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Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3

Stephen Dalton, The Times, September 2009

IN 2001, SHAWN "Jay-Z" Carter released The Blueprint, a critical and commercial smash which set a standard the Brooklyn-born rap mogul has struggled to match ever since. In the intervening years he has announced his retirement, come back bigger than ever, served as President of Def Jam records, married Beyonce, formed a mutual fan club with Barack Obama, and turned Noel Gallagher into a national joke by triumphantly headlining Glastonbury. Does he have anything left to prove?

Total word count of piece: 460

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