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He knew how to manipulate samples to do whatever he wanted them to do. But Just Blaze’s contributions to the project showed where the game was going.
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Rick Rock provided the tinny, synth-driven production like “Change The Game” and would-be lead single “Parking Lot Pimpin.” The bouncy tracks were tailor-made to fit in any club or radio rotation at the moment. The album is like a sequential glimpse of rap’s turn-of-the-millennium transition. The track is a freestyle essential to this day, and is regarded by many as the best intro ever. Blaze soon became legendary for anthemic, larger-than-life production, and “Intro” was the setoff. Jay gave a glimpse of his mindset back then, reflecting on his “keen senses ever since I was a teen on the benches / Every time somebody like Ennis (Cosby) was mentioned.” Then upstart-New Jersey producer Just Blaze’s towering sample of Kleeer’s “She Said She Loves Me” sets an immediate intrigue for the project. The media coverage around the incident served to show him that no matter how far he had come economically, a segment of white America still viewed him as a mere drug dealer from Marcy. Jay was on top of the world, but he was also in legal hot water after a stabbing incident in December 1999 which had him facing 15 years. His work on The Dynasty “Intro ” immerses listeners into the project like few album starters have ever done. But they put Jay-Z’s name on it to attract more fans. Roc-A-Fella co-founder Dame Dash has recalled that the project was initially set to be a compilation to showcase the team’s roster. The team made him the helm of a State Property collective that also contained Philly artists Freeway, Oschino, and Omlio Sparks (the Young Gunz Neef Bucks and Young Chris came a bit later). In 1999 they signed Beanie Sigel, who had been making waves in Philly rhyming with The Roots and dropping memorable freestyles. Da Ranjahz also left the label before they made much of a mark. Jay’s mentor Jaz-O didn’t sign with the label and eventually fell out with them. Jay’s close collaborator Sauce Money chose to sign with Priority. The Roc-A-Fella roster that appeared on The Dynasty: Roc La Familia was an overhaul of the crew that was around for Jay’s Reasonable Doubt debut. But thanks to the efforts of Beans, Bleek, Freeway, and then unheralded producers Bink, Rick Rock, The Neptunes, and Just Blaze, the Roc-A-Fella crew set a strong precedent for their historical run over the next several years. The project was more equivalent to the first playoff run than a dynastic victory lap. Beanie Sigel’s February 2000 The Truth album had made an impact in the streets, but neither he nor the State Property crew was household names yet. Jay’s longtime protege Memphis Bleek hadn’t yet ascended as the heir to the throne he was marketed as. In true rap form, the title of the project was a bit of embellishment that became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Enter The Dynasty Album: Roc La Familia, an album that turned 20 years old on Saturday.
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The next thing for the Brooklynite to do was to use his hard-earned star power to entrench his Roc-A-Fella signees. He and his Roc cofounders Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke were out to be moguls. He was undeniably on the top-tier of mainstream rap.īut being the biggest rapper in the world wasn’t Jay’s only goal. He was one of the biggest reasons for Def Jam’s commercial resurgence, and the label’s legendary 1999 tour was named after his “Hard Knock Life” hit. Carter projects sold five and three million copies respectively. The Brooklyn rhymer had long been respected in the streets, but his Vol. Jay-Z had climbed to the top of the commercial mountain by 2000.