She like, "Why you don't buy me Reeboks no more?"

Today's album is another one of my rare forays into hip-hop. It's The Blueprint by Jay-Z which I was deemed worthy of only a couple years ago. See, there's a whole long story to this album that I'm not sure I have the energy to go into entirely. We'll begin at the beginning, though.

When my Josh and I lived in California, he shared a cabin with my friend Brett that was located just off my back door. It was great fun and led to much "borrowing" of beers at all hours of the night. Most days, however, I was heading off to work just as Josh was taking a shower. Now, he loves to rock out in the shower and he had a CD player just for that purpose. So many afternoons as I was walking to my car, I would hear Josh serenading the neighborhood with the dulcet tones of Mr. Z and his stories of hustlin'. Here's a little visual in case you're having trouble imagining the scene:

For a couple of years, all I heard of The Blueprint were the snippets of Josh's renditions I caught on the way to my car. Then a couple of years ago, The Grey Album was released, featuring The Beatles music I loved and the Jay-Z rhymes Josh adored. It was a, "Hey you got peanut butter in my chocolate!" moment if there ever was one.

After expressing some interest in hearing more Jay-Z, Josh decided my best next step would be The Blueprint. He gave me a copy and I've listened to it a few times since then. I can't say it's my favorite but I do bust it out when I want to feel like a pimp (which is more often than one might expect). Somehow, though, the album doesn't sound right if there isn't someone singing along in the shower.