Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint is officially etched in American history.
The National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress has decided to include Hova’s classic 2001 album to its list of legendary albums.
The new class also includes Dave’s 1967 single “Soul Man,” Nina Simone’s 1964 single “Mississippi Gaddam,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 single “September,” Speech on the Death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Robert F. Kennedy, and more.
In a press release the Librarian of Congress gave the following statement:
“The National Recording Registry honors the music that enriches our souls, the voices that tell our stories and the sounds that mirror our lives. The influence of recorded sound over its nearly 160-year history has been profound and technology has increased its reach and significance exponentially. The Library of Congress and its many collaborators are working to preserve these sounds and moments in time, which reflect our past, present and future.”
The National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 allows for 25 titles that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” and 10-years-old or over to be picked.
Below is the Top 25 list:
Yiddish Cylinders from the Standard Phonograph Company of New York and the Thomas Lambert Company (c. 1901-1905)
“Memphis Blues” (single), Victor Military Band (1914)
Melville Jacobs Collection of Native Americans of the American Northwest (1929-1939)
“Minnie the Moocher” (single), Cab Calloway (1931)
Bach Six Cello Suites (album), Pablo Casals (c. 1939)
“They Look Like Men of War” (single), Deep River Boys (1941)
Gunsmoke — Episode: “The Cabin” (Dec. 27, 1952)
Ruth Draper: Complete recorded monologues, Ruth Draper (1954-1956)
“La Bamba” (single), Ritchie Valens (1958)
“Long Black Veil” (single), Lefty Frizzell (1959)
Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Vol. 1: The Early Years (album), Stan Freberg (1961)
GO (album), Dexter Gordon (1962)
War Requiem (album), Benjamin Britten (1963)
“Mississippi Goddam” (single), Nina Simone (1964)
“Soul Man” (single), Sam & Dave (1967)
Hair (original Broadway cast recording) (1968)
Speech on the Death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy (April 4, 1968)
“Sweet Caroline” (single), Neil Diamond (1969)
Superfly (album), Curtis Mayfield (1972)
Ola Belle Reed (album), Ola Belle Reed (1973)
“September” (single), Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)
“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” (single), Sylvester (1978)
She’s So Unusual (album), Cyndi Lauper (1983)
Schoolhouse Rock!: The Box Set (1996)
The Blueprint (album), Jay-Z (2001)