The Black Album is the eighth studio album by Jay-Z, released on November 14, 2003, by Roc-A-Fella Records. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2006. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others.
When The Black Album was released, it received widespread acclaim from critics. In its first week the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and subsequently became Jay-Z's top selling record of the 2000s decade. The Black Album was promoted with a retirement tour by Jay-Z and three singles that also achieved Billboard chart success, including the top-ten hits "Change Clothes" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder".
In 2005, The Black Album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, losing to Kanye West's The College Dropout at the 47th Grammy Awards. It is ranked number 349 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
"Jay has cut an album every year for the past seven years; that he'd want a break of some sort now is understandable. Certain lyrics hint that this isn't the last record he'll cut, but if that's true, will his game still be as tight when he gets around to the comeback? It's anyone's guess, and that mystery is part of what makes this album such an intriguing listen. The prospect of hip-hop's finest producers laying down tracks for the final LP from the rap world's brightest talent has made The Black Album one of the most anticipated rap records of the decade. What's stunning is that it delivers rap's greatest career-ender since Outkast's Stankonia. Even in falling short of Jay's classics, Reasonable Doubt and 2001's The Blueprint, it manages to eclipse 1999's brilliant Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter as his third-best album -- which in itself makes it one of the year's best." - Pitchfork, 2003
Features:
• Double LP
• Gatefold
• Explicit Content
Selections:
Record One
Side One:
1. Interlude
2. December 4th
3. What More Can I Say
4. Encore
Record One
Side Two:
1. Change Clothes
2. Dirt Off Your Shoulder
3. Threat
4. Moment Of Clarity
Record Two
Side One:
1. 99 Problems
2. Interlude
3. Justify My Thug
Record Two
Side Two:
1. Lucifer
2. Allure
3. My 1st Song