Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Tracks: Jay-Z feat. Notorious B.I.G. & Faith Evans - A Dream 4:12 / Hovi Baby 4:21 / Jay-Z feat. Dr. Dre & Rakim & Truth Hurts - The Watcher 2 5:57 / Jay-Z feat. Beyoncé - '03 Bonnie & Clyde 3:25 / Excuse Me Miss 4:41 / Jay-Z feat. Sean Paul - What They Gonna Do 4:53 / All Around The World 3:52 / Jay-Z feat. Big Boi & Killer Mike & Twista - Poppin' Tags 6:00 / Fuck All Nite 4:19 / The Bounce 4:18 / I Did It My Way 3:42 / Diamond Is Forever 3:55 / Jay-Z feat. Lenny Kravitz - Guns & Roses 4:25 / Jay-Z feat. M.O.P. - U Don't Know [RMX] 4:27 / Meet The Parents 4:58 / Jay-Z feat. Beanie Sigel & Scarface - Some How Some Way 5:37 / Some People Hate 4:31 / Blueprint² 4:49 / Jay-Z feat. Young Chris - Nigga Please 4:37 / 2 Many Hoes 3:34 / Jay-Z feat. Freeway & Memphis Bleek & Peedi Crakk & Sparks & Young Gunz - As One 3:48 / A Ballad For The Fallen Soldier 4:41 / Show You How 2:58 / B*****s & Sisters 2:38 / What They Gonna Do Part II 3:46

Do you want in on hip-hop's dirty little secret? Well, not even rap's greatest icons have been able to pull of a memorable, fast-forward-free double disc--2Pac's All Eyez on Me and Wu-Tang Clan's Wu-Tang Forever included. On this follow-up to part one, Jay teams up with Destiny's Child's Beyoncé on "03 Bonnie & Clyde," a so-so remake of 2Pac's "Me and My Girlfriend." The Dr. Dre-produced remix to "The Watcher," featuring Rakim, reveals that, in addition to expanding his audience, Jay is interested in appealing to his tried-and-tested demographic--East Coast hardrocks. He rounds out the first disc with "I Did It My Way," sampling Paul Anka's version of "My Way" and equating his Rap Pack (Kareem Burke, Dame Dash) to the Rat Pack of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. Don't laugh. The stronger second disc contains some pleasant surprises. The Lenny Kravitz-fuelled braggadocio of "Guns and Roses" titillates, while Jay's Jeru the Damaja-like "Bitches and Sisters" is sure to stir up accusations of misogyny. In the end, not even Jay can tear through 11 hot tracks, much less 25. --Dalton Higgins