On this day in music history: November 14, 2003 - âThe Black Albumâ, the eighth studio album by Jay-Z is released. Produced by Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Timbaland, 9th Wonder, Eminem, Rick Rubin, The Buchanans, DJ Quik, Luis Resto, Aqua  and Joseph Weinberger, it is recorded at Baseline Studios, Battery Studios, Right Track Recording Studios, Manhattan Center Studios, The Hit Factory in New York City, The Hit Factory/Criteria Studios in Miami, FL, 54 Sound in Detroit, MI, The Mansion, The Record Plant and Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research in Los Angeles, CA from Early - Mid 2003. With seven Platinum or multi-Platinum selling albums under his belt by the early 2000âs, Jay-Z publicly announces that he is âretiringâ from recording. The rap star cites a lack of competitive spirit among his other rap contemporaries as one of the reasons for wanting to retire. He collaborates with a number of top Hip Hop producers including The Neptunes, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Timbaland, DJ Quik, and Rick Rubin. The final result is lauded as one of Jay-Zâs strongest efforts. The album is launched with a concert at Madison Square Garden, and is filmed for âFade To Blackâ, a 2004 film documenting that âfinal performanceâ as well as showing behind the scenes footage on the making of âThe Black Albumâ. It spins off three singles including âDirt Off Your Shoulderâ (#5 Pop, #3 R&B, #2 Rap), âChange Clothesâ (#10 Pop, #6 R&B, #4 Rap), and â99 Problemsâ (#30 Pop, #26 R&B, #10 Rap). To encourage DJâs to do their own remixes and mash ups, Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam releases a double vinyl promo LP featuring Jay-Zâs acapella vocals. Producer Danger Mouse creates an alternate version titled âThe Grey Albumâ, mixing Jay-Zâs vocals with samples from The Beatles âWhite Albumâ. The underground bootleg release is an instant sensation, also inspiring a lawsuit from EMI Records in spite of the surviving Beatles and their families and Jay-Z giving it their approval. Jay-Zâs âretirementâ proves to be short lived, as he collaborates with the rock band Linkin Park and releasing a second album with R&B star R. Kelly in 2004. The album is nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2005, winning one for Best Rap Solo Performance for â99 Problemsâ. âThe Black Albumâ spends two weeks (non-consecutive) at number one on the Billboard Top 200, three weeks at number one on the R&B album chart, and is certified 3x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
