I don’t know if you remember, but Jay Z’s The Black Album was released in November of 2003, nearly the exact birthdate of Treble.

“Good-bye to the game, all the spoils, the adrenaline rush…” In other words, Happy (Online Version) Anniversary. There is one in particular that I have found truly encapsulates our time together, from our shaky beginnings to our difficult separation and even beyond. However, I have been given the chance to finally go back and spend some time with some old favorites. I have never felt more out of the loop than I have the last two years. Lately, I’ve just been a spectator on the sidelines, watching as others give you their attention. At any given time I was writing something for you. I now teach high school English and History, which has been great, but I’ve missed our time together. You see, I’ve been teaching young people. I’ve been a little busy I hope you understand.

It’s been a little while since I’ve written. And as the wind carry these seeds throughout the land, a new life will begin for each one of them as they stand for a monument to the one that came before.”

One day he too will pass on his legacy, through the seeds that drop to the ground. Take the analogy of a tree that grows in Brooklyn, among the steel and concrete with all of its glorious branches and leaves. It is an inevitable part of the cycle of existence. “And the other night when I was, researching, what we were going to be discussing today, I came across a passage that, I think it really exemplifies what the young brother next to me was talking about, and that all things must come to an end. We’ll be posting a new reflection on a significant album from the past 10 years every day for the next few weeks. These are albums that left a significant impact not just on us, but also music on a greater scale (but mostly on us). Treble is celebrating its 10-year anniversary by posting a series of articles that reflect the last 10 years of music, including a series of Hall-of-Fame essays on significant albums released between 20.

Jay z the black album album