One of the best hip-hop albums of the 2000s just got a brand new platinum plaque. Moreover, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) just certified The Blueprint by Jay-Z as triple platinum. Not only that, but interestingly enough, it took over twenty years for this project to get a new plaque from the RIAA. Previously, it reached double platinum status on May 1 of 2002, according to the association. With this development, one of the finest works in Hov's catalog has now sold over 3 million album equivalent units.
In the years since its release, Jay-Z and various other hip-hop figures have reflected on its legacy and creation. Of course, as the album that firmly established Jay as one of the top rap dogs after a successful career beginning, said impact should come as no surprise. For example, the New York legend pushed back against comments that Kanye West made about producer Just Blaze copying others on the 2001 album. "Nore sent me a piece and I’ve seen a couple pieces," the 53-year-old began on Twitter Spaces about Ye's 2021 Drink Champs interview.
The Blueprint By Jay-Z Is Now Triple Platinum
"I think, again, everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone can, sees things through their own lens,” Jay-Z continued. “Some of it could be true, some of it may not be true, but that’s the lens that you see it through, so you just speaking to your truth. I think the one thing I would say out of the, all the pieces I’ve seen is…the Just Blaze thing was a bit unfair. ‘Cause if you’re making an album, you’re creating an album and the assignment is Soul samples, everyone’s coming with Soul… Everyone created for the project.
"The thing was, the baby was The Blueprint and I think everyone should be prized for what we created," he concluded. "It’s in, I don’t know what you call that, the Library of Congress or something. It’s something that we all should be proud of and everyone should be prized for their contributions. Everyone ha a contribution, I will say, and I don’t think anyone was copying off of anyone. We all had the assignment and created this one body of work." Regardless of your take, check back in with HNHH for the latest on Jay-Z.