8. The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse (2002)
"But today, I got my thoroughest girl wit me / I'm mashin the gas, she's grabbin the wheel, it's trippy how hard / She rides with me - the new Bobby and Whitney from the song 03 Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z Jay-Z's seventh studio album,
The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse was released on November 12, 2002. Like his previous four,
The Blueprint² debuted at #1 and eventually went double platinum. Unlike the first
Blueprint, this album was criticized for its emphasis on a radio friendly sound as well as its enormous amount of guests. The album has didnt have strict concept. It was Jay-Zs first two disc album. The first disc, The Gift, contained more upbeat party tracks, including the hit singles 03 Bonnie & Clyde and Excuse Me Miss. The Curse had a darker tone which included disses to his former enemies, including Nas and Ja Rule.
The Blueprint² was another decent release from Jay-Z, but he would later release better music, including another
Blueprint.
Disc 1 Gift: 01. A Dream (feat. Faith Evans & Notorious B.I.G.) Gift: 02. Hovi Baby Gift: 03. The Watcher 2 (feat. Dr. Dre, Rakim, & Truth Hurts)
Gift: 04. 03 Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Beyonce Knowles)Gift: 05. Excuse Me Miss Gift: 06. What They Gonna Do (feat. Sean Paul) Gift: 07. All Around The World (feat. LaToiya Williams) Gift: 08. Poppin Tags (feat. Big Boi, Killer Mike, & Twista) Gift: 09. F*** All Nite Gift: 10. The Bounce Gift: 11. I Did It My Way
Disc 2 Curse: 01. Diamond Is Forever Curse: 02. Guns Roses (feat. Lenny Kravitz) Curse: 03. U Dont Know (Remix) (feat. M-O-P) Curse: 04. Meet the Parents Curse: 05. Some How Some Way (feat. Beanie Sigel & Scarface) Curse: 06. Some People Hate Curse: 07. Blueprint 2 Curse: 08. N**** Please (feat. Young Chris) Curse: 09. Many Hoes Curse: 10. As One (feat. Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Guns, Peedi Crakk, Sparks, & Rell Curse: 11. A Ballad For The Fallen Soldier Curse: 12. Show You How Curse: 13. Bitches Sisters Curse: 14. What They Gonna Do Part II