Jay-Z released his eighth studio album The Black Album November 14, 2003
Written by Mister Anderson on November 14, 2022
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. 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, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder, and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
The Black Album was promoted with a retirement tour by Jay-Z. It was also supported by three singles: “99 Problems”, also the Billboard top-ten hits “Change Clothes” and “Dirt off Your Shoulder”. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics and was a massive commercial success. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 463,000 copies in its first week. It became Jay-Z’s top-selling record of the 2000s decade and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2005. The songs “Encore”, “Dirt off Your Shoulder”, and “99 Problems” are all on the Mashup EP, Collision Course with Linkin Park.
… [source: Wikipedia]
