''Blue Collar'' is the debut album by

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

winning songwriter, Rhymefest. It was released July 11, 2006 on

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

, and includes the single " Brand New," which features

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Track listing

Reception

Despite being a sleeper upon its release, the album was met with positive reviews. HipHopDX gave it 4 stars out of 5, while

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

ranked it as high as 8.0/10.

Samples

Dynomite (Going Postal) *"We Will Always Be Together" by The Whatnauts *"The Black Prince Has Arrived" by Jimmie Walker Brand New *"The Dap Dip" by

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the firs ...

*"Pick It Up, Lay It in the Cut" by

Fever *"Fever" by

La Lupe Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond (23 December 1936 – 29 February 1992), better known as La Lupe, was a Cuban singer of boleros, guarachas and Latin soul, known for her energetic, sometimes controversial performances. Following the release of he ...

All I Do *"Ain't That (Mellow Mellow)" by

Willie Hutch William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s. Biog ...

Get Down *Unknown Stick *"Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James All Girls Cheat *"Think of Your Thoughts As Children" by Phillipe Wynn *"Footsteps in the Dark" by

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

Devil's Pie *" Someday" by

The Strokes The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Mor ...

Sister *"Intimate Friends" by

Eddie Kendricks Edward James Kendrick (December 17, 1939 – October 5, 1992), better known as Eddie Kendricks, was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptation ...

Bullet *"Bullet and a Target" by Citizen Cope Tell A Story *"You Don't Have to Be Alone" by The New Birth Build Me Up *" Build Me Up Buttercup" by

The Foundations The Foundations were a British soul band (m. 1967–1970). The group's background was: West Indian, White British, and Sri Lankan. Their 1967 debut single " Baby Now That I've Found You" reached number one in the UK and Canada, and number e ...

Album singles

Album chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2006 debut albums Albums produced by Mark Ronson Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by Just Blaze Albums produced by No I.D. Albums produced by Emile Haynie J Records albums Allido Records albums