Happy 15th Anniversary to Blueprint’s third studio album 1988, originally released March 29, 2005.
It’s an enduring belief that 1988 represents hip-hop’s finest vintage. I’ve expended many, many words on this site paying tribute to a multitude of great albums that populated rap music’s landscape over three decades ago. It’s accepted as fact that the music released in 1988 set the standard of what hip-hop was supposed to be, in terms of lyrical ability, subject matter, and beat-making.
Albert “Blueprint” Shepard decided to pay homage to this era with 1988, released 15 years ago. This album is one of the best pieces in what’s become an expansive catalogue. Blueprint had been one of the central architects of the Columbus, Ohio hip-hop scene, rapping, producing, and organizing open mic nights and shows. He had been part of the Greenhouse Effect collective, a group of artists who had recorded a number of albums and compilations through Print’s Weightless imprint.
Blueprint also extensively collaborated with other artists from the region, forming Soul Position with producer and fellow Columbus native RJD2. He also formed tight bonds with Slug of Atmosphere and Eyedea, both Minneapolis legends, joining them, longtime Columbus cohort Illogic, and Aesop Rock to form the short-lived Orphanage group. After releasing a solo EP and an instrumental release through Weightless, Blueprint linked up with Rhymesayers Entertainment (Atmosphere’s label) to release 1988, his first full-length vocal album.
Blueprint pulls double duty here, handling almost all of the duties behind the mic and the boards. His admiration for music released during 1988 is clear, and he manages to honor that period’s music, drawing influence from its distinctive sound, using “some old dirty drum-break shit” and soulful loops, without making the endeavor sound like clever mimicry. DJ Rare Groove works the two turntables throughout 1988, adding to its vintage feel.
The brief “Anything Is Possible” starts things strong, with Blueprint speaking about his motivation to achieve his dreams while Run-DMC’s “Sucker MCs” drums pound away. He raps eloquently about his drive to succeed and make his family proud, while ignoring the negative influences. “The Barry Bonds of any song you hear me on,” he states. “Haters want to give directions, but they can’t steer me wrong.”
Like any dope emcee in the late ’80s worth his salt, Blueprint is also eager to demonstrate that he can throw down lyrically. The album’s title track centers on him serving wack emcees, but not just on the basis of their lack of rhyme skills, but also their ignorance of hip-hop history. “And I hope to God you’re a scholar,” he states. “’Cause before I test your rhymes Imma a test your knowledge.” In general, it’s one of Blueprint’s best rhyme displays on the album, as he threatens to wrap his “hands around your throat like a dog collar over some small shit like $50” and then warns successful artists to remain grounded and not let success go to their head. The beat is also one of the album’s best, as he samples eerie, slightly sped-up pianos from Bo Hansson’s “Attic Thoughts.”
Blueprint devotes some energy to venting his frustrations on 1988, particularly at the state of mainstream hip-hop and his efforts to earn himself some shine. The heated “Trouble On My Mind” purposely evokes the sonic blasts of groups like Public Enemy, as he describes his often-fruitless grind and rails against the music industry as it was constructed in the mid-’00s. “Another good album with bad distribution,” he laments. “Another 100 magazines my music’s not reviewed in / By the time the fans impressed, realize I’m the best doing it I’ll be making shitty music!”
“Boombox” is the album’s best entry, a hard-as-nails dedication to the power of Blueprint’s ghetto blaster. As the owner of a couple of boom boxes in my life, I can say it hits me in the feels. The song’s power starts with the beat, an ominous, pulsing, dirge-like track bolstered with blistering guitars and foreboding pianos. Print then describes the power of his massive portable dual-cassette ghetto blaster in intricate detail, “Black with the silver grill, shining, looking clean,” from the missing pause button to a busted deck door to the Polaroids that adorn it. Print then relishes in the thrill of victory as he vanquishes his opponents in impromptu soundclashes, rapping, “My pulse meter pulsates when I play my jams / My equalizer got 32 bands / This cat try to battle, he didn't know me / I drowned him out with my tapes on Dolby.”
“Fresh” also perfectly captures the stripped-down late 1980s aesthetic. Here Print rhymes over complex beat box runs and an occasional guitar sample, scolding unoriginal emcees for their lack of creativity. He mocks them for not battling until they watched 8 Mile, and for fronting like they’re tough or complex. “A bunch of powderpuffs rhyming with aggression,” he raps. “Forgot to follow the steps of natural progression / I almost think you sat in on my sessions / You came to class on time but you didn't study my lessons.” Furious scratches by DJ Rare Groove further seal the track’s flyness.
Blueprint also brings his straightforward sense of humor to 1988. He shows flashes of wit throughout the album, but really unleashes on “Big Girls Need Love Too.” The title is a bit of a misnomer, since it concerns Print’s love for both morbidly obese and absolutely emaciated women. The lyrics are a bit off-color, but there’s no malice behind them, and it’s all in good fun. The song would fit in well on an album by Slick Rick or Biz Markie.
Print channels his Slick Rick swag again on “Where’s Your Girlfriend At?” a boast-filled romp where he frames himself as the “baddest motherfucker with a pad and pen,” ready to rip it on stage and then leave the venue with your girl. “I’m not a gentleman, I just dress like one,” he crows. “Foghorn Leghorn coming after your hen.”
1988 occasionally turns deadly serious on tracks like “Inner-City-Native-Son.” Blueprint tells the story of a 13-year-old, hardened by life on the streets, raising hell in the neighborhood while his single mother works to support him. Print crafts a story that conveys what the absence of educational prospects, strong role models, and a moral code can have on the community, as the nameless protagonist finds himself getting involved in illegal activities out of desperation and boredom.
Later, on “Kill Me First,” Blueprint teams up with Cincinnati-based emcee CJ The Cynic in a joint screed against police brutality. Blueprint conveys his disdain for crooked cops, inspired by the lives of Black men that have been snuffed out prematurely. “You know its chaos even if you don't hear it,” he raps. “’Cause the air smells like gun smoke and teen spirit / Whatever is going down I want to be near it / When a thousand stand as one, you start to feel fearless.”
Blueprint gets deeply introspective about his career on “Liberated,” another of the album’s clear highlights, rhyming on a slow, almost trance-like groove. He delves deep here, contemplating the role of hip-hop in his life and its effect on his self-esteem. He contrasts the value he places on his music career with others who don’t take it as seriously. He raps, “It doesn't mean as much to them as it means to you / They only do it cause it's the cool thing to do / But they don't understand the things you do / They don't understand what it means to you to see your dreams come true.”
Print further digs into the dynamics of the Greenhouse Effect crew, and considering whether the crew “should write more songs, or leave well enough alone and let bygones be bygones.” The pain and frustration that he conveys as he vents about how relationships can sabotage the pursuit of a profession in rap is tangible, feeling as raw as an open wound.
Blueprint has gone on to have a pretty interesting run. He recorded a pair of EPs paying tribute to the music of early Funkadelic and The Who. During the 2020s, he began expanding his production palette, incorporating lots of live instrumentation and vocalization, along with sampling. He’s written numerous books, mostly accounts of his life as blue-collar rapper. He’s talked openly about his issues with alcohol and his continuing sobriety.
These days, while not recording projects, he’s a little over 200 episodes deep in his Super Duty Tough Work podcast that he operates with Illogic. Besides thoughts on music, they spend a lot of time discussing various self-improvement and motivation strategies.
Though Blueprint has continued to demonstrate his versatility as an artist over the past decade and a half, I still find myself returning to 1988 the most. Partly it’s because of my love of the era that he’s paying homage to, and partly it’s because of Blueprint’s perfect execution of the concept. I always have major respect for any artist who honors his influences by making a great album, and Blueprint’s reverence very much pays dividends here.
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