Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse
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'sAll Eyez on Meand Wu-Tang Clan'sWu-Tang Foreverincluded. On this follow-up topart one, Jay teams up withDestiny's Child's Beyoncé on "03 Bonnie & Clyde," a so-so remake of2Pac's "Me and My Girlfriend." TheDr. Dre-produced remix to "The Watcher," featuringRakim, 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. TheLenny Kravitz-fuelled braggadocio of "Guns and Roses" titillates, while Jay'sJeru 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