- look like in a bullet proof rover” at the start of the second verse while Jay-Z here says “I do this for my culture, to let ‘em know what a n-- look like when a n-- in a roadster”. Not that deep but just a cool little Easter egg/reference to a song that came out 20 years before it’s release. This is what’s fun about hip hop!
@@ArtisanWindchimes true for sure. for me when we’re talking about giants with lyrical capabilities like Jay-Z and Kendrick it’s just clear they’re not trying to rip material and are giving a nod haha
@32:05 Jay Z is my favorite rapper of all time, so he can do almost no wrong, but I'm 29 and Drake was the soundtrack of my life during my early 20s. I say this because I see both sides of it what you're saying. One of the reasons Drake became so popular is because of the way he talked about his feelings. Unlike Jay, the Hyper masculine stereotype that cooly complains about women nagging him, Drake talks about specific times women hurt him which shaped who he is today. You can say that it sounds like Drake is crying too much, but he became the voice of a generation for a reason. The generation being too soft or whatever is a topic for another time, but if you're going to listen to Drake again in January you need to understand his experience is relatable to a lot of people. He has a line that goes something like I told my story and made (his)story. Just food for thought. Jay is the man but he's clearly from another time.
Ether is inferior to Takeover imo, Nas was kinda just throwing schoolyard jabs and name calling. Jay was using numbers, facts, and was more tactical and thorough in his approach. Not to mention Takeover is just the better overall song.
what was facts about what jay said other than the carmen thing...1 hot album every 10 years and the projects window lines were def lies....and everyone knows jay z was a huge nas fan lol....and nas makes money off dead presidents not the other way around
i get what you're saying about the chorus on girls girls girls but i think q-tip comes across with the same cheeky vibe like on tribe albums - e.g midnight marauders or people's instinctive travels - and i think it fits the vibe of the song perfectly. cool feature. i hope you check out more quest at some point, those albums are a bit less serious than low end theory
The production on this album from start to finish is insanely good. Idk how many rap albums have better production. You should do The Black Album. It's the closest to this album in quality, the only one you could argue is better.
So I had a whole different comment but I forgot that the actual most interesting fact about this album is that it was made in 3 days. Jay, Kanye, Just Blaze, and his engineer Guru went to the studio on a Friday and left late Sunday night with "The Blueprint". I'm pretty sure there's a documentary here on CZcams about this, wild stuff.
Yeah bob re-visit Em’s first 3 albums, you’ll find something new and “TES” I feel like it would be your favorite one even tho you mentioned you have already heard before. Great reaction again! 🇲🇽👋
Bob, I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see other “end of year” lists at this point but I think a reaction to God Don’t Make Mistakes by Conway the Machine would be incredible. Fantano said it was 11th best album of the year on his list!!! All of the Griselda group make great rap 🙏🏼 Conway got that dawg in him 🐶
I was a little more aggressive with the music cuts on this one since Reasonable Doubt got blocked entirely (despite heavy edits). Looks like this one will stick (for now). Do remember that Patreon is $2 for uncut reactions. The description shows all the albums available there if you feel like binging. Happy New Year!
There are 3 other jay-z albums that you should react to. The Black Album, American Gangster and 4:44. All classics for sure.
the lines about the trumpets are a taken word for word from The Ruler's Back by Slick Rick
February 2023 "Stillmatic" by Nas Please!!!
You only have one side of the story right now with Takeover 😎
Bob since you are a MF DOOM fan you can’t leave out DOOMSDAY. It’s just as good as MMM Food
@@jayyoung1470 Facts!
Any plans on doing Common - Be? From roughly the same time and widely considered his best album. I think you would enjoy his lyrics a lot.
And top tier production from Mr. West :)
Great album. Completely agree!
Fantastic album. Probably my favorite Kanye produced album ever
Definitely a must. Arguably Kanye’s best produced album
It's on his list I know that. He might get to it this year.
Heart of the City is one of Kanye’s best beats, unbelievable production on that song
The fact that he was really saving this song for DMX.........but I'm glad for Jay z to use it
@@kevinspencer6055 yeah i don’t think dmx would’ve sounded as good at jay on that beat
its literally the same beat as the original sample xD
He has way better beats
Someone has already mentioned stillmatic by nas for his response to takeover which many consider him to beat Jay Z in Ether, great reaction, also mentioning rivals please consider doing the Infamous by Mobb Deep such a classic album many consider to be top 10 of all time, I know you’ve had lots of requests over time for it but trust me it’s a must listen, hope you had a good Christmas, happy new year 🎉
The Infamous def a top 10 hip hop album of the 90s imo
@@TechedThrower66 for sure bro probably in my top 5 🤘🏿
Heard the infamous a couple of days ago, and i was mind blown, such a good album shook ones pt2 is one of the best songs i have heard
@raspsalmcivilination776 by saying Dre has over 5 albums better then infamous do you mean the ones he has produced
@raspsalmcivilination776 you're right, the infamous is not just a top 10 album. It's top 5. And you're the one who should get a head exam if you actually believe what you wrote previously. Lmao, pac has three albums that are better? That's such a dumb statement that it's funny
Bob, you gotta react to 4:44. It's Jay's most recent album, and came out off the heels of his cheating scandal around 2017. It's incredibly personal, akin to Mr. Morale. I'd listen to it and "Lemonade" by Beyonce, back to back
yes i would love for him to react to lemonade and then react to 4:44 so he can get an insight of what jay did wrong and his growth as a person, and their growth as a reaction. and bob seems to be a bit interested in bey
Mid
@@LEM620I think your enjoyment of this album is going to hinge on your enjoyment of hip hop as a vehicle for wordplay versus hip hop as a confessional artform
I believe “Pen to a test” refers to these things called “scantrons” used in the United State to automate multiple choice test grading. You can only use a #2 pencil on those. Pens aren’t recognized by the system.
Or the fact that you can’t erase pen and would be inconvenient to not be able to on an important test.
You’ve done 2/3 of Jay’s classic albums. Do The Black Album sometime! Great stuff!
4:44 has proven itself to be a classic. I think its been long enough, since every older rapper’s output is now compared to 4:44, and when older rappers make mature and emotionally vulnerable records, they’re immediately called “___’s 4:44”
American Gangster
Both of those are just very good albums without many of any classic songs on them. Neither pushed the sound forward or featured Jay anywhere near the peak of his powers
@@jakemilano8868 most people here in NYC consider AG a classic. And 4:44 on that second tier with Vol 2, Dynasty & BP3
You think Jay only has 3 classic albums
8:33 he also says the "off we go let the trumpets blow" line out of respect for Slick Rick from his song "The Ruler's Back" from his 1988 album "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick".....the whole song (especially the last verse) is a homage to that song
1:17:52 can’t believe you wasn’t impressed with the “Left hand’ll lean him like a little past 6” 😢 I love that line
GOD BARS! #J-HOVA🔥
Let’s goooooo
I liked lil Kim bar that was similar "shit straight like 915, ya know what I mean?" Queen bitch "hardcore"
The sound was revolutionary form moment. It ushered in the soul sample era. Kanye didn’t start building off the sound and experimenting more until graduation, and I’d say the Kanye sound was perfected on life of Pablo.
Man I can’t get into life of Pablo
@@1kennylo why not?
@@1kennylo same
🤔 hell naw
The RZA originated the sped up soul sampling. He did it better than everybody that came after him.
Bob I know you’re getting a lot of comments on the Nas response track to takeover “ether” and you probably are curious to hear it and want to listen to “stillmatic” the album it’s on, but PLEASE listen to Nas discography in order. His next album that you need to review of Nas is “it was written” his 2nd album(and my personal favorite). I think you should do Nas album in chronological order the same way you did Kanye and Kendrick. It would be cool to see you experience Nas journey through hip hop. It would also give you more context once you eventually get to “stillmatic” to appreciate the song ether even more. Also if you think takeover was a great diss ether is consider the best diss track of all time.
Real. It was written is an absolute classic.
It was written > Illmatic.
Please do this Bob, you will not regret it
Agreed, it was written is a classic. Some of my favourite Nas tracks are from that album 🔥
I agree Bob should liste to Nas' discog in chronological order
Found myself shouting "yes!" When this popped up in my feed 😅, been a while since you've reacted to an album that I absolutely love.
You missed the double entendre in U Don't Know. "I could sell water to a whale" could also be "I could sell water to a well" and still makes sense. Jay Z is one of the best at the double entendre in Hip Hop. When you listen to Blueprint again, you will pick up more of those sort of lines.
You’re reaching
@@thefly1203you know nothing about rap
@@thefly1203jay confirmed it when pusha t asked
Now this is a heavy hitter, so many classics! Renegade is one of the most impressive displays of lyricism. Jay-Zs verse on that song is the best verse that has ever been blown out of the park by another on the same track. Eminem absolutely killed it on that track.
I couldn’t agree more.
Hey Bob, just to let you know the actual album ends at Momma Loves Me. Lyrical Exercise and Girls Part 2 are bonus tracks. In case you weren’t aware.
You need to listen to Lupe Fiascos Food and Liquor, I genuinely think you will love that album a ton, it sonically is amazing and has some of the best lyricism you will ever hear. It’s honestly a perfect album and I think you and your family will thoroughly enjoy it.(My mom hardly listens to hiphop and she loves everything about the album.)
Hey Bob you should listen to This Can't Be Life - Jay Z, Beanie, Scarface. It's an absolute classic.
Like others have mentioned, you should listen to Ether by Nas. In fact, it would be cool if you did a separate reaction video to it or listen to it during your additional thoughts on The Blueprint.
thought this too
@@adambrydges1040 yes he needs to do this!!! Nas bodies him there
You should listen to "ether" by Nas, it's a response to takeover and is recognised as one of the best diss songs of all time, it's from his album "stillmatic" which is another classic Nas album
Ether is doo doo.
@@thetruest7497 ether is the most overhyped disstrack ever
@@cdot32 we found the jay z stans yall
@@treasey8655 go listen to it and explain to me how “Gay-Z, dick sucking lips” are amazing disses
Ether definitely did not age well.. he called him gay 10 times we get it😂😂
I'd love for you to do Purple Haze by Cam'ron. It's very much a part and parcel with this early 00s NY soul-sample rap sound.
Heatmakers 🔥🔥🔥
Nah. I rather he react to some other shit like more wu, black album, nas, 4:44, big pun, big L etc.
Cosign. I wonder what he'd gather from Cam's perspective/angle. Cam is closer to Jay in that way but takes himself less seriously.
I'm happy that you finally got to speak on Em. The bulk of criticism towards Em honestly has to do with a large portion of his fanbase that isn't doing what you're doing on this channel which is taking time to appreciate other artist and where they come from. The bulk of Em fans shit on other artist with a few exceptions like Tech N9ne for example. There's so much more that goes into it I could write a college essay on it.
Everyone recognizes where Em is skill wise, the hate for the man is primarily his fanbase. Also since he's become sober and aged a bit his voice is different so he doesn't have the bravado he had on his earlier work just like he does on Renegade for example.
Em would get a lot less hate if his fans would take the time to realize that there's more great artist out there in that upper tier of rap and hip hop than just Eminem.
Brooo I loved listening to this again with your reaction. Such a great album
Bob I thought you were gonna recognize The Doors sample on Takeover?! haha "5 to 1"
Wow I’m so happy rn this a early birthday gift for me, jayz one of the goats, so glad you finally got to this album commenting before watching so hope you enjoyed it as much as we all have, this album is such such a classic ! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Renegade was originally made with Royce da 5'9 who is a very frequent collaborator with Eminem especially last 12 years. Then Eminem gave the song to Jay-Z for his album without changing his original verses except for that Jigga part
what’s your favourite scary movie
Good Reaction. Wow. I didn't realize you did Reasonable Doubt too. Now you have to get to Nas second album It Was Written
Stillmatic is also a good one to react to so you can hear Nas kill Jay on Ether
Jay killed Nas on the blueprint 2 tho
@@mo2k638 if he would have released that instead of Supa Ugly at the time, it would have been way better. But Supa Ugly wasn't it. The Blueprint 2 diss was basically a redo of his failed response.
You GOTTA do Nas’ Stillmatic now! No pressure 😂
You should react to Nas' response to Takeover called Ether. If you feel like Jay buried Nas, you'll go CRAZY at Nas' response.
"what they did to the Cold Crush" refers to the pioneering group who inspired a ton of rappers but was in it before there was big money to be had.
In fact, Girls Girls Girls is from one of their famous routines. They made a couple of records but their fame really came from tapes of live performances.
Jay Z wasn’t buried by Ether but he was hit with a harsh rebuttal which is why Ether was so good. People though Nas was buried by Takeover but Nas came back stronger than expected. Nas won the battle as an underdog yet both disstracks are discussed as top tier disstracks in Hip Hop History.
Fun fact: Just Blaze produced the final track on Good Kid M.A.A.D City "Compton". He also produced 3 tracks off of The Black Album by Jay-Z which you would really enjoy because the production is great.
I feel similar to you in that I prefer Late Registration way More than College Dropout. LR is a very similar album, but it’s more fleshed out, similar production but it gets grander, and it cuts out the annoying skits and filler songs of CD.
LR is my favourite Ye album, his most complete album to me
finally someone said it people disrespect LR as much as they praise TCD and its just sad
If you think Jay buried Nas, you should check out his response "Ether". He absolutely murdered Jay-Z and it's the widely accepted opinion that Nas won the beef.
This album has so many things to appreciate. Jay paying hommage to Biggie quoting him and other artists, recognizing the samples (not sure you noticed on h to the izzo.)
My favorite album from my favorite rapper of all time. Also check out Blueprint 2 and the Black Album. Great reaction! Keep up the good work!
You had the same reaction as everyone else in real time to Takeover. A few months later Nas dropped Ether, which is regarded by many as the best diss song of all time. Even today 20 years later, if someone says you got Ethered, it means you got killed in a beef and there is no answer or comeback. But Nas and Jay Z have squashed their beef and have several great songs together. Check out Black Republican, Success, and few other of their songs together. You won't be disappointed.
Plenty of people liked the takeover lol. Kanye did good too on it.
He serenades every track with a giggle
He copied that from 2pac.
Thank you for reacting to this classic. I know Jay Z is the king of copyright so I appreciate your bravery in doing this reaction.
Let's go! Glad you enjoyed this as much as I did on first listen. If I recall correctly I was feeling the same with not being that into 2 tracks which were also Izzo and All I Need, all though they grew on me and I like them more than I did on first listen
This album is a CLASSIC to me and it's in a tie for my no. 1 Jay-Z album with Reasonable Doubt (though I have more days where I have Blueprint over RD than vice versa). This was one of my first albums I got on CD (along with Raekwons OB4CL which is a classic as well). Amazing album.
Just to add a lil context, this album was interesting for Jay-Z because with his albums before this he was starting to rap on more "electronic" type of production (think like Timbaland and Pharrell) with the occasional classic 90s hiphop sound so I bet it was interesting for listeners when they heard this for the first time. But reason to the style change (and reason to why I'm bringing this up) is because of Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele. Kanye and Just Blaze were heavily influenced by that album so they started giving those soul sampled beats to Jay-Z which I imagine is why he shifted the sound of the album to that sound (with Girls, Girls, Girls being actually intended to give to Ghostface). Recommend checking out U Don't Know (Remix) from Blueprint 2, I saw somewhere that Just Blaze was saying that this is actually the finished beat and that the one Jay first rapped on wasn't finished (all though the beat was still killer). Also can't wait for you to get back to Nas and eventually get to his response to Jay on Stillmatic.
Excuse me for the long ass comment lol and I hope it wasn't overwhelming. I wish you and everyone else a happy new year! Thank you for 2022. Take care everyone
For a scantron test, you're supposed to bring a #2 pencil.
Izzo had a kid-friendly sound due to the Jackson 5 sample (I Want You Back).
You have one of the coolest and best CZcams channels out there
Most of the Eminem criticism these days is as a result of his last three albums, Revival, Kamikaze, and Music to be Murdered By. All 3 are pretty bad albums, particularly Revival.
It just seems that modern day Eminem has lost his touch, is unable to connect with the youth, and no longer has anything to say. He’s like hip hops version of “Old man yells at clouds”. His chorus’s are particularly bad, and he raps incredibly fast more frequently now, and it’s really corny in my opinion, because he’s truly not saying anything.
Jay Z, Kanye, and Nas (3 main examples) have been able to mature in their music as they get into their 40’s and 50’s and continue to make good music, but Eminem hasn’t.
eminems early stuff does have some interesting stuff, not just shock value. there are the horrorcore tracks and the lighthearted tracks where he's saying outlandish shit, but there are a lot of good songs on the first 3 albums imo, particularly the first 2. could be worth a revisit
Nas album Stillmatic is partly a response to this album. Recommend it and highly recommend Nas album It Was Written
Bob how did you go from Reasonable Doubt to BluePrint? There’s a bunch of Jay-Z albums in between. I thought you were doing peoples albums in order?!
Would take too long, he doesn’t need to listen to every single Jay album in order, just the landmark ones.
@@odu2014 false. If he did it for Kanye & Kendrick. He should do it for Jay-Z.
@@JonSnowsGhost No. Jay-Z has hella albums. He don’t need to listen to Vol.1,2, and 3, and the dynasty album just to get to Blueprint. Most those albums aren’t that important to Jays career, except for Vol. 2 which is also a classic.
@@odu2014 And for Nas, 2pac & Biggie
@@odu2014 Bro what? Vol. 2 alone is one of the most important albums in his career. Go research it.
Actually It's the other way 'round...NaS buried Hov on Ether and made Jay-Z cry out loud & apologize on radio and even Jay-Z admits he lost to NaS and from that point of time the term " HE GOT ETHERED " was coined when a rapper gets bodied by another rapper in a beef.
@Akaah Panthak that's a little bit of exaggeration embellishment in your comment. Jay never cried on the radio that's just some internet falsehoods that over the years has now been passed off as truth. Never were you have a link in which Jay is actually crying on the radio I was around listening to those interviews live at that time. Did Jay sound defeated on the radio for sure however that's far from actually saying that man was crying. As much beef Jay had with various rappers over the years 50, Game, Nas, Cam Mop Deep etc and no one brings that up in the interview. No one puts that in the song and throws it in Jay face I call bs. And your comment makes it seem like Ether caused him to apologize on the radio when in reality his mother asked him to apologize because of the disrespectfulness toward Nas baby mom on Jay's Super ugly song Lastly now's no doubt Nas had the better song in my opinion as well as the majorityhowever to say he was buried is a far stretch. Again I actually listened to the live voting at New York's Hot 97 and it was somewhere like 57% to 38% . 60/40 shows a clear winner between those to songs but don't consider that a burial. Jay was responding to that H to Homo freestyle with one verse plus a couple bars on Takeover compared to two verses Plus some bars on Ether I don't think it's as big as blowout as some portray it to be..
Wrong, wrong and wrong, Jay was apologizing for his diss track against Nas "Supa Ugly" because his own mother considered it too disrespectful, get your facts right bruh
@@brenetssss Is that comment toward me because that exactly what I said
Yeah get ya facts correct before you type
@@njnatl09 no, to the original comment
I was hoping you did this album. Prayers answered. Let’s go!
production masterclass
Black album is definitely comparable to the Blueprint you should definitely react to it..
You should listen to Nas Stillmatic album. It’s one of his best and features the best diss song of all time
The Ruler's Back is a nod to a song off Slick Rick's album "The Adventures Of Slick Rick". On "The Ruler's Back" he ends each verse with, "So off we-go, let the trumpets-blow because the driver of the mission is a pro, The Ruler's Back."
Don’t look too much on the number of streams because Jay Z has his own streaming platform (Tidal) and for years his music was not on Spotify and Apple Music (and CZcams) because he was trying to get his streaming platform to pop off
Omg the black album is so good, cant wait
This album had so many storylines.
Jay Z jumping off the Nas beef
Just Blaze and a young Kanye battling beat for beat
Five platinum singles
Classic Album
The stop-start beat of All I Need is why it’s my favorite beat on the album! Great reaction vid though
You mention the Fugees...
"The Fugees done broke up..."
You NEED to do The Score...
An absolute classic album that doesn't get it's due.
yeah idk why he did lauryn hill before the score when it's so easily better
12:23 “pen to a test” I believe refers to using those scan answer sheets that only pick up pencil marks. Like how you can’t use a pen on the SAT.
When comparing streaming numbers you have to take into account this was out before streaming but he went platinum. This wouldn’t have as many listens one because Jay just added recently his music to other streaming platforms because he has his own. 41:00 2 it came out a very long time ago prior to streaming
I love the beat of All I need … and the lyrics.. one of my favorites on the album…
you gotta listen to be by common, if you loved this you’re sure to love be as well. arguably ye and dilla’s best prodction work as well.
"Off we go, let's the trumpets blow.." in The Ruller's Back is an ode to Slick Rick who had a song by the same name in the 80s
You should do Jay-Z Life and times of Sean Carter Vol.3. I think it's one of his most underrated albums.
"Pen to a test"
Back in the days you literally had to use a number 2 pencil ✏️ to take a test.
HOW CAN U NOT LOVE THE I WANT U BACK SAMPLE ON IZZO
Believe it or not Nas responded with Ether on the album Stillmatic. It pretty much awakened him in a sense. Stillmatic is a great Nas album. At the time everyone felt Ether was the superior diss track and to be fair it was scathing lol. But over time I think Takeover aged better because there was some disses people didn’t even catch but give Stillmatic a listen definitely worth your time
What didn't people catch?
@@JonathanIsrael708 one of the lines Because you know who (who) did you know what (what)
With you know who (yeah) but just keep that between me and you for now
Is referencing how Jay had an affair with the mother of Nas’ child. Is probably the biggest one. I’m sure everyone is aware now but I don’t know if a lot of people were back then, I could be wrong tho.
i don't think takeover could ever age well enough to overtake ether
Never Change might be favorite Jay Z track
damn i just complete my hov vinyle collection with this album 2 days ago!! for me its a no skip what a pièce of art
I like your comment about H to the Izzo being a weird mix with the beat. I forget who(dame dash?), but when describing one of the rocafella produced movies, they talked about how the hood is sometimes portrayed overly seriously in media. The reality of the black experience in America isn't always grungy, it's more dynamic than that. While the topics Jay Z is covering are grim, people still need space to live in between time so the beat being the way it is you could argue is more realistic, especially since he himself is the hopeful element
Before Kendrick, I think Jay was the last great rapper at the top of the rap game. After this it went 50-cent, Lil Wayne, then Drake... And they're not terrible, but oddly enough, Jay despite not being the "deepest" always came off as very genuine to me, where the others just kinda felt like conmen.
Not the greatest at any one thing, not my personal favorite, but, he's my default answer to who is the overall GOAT of rap if I have to pick one person. It's gotta be Jay for me. The only one who paired extreme commercial success while keeping true to everything hip-hop is as a culture. His message has always been consistent, his greatest form of dissent, rebellion that's essential to the spirit of rap, is self made financial success. Can't knock the hustle.
"If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli
Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense, but I did 5 mil.. i ain't been rhyming like Common since"
Kendrick can't rap close to Jay or any of the greats. Good kid is a classic but his flow and cadence aint close to any of the greats imo
@@kevinh636 I mean I disagree, but I can't see where that statement is even made. Sing about me ain't an all time flow? I can see if it ain't your personal style, but rhythmically and technically, how is Kendrick not an all timer?
@@goose0078 technically it might be good, rap god is technically great by Em but do I want to listen to it? For comparison Biggie flow was butter and Kendrick just ain't it for me. And I loved GKMC so I've tried but he just doesn't compare to any of the greats for me!
@@kevinh636 I mean that's just personal taste. I can't nor do I want to argue against your personal taste. Lyrically, technically, and musically, Kendrick's stuff is on Par with Biggie imo, but if it ain't your thing it ain't your thing.
@@goose0078 i have never disagreed with a statement more than Kendrick being on par with Biggie but I agree it is all personal taste!
Hell yeah brother, Blueprint is my favorite of Jigga!
And you should a video of itself on Ether, Nas' response...whew!!
Just realized the first lines in verse 2 of Izzo (HOVA) are referenced by Kendrick in The Heart Part 5. He says “I said I’d do this for my culture, to let y’all know what a n-- look like in a bullet proof rover” at the start of the second verse while Jay-Z here says “I do this for my culture, to let ‘em know what a n-- look like when a n-- in a roadster”. Not that deep but just a cool little Easter egg/reference to a song that came out 20 years before it’s release. This is what’s fun about hip hop!
When Jay does it ppl say he’s “biting”. Goes to show a lot of peoples hate for Jay-Z runs deep.
@@ArtisanWindchimes true for sure. for me when we’re talking about giants with lyrical capabilities like Jay-Z and Kendrick it’s just clear they’re not trying to rip material and are giving a nod haha
@32:05 Jay Z is my favorite rapper of all time, so he can do almost no wrong, but I'm 29 and Drake was the soundtrack of my life during my early 20s. I say this because I see both sides of it what you're saying. One of the reasons Drake became so popular is because of the way he talked about his feelings. Unlike Jay, the Hyper masculine stereotype that cooly complains about women nagging him, Drake talks about specific times women hurt him which shaped who he is today. You can say that it sounds like Drake is crying too much, but he became the voice of a generation for a reason. The generation being too soft or whatever is a topic for another time, but if you're going to listen to Drake again in January you need to understand his experience is relatable to a lot of people. He has a line that goes something like I told my story and made (his)story. Just food for thought. Jay is the man but he's clearly from another time.
Ether is inferior to Takeover imo, Nas was kinda just throwing schoolyard jabs and name calling. Jay was using numbers, facts, and was more tactical and thorough in his approach. Not to mention Takeover is just the better overall song.
what was facts about what jay said other than the carmen thing...1 hot album every 10 years and the projects window lines were def lies....and everyone knows jay z was a huge nas fan lol....and nas makes money off dead presidents not the other way around
Nope. Ether became a verb for reason
@@kevinh636 Bruh, it took Nas 3 verses to battle against Jay Zs one verse. And most of it was childish disses bro Nas aint win that
I feel a great summation of JayZ over time would be well ended with 4:44
Love the reactions, keep on rockin in the free world 🫶🏽
Once he reacts to Vol. 1 I can finally be at peace 🙏🏿
i get what you're saying about the chorus on girls girls girls but i think q-tip comes across with the same cheeky vibe like on tribe albums - e.g midnight marauders or people's instinctive travels - and i think it fits the vibe of the song perfectly. cool feature. i hope you check out more quest at some point, those albums are a bit less serious than low end theory
Gotta listen to Ether after hearing Takeover, Nas looked out for the count but came back and KO'd Jay Z out cold
Don’t just react to ether, react to the whole stillmatic album
You didn't recognize the Five to One sample (The Doors) on Takeover?
U should definitely revisit some of eminem's albums, with ur new experience with rap, u would def get some new views
excited for the black album review
The production on this album from start to finish is insanely good. Idk how many rap albums have better production. You should do The Black Album. It's the closest to this album in quality, the only one you could argue is better.
Your laugh is an adlib my guy!
Now you have to react to Nas’s “Stillmatic” album. It contains “Ether” which is a diss to Jay-z. A great album overall.
Good job on this. Props for the breakdowns.
Gonna try and watch this one asap before it gets nuked by CZcams. Hope you have a great new year Bob!❤️
That would be a great album to review. Eric B & Rakim Paid in Full
Finally an album I've listened to/know well again. Excited for this one.
(oh what I missed you did Grey Area?!)
Believe it or not, Nas buried Jay-z on his response diss track ETHER off his album STILLMATIC
still one of the best diss tracks to this day
Jay z Killt nas on blueprint 2
@@4x4von fair take but imo blueprint 2 is jays worst album to date, hot garbage (not entirely related to the topic at hand but man i hate that album)
Nas won the beef, "buried" is an overstatement
Jay z a cornball n a fraud
I never got the students body union line until today🤯
You need to listen to Stillmatic now and Ether will answer the Nas diss questions.
You have to watch the video when timberland plays the beat and JayZ comes up with the song on the spot
So I had a whole different comment but I forgot that the actual most interesting fact about this album is that it was made in 3 days. Jay, Kanye, Just Blaze, and his engineer Guru went to the studio on a Friday and left late Sunday night with "The Blueprint". I'm pretty sure there's a documentary here on CZcams about this, wild stuff.
Yeah bob re-visit Em’s first 3 albums, you’ll find something new and “TES” I feel like it would be your favorite one even tho you mentioned you have already heard before. Great reaction again! 🇲🇽👋
The laws of hip hop reactions mean you’re gonna have to react to Ether as a follow up video!
Well as a Jay z fan I can honestly say….Nas killed him with ether but Jay z’s approach to focus on the money was smart. Numbers don’t lie
Had to focus on the money because he knows Nas has more lyrical depth
Biggie's Life After Death would be an appropriate follow up to this album.
The initial track also reminds me that Slick Rick hasn't been mentioned.
Since uve heard renegade u must hear NAS -Ether (infamous jayz diss track), Nas references renegade in the diss 🤣🤣
Bob, I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see other “end of year” lists at this point but I think a reaction to God Don’t Make Mistakes by Conway the Machine would be incredible. Fantano said it was 11th best album of the year on his list!!! All of the Griselda group make great rap 🙏🏼 Conway got that dawg in him 🐶