The Black Album (Jay-Z album)

The Black Album
Studio album by Jay-Z
Released	November 14, 2003
Recorded	July – October 2003
Studio	Baseline (New York) Hit Factory Criteria (Miami) The Mansion (Los Angeles) 54 Sound (Ferndale, Michigan)
Genre	East Coast hip hop
Length	55:32
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Producer	Shawn Carter (also exec.) Damon Dash (exec.) Kareem "Biggs" Burke (exec.) 3H 9th Wonder Aqua The Buchanans Eminem DJ Quik Just Blaze Kanye West Luis Resto The Neptunes Rick Rubin Timbaland
Jay-Z chronology
Blueprint 2.1 (2003) The Black Album (2003) Unfinished Business (2004)
Singles from The Black Album
"Change Clothes" Released: November 4, 2003 "Dirt off Your Shoulder" Released: March 2, 2004 "99 Problems" Released: April 27, 2004

The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs,^[1] although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.

The Black Album was promoted with a retirement tour by Jay-Z. It was also supported by three singles: "99 Problems", also the Billboard top-ten hits "Change Clothes" and "Dirt off Your Shoulder". The album received widespread acclaim from music critics and was a massive commercial success. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 463,000 copies in its first week. It became Jay-Z's top selling record of the 2000s decade, and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2023. The songs "Encore", "Dirt off Your Shoulder", and "99 Problems" are all on the mashup EP, Collision Course with Linkin Park. In 2004, American musician Danger Mouse released The Grey Album, a mashup/remix album which features the vocals of The Black Album and the instrumental of The Beatles' self-titled album, colloquially known as the "White Album", in which it became controversial at the album's release.