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The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which serves as a recurring theme, although Jay-Z returned to solo recording with Kingdom Come in 2006.
The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 463, 000 copies in its first week. The Black Album has sold 3, 516, 000 original copies in the United States as of July 2013. It produced three singles that attained Billboard chart success, including Hot 100 top-ten hits "Change Clothes" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". Upon its release, The Black Album received acclaim from music critics. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 47th Grammy Awards, [4] ultimately losing to Kanye West's The College Dropout. The album was ranked #349 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Jay-Z had announced that The Black Album would be his final album. He went on a retirement tour following the release of the album, but he later came out with releases of various songs and collaborations.
In what he claims to be his final release as a musical performer, Jay-Z drops THE BLACK ALBUM, a sprawling, ambitious effort that rivals the best work of the rapper's already legendary career. Working with a who's who of hip-hop's most high-profile producers, the outrageously talented MC adjusts his flow and subject matter to the wildly varied tracks, proving once again just how gifted he is as a wordsmith. From the epic "What More Can I Say" (a collaboration with the Buchannans) to the brutally honest, Eminem-produced "Moment of Clarity," THE BLACK ALBUM bleeds with inspiration. Other highlights include the fuel-injected "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" (featuring Timbaland behind the board), the club-ready "Change Clothes" (which sports the Neptunes' trademark beats), and the old-school stomp of "99 Problems" (with pioneering hip-hop producer Rick Rubin). It makes one wonder how an artist at the peak of his craft could willingly put the microphone down. Hopefully, time out of the spotlight will remind Shawn Carter why he became successful in the first place, and find him back in the studio.