The Blueprint

Jay-Z

on “takeover,” Jay-Z said it straight: “You guys don’t want it with HOV.” Indeed, this LP is the sound of a rap god who can only punch down, as he goes off on all comers: Nas, Prodigy from Mobb Deep, shady record execs, cops, critics, haters, biters, and his absent dad. “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” produced by a young Kanye West, gave Jay his first Top 10 single, and he even inched toward vulnerability with “Song Cry.”