Jay-Z
"The Blueprint 3"
September 8, 2009

While the first Blueprint album was released on a truly horrific day, it provided escapism for many at the time and remains arguably the greatest opus in Jay's catalog. The album introduced Kanye West and Just Blaze to the forefront of the production world, with soulful soundscapes to complement Jigga's timeless quotables. B3 went into production in 2008, and last spring, Jay announced the album during a Kanye West concert at Madison Square Garden. He also debuted a track from the album, "Jockin' Jay-Z." Kanye, the only producer who has been announced for the album, recently told MTV News that he and Jay had scrapped some earlier tracks recorded for the LP (ones including the Auto-Tune device West used extensively on his recent 808s and Heartbreak LP), and he also revealed that his new artist, singer Mr. Hudson, will make an ...

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Daughtry
"Leave This Town"
July 14, 2009

Daughtry's first album, simply titled, "Daughtry," became the fastest selling debut album by a rock band in the SoundScan era. It has sold more than four million copies in the U.S. and generated four top 20 pop singles. The album received four Grammy Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Rock Album. Daughtry says the title of the album, "Leave This Town," is related to the different paths people take when searching for something transcendent. "A lot of it is about how leaps of faith can set us free or tie us down," lead singer, Chris Daughtry, said. "How we often find heartache when we run from something and redemption when we run toward something." The press release announcing "Leave This Town" indicated it will include arena rockers, ballads, emotional mid-tempo songs, and even some country influence. Daughtry introduced "No Surprise ...

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