The Black Album is the eighth studio album by Jay-Z, released on November 14, 2003, by Roc-A-Fella Records. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2006. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others.

When The Black Album was released, it received widespread acclaim from critics. In its first week the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and subsequently became Jay-Z’s top selling record of the 2000s decade. The Black Album was promoted with a retirement tour by Jay-Z and three singles that also achieved Billboard chart success, including the top-ten hits “Change Clothes” and “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”.

In 2005, The Black Album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, losing to Kanye West’s The College Dropout at the 47th Grammy Awards. It is ranked number 349 in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.