Breaking Atoms: The Hip Hop Podcast

Breaking Atoms: The Hip Hop Podcast


Ep. 3: Never Change | The Ruler's Back: The Making of The Blueprint by Jay-Z

September 09, 2021

In this third episode, we’ll break down the second half of The Blueprint album, dive even deeper into the creative process and explore the relationships among some of the album’s key contributors. Guest appearances by Carl Lamarre, Jesse Bernard, Young Guru, Pain In Da Ass, Miki Hellerbach, Jayson Buford, Nuface, Shawn Setaro, Big Hass, Akaash Sharma, Just Blaze, Bink, Yemi Abiade, Nicolas Tyrell-Scott, Andrew Barber and Tony Dawsey   1:30 - Carl Lamarre on Kanye West making the beat for Heart of the City with DMX in mind 2:11 - Jesse Bernard on why Heart of the City is a crucial song for Jay-Z 3:08 - Young Guru on Jay-Z recording Heart of the City in one take 4:16 - Pain In Da Ass on Heart of the City being a sequel of sorts to Can’t Knock The Hustle 4:54 - Miki Hellerbach on his favourite punchline from Heart of the City 5:58 - Jayson Buford on why Never Change is one of Jay-Z’s best songs 6:50 - Nuface on Never Change having gems that he can use in everyday life 8:23 - Shawn Setaro on The Blueprint’s sequencing and Song Cry’s introspection 9:09 - Big Hass on how Song Cry showed him another side of masculine vulnerability in Rap 9:54 - Akaash Sharma on Just Blaze chopping up the Bobby Glenn sample used for Song Cry 10:45 - Just Blaze on Song Cry being the track that took him from Beatmaker to Producer 13:33 - Carl Lamarre on how Song Cry caused him to reflect on his past relationships 15:39 - Bink on producing All I Need and how it ended up on The Blueprint 16:26 - Bink on the production process for All I Need and how simple the beat is 17:50 - Yemi Abiade on Renegade being a monumental moment between Jay-Z and Eminem 18:50 - Nuface on the original version of Renegade with Eminem and Royce Da 5’9” 19:40 - Nicolas Tyrell-Scott on the authentic point of view shared by Jay-Z on Renegade 20:47 - Bink on producing Momma Loves Me and why it’s such a fitting closing track 21:34 - Miki Hellerbach on the sense of innocence displayed on the last song on the album 22:48 - Young Guru on the early album tracklist and the addition of the bonus tracks 23:55 - Just Blaze on producing the beat for Breathe Easy on his ASR-X Pro 28:01 - Andrew Barber on the rumour of Michael Jackson on Girls, Girls, Girls Part 2 28:32 - Just Blaze on finding the original recordings of Michael Jackson’s vocals 29:42 - Young Guru on the legacy of his Assistant Engineer, Kamel Abdo 32:21 - Tony Dawsey on mastering The Blueprint based on a recommendation from DMX 32:52 - Tony Dawsey on Young Guru and Lenny S being present during mastering sessions 33:37 - Tony Dawsey on his close relationship with Young Guru 34:11 - Tony Dawsey on what is needed for an album to have top quality sound   Follow Sumit