Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint’ Earns Induction Into The National Recording Registry

(AllHipHop News) Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter just added another impressive achievement to his list of career accomplishments. The Hip Hop G.O.A.T. contender’s 2001 album, The Blueprint, is among the latest 25 selections for the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

Jay’s classic LP is joined by Curtis Mayfield’s Super Fly, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual, and The Best of Schoolhouse Rock. Singles by acts such as Cab Calloway, Nina Simone, Earth, Wind & Fire, Ritchie Valens, and Neil Diamond were also chosen for preservation.

“The National Recording Registry honors the music that enriches our souls, the voices that tell our stories and the sounds that mirror our lives” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “The influence of recorded sound over its nearly 160-year history has been profound and technology has increased its reach and significance exponentially. The Library of Congress and its many collaborators are working to preserve these sounds and moments in time, which reflect our past, present and future.”

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The Blueprint is certified 3-times platinum by the RIAA. It is often cited as a rap masterpiece. Three of Jay’s record-setting 77 Grammy Award nominations were for The Blueprint, including a nod for Best Rap Album in 2002.

Only seven other rap recordings have earned recognition by the National Recording Preservation Board. Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message,” Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama,” N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton, and Run-DMC’s Raising Hell are in the Registry as well.