Not to be deterred, Def Jam released a box set of Hova's other two parts of the Blueprint trilogy, designed with an empty space in which The Blueprint 3 can easily be inserted.

Allegedly, Hova still had one album left to deliver after American Gangster, but instead of sticking around, he opted to go with LiveNation and bought himself out of the building, leaving behind the artists that he originally signed (among them Ne-Yo, Rihianna, and Kanye West). It was recorded for his own Roc Nation label and distributed by Atlantic Records, making it Shawn Carter's first effort since his debut, Reasonable Doubt, to not see a release date on the calendar of Def Jam Records. Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, featuring the best cover art in his entire catalog, is the first album to be released under his new deal with LiveNation. But this gives me more time to digest Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt.

For those of you disappointed to not see a Raekwon review today, let me just say: I am, too. This was supposed to drop on Friday, September 11th, but I assume rampant bootlegging after the highly-anticipated leak caused Roc Nation/Atlantic to push this one up.

Jay z blueprint 1 production credit