the blueprint

Arguably Jay-Z's finest hour.

If an MC has made it to his sixth studio album, that alone shows off the magnitude and longevity of their career. With many veterans reaching this mark after decades of dedication to the game, there are a few that have accomplished this standing in a much shorter time frame...

Previously: 6 Producers Break Down The Making Of Rick Ross’ Mastermind Time to Build, the Making of Jay-Z’s Blueprint

Last week, we broke down the first decade of Kanye West’s career, which featured Yeezy's development during his run of six platinum solo albums in ten years, an accomplishment only matched by Jay Z, Snoop Dogg and Nas. 'Ye’s big brother, Jay Z, dominated the late 1990s and early 2000s by releasing eight platinum solo albums in his first decade in the game (really, due to his short retirement, his

Today marks the 54th birthday of one of Brooklyn's finest, Jay-Z, the hustler-turned-rapper from the Marcy Projects who grew out of the shadows of Jaz-O, Big Daddy Kane and The Notorious B.I.G. to stake a credible claim to being the best rapper alive for more than a decade...

XXL revisits the making of Jay-Z's timeless The Blueprint LP 11 years later...

Jay-Z and Beyoncé's newborn baby Blue has an interesting and clever name with a lot of meaning. XXL goes behind the most talked about moniker in hip-hop...

To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of his classic album, The Blueprint, Jay-Z has a limited edition of the record on sale now...

Chrysler continues to deliver a hip-hop friendly ad campaign...

Killer Mike talks to XXLMag.com about Jay-Z's influence over the game...

The influence of Jay-Z's The Blueprint is still felt in hip-hop a decade after its release. In celebration of the classic's album's 10-year anniversary, XXL looks back on BP's impact track-by-track...

Before the big show takes place on Sunday (August 28), XXL compiles a retrospective of the VMA's most memorable hip-hop moments...