The incomparable Alicia Keys joins Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to discuss the 20th Anniversary of her Grammy-winning multi-platinum sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. She opens up about collaboration over the years, dives into the process of creating ‘Diary’ fresh off the heels of her Grammy-winning first album, and reflects on how she kept that momentum going. Keys also opens up about how her husband Swizz Beatz helps her celebrate her wins and shares how Clive Davis has impacted her career.
“I’m reflecting back to “The Diary of Alicia Keys”. I’m reflecting back to this being my second offering to the world. There was so much that changed for me. There was so much that was different than it had ever been before in my life. Obviously a girl born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen in Harlem, never had travelled like that. You don’t travel like that. Where do you go? You go to Jersey. Maybe you’re going to get to Connecticut. There’s not really a tonne of places that I had gone at the time, but thanks to the Songs in A Minor. I travelled the whole world.” -Alicia Keys
The incomparable Alicia Keys joins Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to discuss the 20th Anniversary of her Grammy-winning multi-platinum sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. She opens up about collaboration over the years, dives into the process of creating ‘Diary’ fresh off the heels of her Grammy-winning first album, and reflects on how she kept that momentum going. Keys also opens up about how her husband Swizz Beatz helps her celebrate her wins and shares how Clive Davis has impacted her career.
“I’m reflecting back to “The Diary of Alicia Keys”. I’m reflecting back to this being my second offering to the world. There was so much that changed for me. There was so much that was different than it had ever been before in my life. Obviously a girl born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen in Harlem, never had travelled like that. You don’t travel like that. Where do you go? You go to Jersey. Maybe you’re going to get to Connecticut. There’s not really a tonne of places that I had gone at the time, but thanks to the Songs in A Minor. I travelled the whole world.” -Alicia Keys
On this day in Hip-Hop history, Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z released he would-be retirement album The Black Album. Although there was virtually no pause between The Black Album and new Jay-Z music (collaboration albums with both R. Kelly and Linkin Park were released the following year), this album is easily the greatest retirement project of all time.
In its entirety, this album sounds more like a greatest hits album than the eighth project of an illustrious career. Starting with the first track, “December 4th”, this album takes the listener on a nostalgic journey. This opening tale of Hov’s origin sets the tone of the album and properly introduces Jay to an industry that he feels has taken him for granted. This album is an opus to Jay’s distaste with the rap game as a whole. On numerous tracks, specifically “Encore” and “What More Can I Say”, Hov can be heard stating his frustration with being the one punch man (a fictional superhero who can defeat any opponent with merely one punch causing him to become bored with superhero work) of Hip Hop.
Aside from staking his claim as the greatest, Hov spent this album perfectly juggling his unique brand of bragging with the dropping of street knowledge you couldn’t pay for. Singles “Change Clothes” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” are perfect examples of the particular swagger Jay-Z brought to rap. His mature yet flamboyant lyricism is on par with the life described by Robin Leach. As the album progresses, Jay begins more and more to put his would-be competition in its place with sheer willpower. From “Threats” to “Lucifer” it seems Jay is directly challenging the rest of the rap world to get on his level before they never again get the chance.
The album ends with two songs that could interchangeably be used as an outro. Both “Allure” and “My 1st Song” show Jay-Z coming to terms with the final chapter of his career coming to a close, even if he was planning a comeback.
Featuring production from Kanye West, Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Timbaland, 9th Wonder, Rick Rubin, DJ Quik, and even Eminem, it’s easy to see why this album is as amazing as it is. Aside from the prolific production team, Jay-Z put together one of his most successful albums without any features (aside from a hook sung by Pharrell). Commercially, the album peaked at #1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart and the Billboard 200 chart (where it appeared twice, each for a week). The album also went triple platinum in the United States and made appearances on music charts of eight different countries.
On this date two decades ago, Cam’ron’s crew from Harlem, The Diplomats, dropped their debut album Diplomatic Immunity on the Roc A Fella Records/Def Jam imprint during the pivotal time when Dame Dash appointed Cam’ron as the President of Roc-A-Fella Records.
Coming on the heels of the release of Cam’s Come Home With Me LP, Diplomatic Immunity introduced the entire Dipset squad, including Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Freekey Zeekey, Un Kasa, and Hell Rell. With production from the likes of Heatmakerz, DR Period, and a then virtually unknown Kanye West, the trailblazing sound of old soul samples pushed Dipset to the forefront of the creative curve of Hip Hop, which offered the Blood-affiliated crew from Uptown an almost cult-like following. Rell was incarcerated by the time the album was available for purchase.
The album was saturated with longstanding hits such as “I Really Mean It,” the infectious “Dipset Anthem,” the female-friendly “Hey Ma,” and the Master P assisted “Bout It Bout It…Part I “. Commercially, the album was considered average, debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200 and selling 92,000 copies in its first week, but the album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2005.
Salute to Cam, Juelz on the inside, Jim Jones, Freekey, and Hell Rell for this 20 year old classic piece of Hip Hop history!
On this date in 2003, 50 Cent released his second and most critically acclaimed album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin, on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records.
After his street-certified buzz from his Guess Who’s Back mixtape, a meeting with Eminem eventually turned into a million-dollar deal on Dr. Dre and Em’s Shady/Aftermath imprint. With the album executive produced by Dre and Fif, this project became probably the most anticipated release of any debut Hip-Hop album of the new millennium.
Debuting at the pole position on Billboard 200, GRODT sold almost 900K units in its first week and is now certified 6x platinum. The commercial success of the album in terms of radio and video plays and the movie starring 50 Cent with the same title helped earn the album a Grammy nod in 2004.
Some of the album’s forerunning singles include the ever-popular “In Da Club,” “21 Questions” featuring the late Nate Dogg, and “P.I.M.P.,” which became an international hit.
Salute to 50, Dre, Em, and the entire G-Unit for this timeless piece of Hip-Hop history!
Two decades ago today, Terrence and Gene Thorton akaPusha T and Malice put out Lord Willin’, The Clipse’s debut album that helped them solidify their spots within honorable mention of some of the best lyricists in the game.
Produced exclusively by the Neptunes on Pharrell Williams’ Star Trak imprint, the album displayed The Clipse’s microphone prowess, which helps the squares navigate through their cocaine-flooded street slang. Along with artists like Timbaland and Magoo, Missy Elliot, and Pharrell, The Clipse was an intricate part of establishing VA as one of the East Coast’s strongholds in Hip Hop, which made room for artists like Chris Brown and Wale to add on to the legacy.
Some of the most memorable gems from the Twin Thorton’s first album include “Cot Damn” featuring their Re-Up Gang affiliates Ab-Liva and Philly’s Roscoe P. Coldchain, “When The Last Time” with their Star Trak team members Kelis and Pharrell, and the infamous “Grindin’” with remixes featuring Noreaga, and another infamous duo, Lil Wayne and Birdman.
Salute to Pusha, No Malice, Pharrell, and the rest of the Star Trak team for pushing out this timeless classic!
Today in 2002, 50 Cent released Guess Who’s Back?, his first official mixtape following the Power of the Dollar LP on the Full Clip Records indie imprint.
It was this offering that would catapult Curtis Jackson into the public eye. Eventually, the project would gain the attention of Eminem via his attorney/manager Paul Rosenberg and Shady would ultimately sign 50 Cent to Shady Records/Interscope and a new Hip Hop icon would be born.
Guess Who’s Back features production from Trackmasters, Clark Kent, Sha Money Xl, and featured street anthems like, “Your Life’s On The Line”. It also had the controversial song, “Ghetto Qu’ran” which allegedly led to his almost deadly shooting in 2000.
The album charted on Billboard setting up the G-Unit era and a lengthy career that continues today. 50 Cent would go on to release his mega Interscope debut, “Get Rich Or Die Tryin’” and become a top charting and live show sellout artist.
Salute to Fif for this timeless and necessary piece of Hip Hop history!
On this date in 2001, NYC kings of crime rhyme Mobb Deep released their fifth full-length studio album entitled Infamy on the Loud/Columbia imprint.
As the QB duo’s first album following their publicized beef on wax with Jay-Z, the controversy helped to bolster the album’s sales, recognized by the RIAA as certified gold, despite being created during the advent of the internet, in an era that will forever be known as ringtone music.
As one of the last full-length projects from the Mobb, Infamy offered up one of the few albums during that era that was approved by the streets as well as the industry. Tracks like “Get Away” and “Hey Luv,” which featured Bad Boy R&B group 112 spearheaded the album to commercial success with a more “acceptable” sound, while tracks like “The Learning (Burn)” featuring Rapper Noyd and Vita is an example of their ability to show you that the Mobb is still “Infamous”.
Salute to Prodigy (RIP), Havoc, Noyd, and the rest of the Mobb who helped create this timeless piece of Hip Hop history!
On this date in 2001, the self-proclaimed “King Of The South,” rapper/actor T.I., released his first album entitled I’m Serious.
Produced by several behind the board legends including ATL’s DJ Toomp, Jazze Pha, Lil Jon, The Neptunes, and few others, with features from Pharrell, Bone Crusher, Too Short, Pastor Troy, and many other South and West icons still did not garner him the commercial success that he would eventually be recognized for his music as well as in the cinema.
With this being T.I.’s lowest-selling album, Arista Records made the heartbreaking move to cut him from the label after selling less than 300K copies. This was the obvious silver lining in the cloud because T.I has not only went on to become one of the top-selling Hip-Hop artists to date but has also made his mark on the silver screen starring along with the likes of Denzel Washington, Ruby Dee, and many others.
Regardless of what the critics have to say, salute to T.I. for offering up this underground Hip-Hop classic!
On possibly the world’s most tragic day in recent history (9/11), Hip Hop mogul Jay-Z released one of his best LPs, The Blueprint, on his own Roc-A-Fella Records imprint. The fall of the World Trade Center obviously overshadowed the release on that date, however, before the end of 2001, The Blueprint introduced Jay-Z as the head honcho of the game that we see today.
With a full-scale battle brewing between him and Queensbridge legend Nas, Jay utilized this spotlight to showcase his versatility, his ability to make mainstream hits as well as take on an MC or two that think he’s not qualified to sword fight on the mic. Even though it was polled in NYC by Hip-Hop radio station HOT 97 that Nas defeated Jigga on wax 58% to 42%, however, with Hov’s acquisition of the presidential position at Def Jam just a few years later, it sort of ended up being a draw with Nas as one of Jay’s artists.
Some of the memorable tracks from the album’s theme were “The Takeover”, the initial blow threw at Nas, the romanticized “Song Cry”, the sinfully soulful “Heart Of The City” and the epic “Renegade” track featuring Eminem.
Shout out to Jay and the entire staff at Roc-A-Fella for this timeless Hip-Hop classic!
