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Blueprint March 20, 2019
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GOAT moves: Jay-Z’s ‘Blueprint’ makes it into the Library of Congress

Jay-Z’s Blueprint is now a part of the Library of Congress, the National Recording Registry announced today.

Every year, the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board selects 25 titles to be added to the slate for their cultural and aesthetic significance. This can include everything from speeches and Broadway albums to radio programs and historical documents.

With Blueprint officially archived, that means tracks such as “Jigga That N****”, “Girls Girls Girls”, and “Take Over” now grace one of Washington’s most prestigious institutions, joining the like’s of  Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Radiohead’s OK Computer. 

Truly a feat for hip-hop.

Before this honor, the 49-year-old Brooklyn rapper’s sixth studio album was already highly esteemed and solidified as a classic in rap history.

Released on Sept. 11, 2001, Blueprint sold over two million units, went double platinum and single-handedly birthed Kanye in the process.

Many considered BP album of the year in 2001 and although it didn’t win a Grammy, clearly, with this recognition, has managed to maintain a cultural impact that’s been unmatched.

With the mantra of “reflect our past, present, and future”, the National Recording Registry also added Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly, Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual, Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” to its 2019 archive as well as a host of others.

In addition, The Registry is also preserving Robert F. Kennedy’s speech following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968, two months before Kennedy was killed.

“The National Recording Registry honors the music that enriches our souls, the voices that tell our stories and the sounds that mirror our lives,” Librarian of Congress’ Carla Hayden said.

“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.”

Some say the only way to achieve greatness is through longevity, and if that’s the case, it’s hard not moving Jay to GOAT status. He’s twenty-plus Grammy’s in; he’s the first rapper ever in the Songwriters Hall of Fame; now he’s archived in the Library of Congress.

Being that he just released an album two years ago there’s no telling when and if he’s ever going to slow down. He’s re-writing what it means to be a rapper, changing the narrative of it being a young man’s game and showing how to mature and grow yourself into a brand.

From prison reform to sports agencies and tech investments, Jay-Z has already done revolutionary work in rap, this honor only solidifies that.

Last year Run-D.M.C.’s Raising Hell, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, and Chic’s “Le Freak, also received the honor.

The 25 new recordings added to the National Recording Registry bring the total number of titles on the registry to 525. You can check them all out here.