Jay-Z - The Black Album (2003) V0

The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which serves as a recurring theme,[1] although Jay-Z returned to solo recording with Kingdom Come in 2006.

The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 463,000 copies in its first week.[2] The Black Album has sold 3,516,000 original copies in the United States as of July 2013.[3] It produced three singles that attained Billboard chart success, including Hot 100 top-ten hits "Change Clothes" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder".

Upon its release, The Black Album received acclaim from music critics. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 47th Grammy Awards,[4] ultimately losing to Kanye West's The College Dropout.[5] The album was ranked #349 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[6]