Say what you will about Jay-Z, but there's no denying how he has impacted not just hip-hop, but music in general. The billionaire emcee (among other titles) is credited for having help inspire generations of emcees after him, just like he was inspired by emcees such as Big Daddy Kane and mentor Jaz-O. While he amassed many controversies over the span of his career, whenever there's talk of a Jay-Z album on the horizon, people immediately stand up and take notice. He's among the highest selling artists in hip-hop history as well, with over thirty million albums worldwide to this very day, as well as numerous awards such as Grammies, AMAs, BET, and Billboard. The native Marcy, Brooklynite is looked upon by many as a legend and possibly even an icon to younger emcees that know about the same type of rough living he spoke about constantly on wax. With that being said, let's rank his discography and see why many contemporaries put him among the top emcees of all-time. Let's go folks!
15. Magna Carta Holy Grail
Production: Boi-1nda, Pharrell Williams, Hit-Boy, Mike Dean, Timbaland, No I.D., Vinylz, Mike WILL Made It, others
Guests: Justin Timberlake, Rick Ross, Frank Ocean, Beyonce
We start with the least regarded album of Jay-Z's discography. Released for Samsung users at first, the project would eventually made its way to retail, and it was a mixed reaction at best. Sounding somewhat uninspired and unfocused, Hov pretty much spitting like he had paid the mortgage off so there was no need for urgency. Production as a whole was in consistent and uneven. While a few cuts on here are dope from a production standpoint such as "Jay Z Blue" or "Oceans", others such as "Crown", "Picasso Baby", and "Beach is Better" are decent to average at best. There are some cleverly written cuts on here such as the aforementioned "Oceans", as well as "Nickles and Dines" and "Heaven", but for the most part, Magna Carta Holy Grail is a flat effort by an artist who's anything but, historically. This album just sounded like a hobby instead of an album aimed on continuing his legacy. The few glimpses of promise were quickly and overwhelmingly overtaken by lackluster production, underwhelming delivery, and basically an album that appeared as a vanity project for Samsung customers than another example of the iconic status so many have placed him in. While some have stated that Kingdom Come or Blueprint 3 were arguably his worst albums, this album had almost no hope out the water, and is easily the worst album of his nearly thirty-year career.
14. The Blueprint 3
Production: Kanye West, No I.D., Pharrell Williams, others
Guests: Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, J. Cole, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Swizz Beats, others
Following up the excellent American Gangster, Jay dropped the third edition of The Blueprint, The Blueprint 3 in 2009. This was an album in which 50% of the album was blasted on commercial radio and/or mis shows. The album produced six singles from this thirteen-track album. The world was more than familiar with cuts including the Grammy nominated due with Alicia Keys, the monstrous "Empire State of Mind", the Swizz Beats-assisted & produced, "On to The Next One", the Grammy Award-winning collab with Rihanna and Kanye, "Run This Town", "Death of Auto-Tune", and the mix show favorite, the J. Cole-assisted, "A Star Is Born". While there's no denying the mega appeal of these singles, they're also mostly generic for what they're worth. At this point in the game, Jay wasn't trying to move any needle creatively or thematically. Other cuts on the album such as the Drake-assisted "Off That", the opening cut, "What We Talkin' Bout", and the Jeezy-assisted, "Real as It Gets" are average lyrically and production-wise, but at least they're good for the party and the whip. Jay designed The Blueprint 3 almost like he did his Roc La Familia album, in which he only does three cuts by himself with no guests. In any event, Jay was riding his mega successful stardom to nothing to write home about, except that the album had multiple hits and, by all accounts, is among his most rotated albums by Hov loyalists. However, there's nothing here that screams game changer. While not a terrible album, it's not among his finest moments either.
13. The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse
Production: Kanye West, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, No I.D., The Neptunes, Timbaland, Heavy D, Digga
Guests: Dr. Dre, Truth Hurts, Rakim, State Property, Scarface, M.O.P., Lenny Kravitz, Faith Evans, Twista, Killer Mike, Big Boi, Beyonce, others
After the overwhelming critical and commercial success of his first Blueprint, Jay decided to provide a sequel in the form of Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse in 2002. While the Blueprint was the most definitive statement about his career at that time that he could provide, BP2 was more of a means of a self-imposed victory lap. Knowing that he was among the rotated artists in not just hip-hop but music at large, everything was catered to fit the build of being the biggest hip-hop act in music. Don't get it twisted: there were definitely fire starters on this double album. He divides this album just like he states in the title of his album: a gift side and a curse side. The "gift" side has him obviously celebrating his legendary stature in all its lavish with cuts like the all too familiar "Excuse Me Miss", the Big Boi/Twista/Killer Mike-assisted "Poppin' Tags", the truthfully very underwhelming opener with Faith Evans (that incorporates Biggie's first verse from "Juicy"). Where he shines the most is when he actually spits and rhymes like he still has something to prove and having production match it. On this side, the sequel to Dr. Dre's "The Watcher" from his 2001 album may be the best example. Alongside Dre and then Aftermath artists Truth Hurts and the almighty Rakim himself, Hov sounded like '99 Hov during his In My Lifetime era. We see more consistency in the curse side, as cuts like the Lenny Kravitz-assisted "Gunz N Roses", the remix to crazy Just Blaze-crafted cut from Blueprint "You Don't Know" (featuring those Brownsville bullies M.O.P. on here), the vivid "Meet the Parents", and the introspective collab with Beanie Sigel and southern rap god, Scarface, "Somehow, Someway". We get more Streets Is Watching Hov than Lifetime Vol. 1 Hov with this disc. He stirs the pot a little more in his issues with Nas and former mentor, Jaz-O, on the title track, but pours out a little liquor on the Neptunes-created "Ballad for the Fallen Soldier". As a single disc, this would've been higher up on this list, but the overabundance of cuts and the inconsistency of this double album makes this too in and out of an effort. While BP2 has its fair share of great notables, it has almost as many hangups and fumbles.
12. Kingdom Come
Production: Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Swizz Beats, DJ Khalyl, others
Guests: Chrisette Michele, John legend, Beyonce, Usher, Pharrell, Ne-Yo, others
After delivering his tremendous "retirement" album, The Black Album, in '03. and a couple of other side projects (his collab albums with R. Kelly and Linken Park), Jay reemerged with his ninth album, Kingdom Come. Aiming to deliver a more grown appeal than albums prior, he has more introspective joints here in some cases, but as a whole, it just sounded like a regular, average Jay-Z album. The biggest difference here is the inclusion of the mighty D-R-E on four cuts, including the second single with Chrisette Michele, "Lost Ones", which highlights his splits from former Roc-A-Fella partner, Dame Dash, his breakup with Rosario Dawson, and the death of his nephew in one of the very few highlights and notables on this album. The first single, "Show Me What U Got" was a very bland cut for Hov standards, but other cuts like "30 Something", the Just Blaze-ripped title track, and another Dre-blessed track, "Trouble". Perhaps the lone standout of the album is the Ne-Yo-assisted, "Minority Report", in which Jay goes fully into socially conscious mode and how his position within hip-hop is needed, but also addresses the troubles he and others in his position face. Truly one of the most compelling cuts he's penned within his career. If only we had more of these moments, or similar. Other cuts such as the Beyonce-featured, "Hollywood", "Do You Wanna Ride", "Dig A Hole", and the Chris Martin of Coldplay-assisted "Beach Chair" are near dreadful and belong on the lower tier of album cuts post-Black Album. In interviews, Jay stated this was his worst album, or at least his least favorite. Either could be a decent argument. While this wasn't the worst album he's done, this wasn't far from it clearly. Uninspired, average, and run-of-the-mill, Kingdom Come was another commercially successful Hov album, but critically, this was overall a snore and nothing to write Brooklyn about.
11. Watch The Throne (w/ Kanye West)
Production: Kanye West, Mike Dean, 88-Keyz, RZA, Q-Tip, Hit-Boy, The Neptunes, others
Guests: Frank Ocean, Beyonce, The-Dream, Mr. Hudson
After signing to the Roc in '03, Kanye West was quickly becoming the next big star within the Roc la Familia just based upon his outstanding production talents. When he picked that mic up, he showed he wasn't bad in that department either, thus '04's stellar debut, The College Dropout. He was till, however, manning the boards from his fellow Roc-mates such as Cam'ron, Beans, Freeway, Young Gunz, and of course "big brother" Jay-Z. throughout the thousands, Kanye would be a megastar and Hov was starting to be more of the elder emcee on the sidelines watching his craft continue to influence the world. They decided to come together in 2011 to do a joint album and called the album, Watch The Throne. Fresh off his exceptional My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album the prior year, Kanye provided some of his best board work here likewise. The two of them showed surprisingly good chemistry together on several tracks including the outstanding "Try A Little Tenderness" sample, "Otis" (the irony, right?), "Murder to Excellence", and "Welcome to The Jungle". On the exquisite, RZA-crafted, Nina Simone-sampled, "New Day", both emcees speak to the sprits of their unborn sons at the time in such poignant manners that this may be the most transparent we hear from them all album. Meanwhile, on the cut, "Made in America", with the ever-allusive Frank Ocean on the chorus, while Kanye's verse is more so about living out your dreams and making it in spite of haters, Jay's was very gripping, provoking images of being around crack cocaine but leery of having it around his grandmother in what's easily the most telling verse from him this entire album. While there are some misses such as the otherwise acclaimed "Niggas in Paris" and the slightly underwhelming opener, "No Church in the Wild", Watch The Throne was a dope project. Although it was not the classic everyone was expecting (and rightfully so) the chemistry between Hov and Ye was evident here on this album. EPMD, Mobb Deep, and Outkast they're not, but for this project, they did just fine.
10. Everything Is Love (w/ Beyonce)
Production: artist, Mike Dean, Cool & Dre, Boi-1nda, Vinylz, !llmind, others
Guests: N/A
Arguably the most notable power couple in all of music is The Carters, Jay & Beyonce. Beyonce is one of the most captivating and successful entertainers of all-time, and Jay is among the highest selling and influential emcees of all-time. Both extremely powerful and influential behind the scenes and as businesspeople. It's only right these two did a husband-and-wife effort at some point. After appearing on numerous projects from the other, the couple deiced to surprise fans around the world in 2018 with their joint album, EVERYTHING IS LOVE. Ironically, the album dropped the very same weekend Nas dropped his greatly underwhelming, Nasir, project with Kanye. nonetheless, the album was basically everything you'd imagine a joint album between them to look and sound like. themes on the album were mostly about love, its highs, lows, and complications, fame, stardom, and haters. You might get the occasional socially conscious or Black empowerment cut on here too. Cuts like "Nice", "Heard About Us", and the opener, "Summer" reflect these themes very accurately. On the trap-heavy single, "Apeshit", we hear The Carters (along with vocals by then-Migos members, Quavo and Offset) flaunting their statuses and shine gratuitously, and similarly on "Boss", they make it known they're in control of this game. It's their world and we all live in it. However, they bring it to the community with "Black Effect", in perhaps the sole cut with any slight bit of substance on here that's consistent. the production is fairly dope as a whole, the likes of Cool & Dre, Boi-1nda, and !llmind provide a formidable soundscape for them to handle their respective business over, especially on cuts like "Black Effect", "Friends", and the solidarity cut "Lovehappy". This is clearly mor a Beyonce album, more than an album they both equally dominate. It could very well have been designed that way. However, in any case, The Carters delivered a sonically pleasing effort with EVERYTHING IS LOVE. Bey's vocal talents, when she's totally tuned in and not trying to be ratchet or anything but Bey, is fantastic, and Jay, for what he contributes, is sharp and poised lyrically. Much like Watch The Throne, this was expected to be an immediate classic and completely overtake the music world. Although it wasn't of that stature, it was a good listen and, while it further solidified their image of being THAT power couple and being able to enjoy the finer things in life materially speaking, they also showed why, in music, they're among the most commercially successful artists of their crafts ever as well.
9. Vol. 3: The Life & Times of S. Carter
Production: Rockwilder, DJ Premier, Swizz Beats, Timbaland, Digga, Clue & Duro, others
Guests: Amil, Mariah Carey, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juvenile, UGK, Dr. Dre
After the runaway commercial success of the previous Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life, the pressure was on the keep up the momentum with the final part of the In My Lifetime series, with Vol. 3: Life & Times of S. Carter. While there was smash after smash on Vol. 2, there aren't quite as many with Vol. 3. However, this doesn't take away from how dope this album is. From the offset, the first single, the Beanie Segal/Amil-assisted, Rockwilder-thumped, "Put Ya Hands Up". you knew this was going to be more of a rugged feel, although definitely full of what made Hov the biggest selling hip-hop artist (next to Eminem) at the time. Once the album dropped, and one pushed play on their CD or tape deck, we get hit early with the Preemo-blessed, "So Ghetto", that recaptures previous magic like they did on cuts like "Friend vs. Foe" and "A Million & One Questions". From there, cuts like "Dope Man", "There's Been a Murder", and the Dr. Dre-assisted "Watch Me" are dripping in Marcy Projects sauce. On this album, he also takes a trip down south as he collaborates with New Orleans all-star at the time, Juvenile, on "Snoopy Track", and of course he links up with Port Arthur, TX legends, UGK, on the now legendary "Big Pimpin'", where the previously little-known southern veterans got exposed to a worldwide audience via Jay and commanded the track. Also, the Mariah Carey-assisted "Thing That U Do" and the Roc posse cut, "Pop 4 Roc" are greatly balanced for the streets, the radio, and the club, much like the majority of the album. With Swizz Beats and Timbaland making up nearly half the album, this album has a number of strong moments that fit the feel of the album. If Vol. 1 was the commercial crossover and Vol. 2 was the breakout smash, Vol. 3 was the most street-oriented of the trilogy. Although there were certainly anthems and certified hits, this was a bit grittier than his prior two. We wouldn't get something quite like this from him for the next few years to come.
8. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
Production: Kanye West, Just Blaze, Rick Rock, Rockwilder, Bink!, The Neptunes, others
Guests: Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Amil, Snoop Dogg, Scarface, R. Kelly, Freeway
In 2000, Jay followed up the aforementioned Vol. 3...Life & Times of S. Carter with The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which was originally designed to be a compilation album for his Roc artists of Beanie, Freeway, Bleek, and Amil. Instead, plans were changed to it being another Jay album, but heavily featuring his Roc artists and some outside friends and colleagues. The first single, the Pharrell-collaborated radio darling "I Just Wanna Love Ya (Give It to Me)", was an indicator of what was to come in terms of how much the formulaic pattern of commercially pleasing production and super catchy hooks were the keys to a smash. While this was definitely the case with other cuts on this album such as "You, Me, Him, & Her", the west coast flavored, Snoop Dogg-assisted "Get Ya Mind Right Mami", and the R. Kelly-collaborated "Guilty Til Proven Innocent" (the irony), this isn't always the case, and that's the great thing. Cuts such as "1-900 HUSTLA", "Stick 2 The Script", and "Streets Is Talkin'" are cuts for the street dwellers and those that prefer their hip-hop grittier and grungier. However, it's when we get beneath the surface where the album shines. On the Scarface-assisted, "This Can't Be Life", we see him, Beans, and Jay all reminisce over the struggles each has had to overcome through the streets and their upbringings. Also, on "Soon You'll Understand", we hear Jay in one of his most gripping cuts spit a virtual apology letter to the mother of his son, as well as to his mother for all the bad decisions he made regarding the streets and the drug game. On the slick "Squeeze 1st", he gets vivid with his drug fantasies in the eyes of a youth and his days as a hustler, while proclaiming himself a menace to society with his gun fetishes. However, it takes a next level turn on the painful, "Where Have You Been", in which we hear Jay and Beans get at their absolute most raw and vulnerable, especially Beans. Over a brooding and melancholy beat, Jay delivers poignant and anger-filled rhymes about his absentee father, while Beans delivers the most verbally distraught verse of his career, going in and out of weeping and raging over the actions of his abusive father. It really gets no more transparent than this, folks. Jay's Roc La Familia is a very dope project that doesn't get mentioned enough among his best works, and the performances of his Roc crew are to be commended, especially Beans. Don't let the syrupy commercial hits like "Give It 2 Me" fool you. This was an album that hit depths and explored the streets more than almost any prior Jay album, or for that matter albums since.
7. In My Lifetime Vol. 1
Production: DJ Premier, D-Dot, Prestige, Nasheim Myrick, Diddy, Amen-Ra, Buckwild, Stevie J, Teddy Riley, Ski, Trackmasters, others
Guests: Diddy, Foxy Brown, Babyface, Blackstreet, Sauce Money, Lil Kim, Too $hort
After the very high critical acclaim of Reasonable Doubt, the pressure was on for Hov to come correct and deliver something as great or better than his debut. However, much like Nas did with It Was Written in comparison to Illmatic, Jay went with a more polished, yet less raw, sound for the next album. The album came in the form of In My Lifetime Vol. 1, the first part in one of the most decorated trilogies in all of hip-hop. This first part was way more commercial sounding and almost deliberately crossover, to which many of his fans were disappointed with. Gone were the grittiness and thugged-out realism of Reasonable Doubt, and included were the overly flashiness of what was considered the Bad Boy era, where it was about Moet, Cristal, and commercialism at its peak. Cuts such as the Blackstreet-crooned remake of Glen Frey's "You Belong to The City", "The City Is Mine", the Foxy Brown-assisted, Babyface sung, "Sunshine", and the borderline horrid Lil' Kim-assisted, "I Know What Girls Like" are examples of the style that somewhat encompassed this album. The want to appeal to a bigger audience was coming at the expense of his core audience, which is often the struggle within the music industry. The flossed-out, sample/remake heavy production hampered a lot of this album, as it was painfully obvious this was a move strictly to go with the wave. However, when he dips back into Reasonable Doubt bag, the results are excellent. The Rene & Angela-sampled, "Imaginary Playa" is very much lyrically another commercialized cut, but the production here sounded so smooth, the lyrics and the theme was forgivable. With tracks like "Rap Game/Crack Game", "Friend or Foe II", and the underground favorite, "Streets Is Watching" (which also spawned an independent, straight to video movie with a soundtrack to partner it with) come straight from the aura of his debut, and makes you want way more moments like these. While others such as the Sauce Money-assisted, "Fasce Off" and "Where I'm from" sound like they could've been from the RD cutting room floor, it's his closer, "You Must Love Me", that serves as the album's true highlight. Addressing his mother, brother, and presumed girlfriend, he expresses remorse and guilt for a lot of his thoughts and actions, especially the shooting of his brother. With In My Lifetime Vol. 1, Jay starts to dive into the glossy, shiny-suit era months after the superbly tragic and untimely death of close friend The Notorious B.I.G., but it's when he snaps out of it and remembers who the blocks he came from where we see Jay gives the streets his blood, sweat, and tears on the album. It's certainly a very underappreciated album, but one where we could tell he had the formula to get love on the radios and Billboard, while still staying true to the streets that made him.
6. Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life
Production: Mark 45 King, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, Irv Gotti, Timbaland, Swizz Beats, Jermaine Dupri, Rockwilder, Stevie J, others
Guests: Too $hort, Amil, Jaz-O, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, The Lox, Sauce Money, Foxy Brown, Ja-Rule, DMX, others
With Jay-Z climbing up the ladder in terms of star appeal and becoming the biggest act to come from the NY area, Jay also knew he had a lot of critics based on his prior album, In My Lifetime Vol. 1. Critics scoffed that he was dipping into the gloss and floss that Bad Boy was so becoming (ahem) notorious for. Enter '98's Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. Based off the DYNAMITE single of the same name, "Hard Knock Life", Jay took it back to the streets, while keeping it goods for the radio and clubs as well without sounding so Billboard deliberately. With the CRAZY Annie-sample living in our heads rent free, we also were treated to numerous other singles from the album such as the DMX-assisted anthem, "Money, Cash, Hoes", the Amil and Jaz-O-assisted, "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator '99)", and another Amil-assisted cut, "Can I Get A...", with then-new Def Jam signee, Ja-Rule, that would make this the most in-demand album of his discography at the time just based off all the singles. In fact, there were only a few cuts that only stuck to being mix show faves such as the Too $hort-assisted, "A Week Ago", "If I Should Die", and "Ride or Die". We can't forget the thunderous Preemo contribution, the Memph Bleek-guested, "Hand It Down". The album also features previously heard and frequently bumped via radio and BET singles such as "Money Ain't a Thang" with Jermaine Dupri and the celebratory cut with Kid Capri, "It's Like That". For a thirteen-track album, about 95% of the album had already flooded radio and BET before and during the rollout of the album. Thus, likely making it the reason it became the highest selling album of his career at around seven million units and counting to this day. It's no surprise Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life is his most commercially successful album, but it's also one that truly and officially put Jay-Z on as a worldwide name within hip-hop and music at large. He had emerged as a superstar, and he would never let his foot off the gas from this moment on.
5. The Blueprint
Production: Kanye West, Just Blaze, Bink!, Timbaland, Trackmasters, Eminem
Guests: Eminem
It's accurate to say Jay was indeed running the rap game around 2000. His albums were all platinum-plus (especially the aforementioned Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life), any single he put out was guaranteed to get heavy airplay all over the place, plus he was continuing to keep his street respect as well and continuing to influence the culture. With this being said, he was also becoming public enemy number one in many people's eyes. People still wanted that Reasonable Doubt Jay. The corner street hustler. Jay was becoming bigger than the streets, and it showed more and more with each album. Aiming to remind people why he was among the most in-demand emcees in the business, he delivered 2001's The Blueprint. Although the album would be released on the worst day of our nation, 9/11/01, that was the only thing that stained the album's initial rollout. Going into the album's release, he dropped one of the scathing diss records of that time in "The Takeover", in which he took stage at Hot 97's annual Summer Jam, and publicly dissed and embarrassed Nas and Mobb Deep's Prodigy, especially P and the photos that could've been potentially career-ending for P. Once he dropped "The Takeover", it was time to go to bigger matters in the form of crafting an album for the next several generations. The official first single, "H To the Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was a pleasant track that set the scene for what to expect from the album. He keeps on the same carefree, non-heavy run with other favorites such as "Hola Hovito", the ode to the various ladies he encountered around the world, "Girls, Girls, Girls", and "Jigga My Nigga". He hits moments of introspection and depth with cuts such as "Never Change", the touching single "Song Cry", and especially the title track, that has him once again giving shots to his mother for putting up with his street life and never wavering with her love to and for him. This album also became the album that officially established Kanye West and Just Blaze as production heavyweights, as they made up 90% of the album's sounds. Complete with soul samples all-around backed with mostly snapping drums and bass, Jay sounded as comfortable and whole as we had ever heard him lyrically over this incredible production. It's been said The Blueprint is one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all-time. It was elected to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which only culturally impactful and shifting recordings find their placement in. It's certainly his most complete body of work, and the album that, besides Reasonable Doubt, is the go-to for any Jay-Z fan to hear and witness his rise into legendary status.
4. 4:44
Production: artist, No I.D.
Guests: Beyonce, Kim Burrell, Frank Ocean, Damien Marley, James Fauntleroy, The-Dream
As years had gone by, we had seen the emergence of Shawn Carter, the billionaire businessman, executive, mogul, entrepreneur, and overall success story (not to mention the husband of Beyonce). While he was making landmark corporate moves including bringing the New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn in the NBA and having his Roc Nation management/entertainment company be Lead Music Supervisor for the NFL and their Super Bowls, he never forgot about his love of hip-hop. As a far more grown near fifty-year old at the time, Jay had seen a ton and done a ton. He had become an elder statesman. One who knew the ins and outs of the both the streets and the boardroom. In 2017, he dropped quite the anticipated album in the form of 4:44. It would mark his first album since his prior surprise effort, the very underwhelming and lazy, Magna Carta Holy Grail. This was the polar opposite. The rollout of the album was cryptic in nature, plus there were no singles to present before the album dropped. Once it dropped, we heard way more Shawn than we did Jay. The album is unquestionably his most personal and most honest, as well as his most socially conscious and community-centered album to date. With "The Story of O.J.", he dissects racism, stereotypes, and other subjects that have dictated our identity negatively over the generations. He gets compelling on tracks like the coming out of his mother being lesbian, "Smile", the "death" of Jay-Z and the attributes that were associated with this hip-hop alter ego "Kill Jay Z", and the social commentary of "Moonlight". The album hits its most intriguing and transparent moments when he addresses Beyonce. While he gives innuendos and moments of clarity on the otherwise community-structured theme of "Family Feud", it's the title track that is more or less an open letter of apology to his megastar bride. Beyonce had addressed her moments of shame and embarrassment from his infidelity on the track "Sorry" from her venomous Lemonade album. He addresses this and other issues that were quite brave and vulnerable. He reminisces on his childhood and his adolescence on the excellent "Marcy Me" and closes with the stirring "Legacy". Former Kanye mentor and Common collaborator, No I.D., was put in charge to handle production duties of this album and what an outstanding job he did. Samples are littered throughout the album as if Kanye and Just Blaze were on the boards all throughout this album. It can be highly argued that 4:44 is Jay's most important album, from a human standpoint, as well as from a grown man standpoint, more than as an emcee per se. Simply a stellar piece of work, Jay put Jay the emcee to bed, and allowed Shawn to be his speaking piece, and the results are powerful and significant.
3. American Gangster
Production: Sean C & LV, No I.D., Diddy, Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp
Guests: Nas, Pharrell, Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne
The story of notorious gangster, Frank Lucas, was well known and quite studied. Multiple Oscar Award winner, Denzel Washington, portrayed him in the movie American Gangster. From his troubled upbringing to becoming one of the most ruthless figures to emerge from the tristate area, Lucas' life and drug dealing career was one of both infamy and grandeur, depending upon your perspective. Jay-Z was inspired by the movie and the concept enough to construct an album of not only the same name, but the same spirit as the movie in terms of his drug dealing past, hustling, and the streets. The album also has production that resembles the sounds of the seventies courtesy of the likes of No I.D., Just Blaze, Sean C & LV, and The Neptunes to give this a feel similar to a hip-hop version of Shaft or Superfly. Sounding soulful without sounding dated or too retro, Jay glides with the greatest of ease over these tremendous beats. The first single, "Roc Boys", is a very dope, horn-laced track that is celebratory and one to lift your glass for. Portraying the very hustler Frank Lucas made himself out to be, cuts like "Blue Magic", the stellar "No Hook", and the snapping "Pray" all have him seemingly encompassing Lucas' spirit by doing both, celebrating the AmeriKKKan dream and the fruits of obtaining it, yet also detailing the troubling and rough trials that got him there. On the bumping Nas-assisted, "Success", Jay lays out how it isn't all glitz and glamour at the top of the food chain. From lawsuits to extortions, fame and fortune can come at a price. Meanwhile, on the knocking DJ Toomp-produced, "Say Hello", Jay appears erratic and borderline paranoid, letting off desperate attempts to let whoever is out to get him that he's ready to go in a blaze of glory if need be. Jay-Z very successfully conjures the spirit of Frank Lucas here in American Gangster, and you can basically picture and imagine him playing Frank easily as great as Denzel did. This was fantastic audio cinematic experience of Jay portraying the very guy he somewhat emulated, whether he realized it or not, only without nearly as much violence and infamy. With his long coat, scarf, and top hat being worn, an Uzi in one hand, and a glass of Asti Spumante in another (or Ace of Spades of course), Jay sat very comfortably in a throne of this magnitude with this album, and rightfully so.
2. The Black Album
Production: Kanye West, Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, The Neptunes, Timbaland, DJ Quik, Eminem, Rick Rubin, others
Guests: Pharrell
After the overwhelming commercial and critical success of The Blueprint just two years earlier, followed up with the very modest to underdelivering Blueprint 2, Jay had contemplated hanging up the mic. With multi-platinum albums since In My Lifetime Vol. 1, he had done it all in the game and didn't feel the urgency to accomplish anything more. He revealed that he was dropping his "final" album in the form of The Black Album. The concept was to have a different producer for each song (although the rumor was that Biggie had thought of the concept first but that's neither here nor there). He figured that, if he was going out, he would go out on top in the finest imaginable way possible. He already got us open with his singles of the Pharrell-assisted "Change Clothes", the Rick Rubin-produced, heavy rock influenced, "99 Problems", and the thick Timbaland served, "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", but little did we know that only scraped the surface. The first full track, "December 4th", is a crazy Just Blaze-crafted autobiographical cut narrated by his mother and it has him going through all phases in his life that made him the man he became. Already, the album started off with quite possibly the best cut on the album. Similarly, on the Eminem-produced, "Moment of Clarity", he recalls certain moments of his life from the death of his father to the shifts and changes of his career in music. Jay's pen game is next level throughout this album, even though according to many, there were several cuts that they were no observed paper and pens in their presence and were done in only one take. Cuts such as the dumb dope DJ Quik-produced, Madonna sampled "Justify My Thug", the 9th Wonder-crafted, "Threat", and the ultra-cold closing cut, "My First Song" are all spectacular standouts that exemplify Hov's immense lyrical talents that seemingly come second nature in many regards. Others like the Kanye-crafted "Lucifer" and the dazzling "Allure" put Jay in an elite class only made for the most superb emcees on the planet. It's clear that The Black Album didn't retire with this album, but it's also clear that this album is easily as wonderful and stellar as anything he's done in his career and has been argued that the album even goes a level higher than his most acclaimed effort, The Blueprint. This was clearly an album that was among the most well put together and structured albums of his career and deserved all the accolades it earned.
1. Reasonable Doubt
Production: DJ Premier, Ski, Clark Kent, Irv Gotti, Sean C & LV, others
Guests: Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, Foxy Brown, Sauce Money, Jaz-O, Notorious B.I.G.
The album that started it all. The album that brought Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z into our consciousness. In a year that saw stellar albums get released such as Mobb Deep's unbelievable third outing, Hell On Earth, Outkast's otherworldly ATLiens, Redman's Muddy Waters, The Roots' classic outing, Illadelph Halflife, and Nas' excellent follow-up to Illmatic, It Was Written, Jay dropped the most outstanding album of his career, and like many, it happened to be his debut album. The album, Reasonable Doubt, was a hustler's manual in every way possible. With its mafioso themes and the fascination with the drug culture and the riches it brings, Jay was a modern day Al Capone of sorts here, but only if Capone expresses the dark side of obtaining his power and the mental stress it can all cause. With cuts like the opener, the Mary J. Blige-featured, "Can't Knock the Hustle", the freestyled stylings of "22 Twos", and especially the Preemo-pounded "Friend or Foe" all detail the struggles and downfalls that are potentially faced when dealing with that kind of lifestyle. Similarly, another Premier cut, "D'Evils" and the cautionary "Regrets" express the consequences, whether mental or physical, of being a boss in the streets. However, everything isn't consequences and repercussions, as other cuts like the frequently rotated singles, "Dead Presidents", "Feelin' It", and the neck-bobbing standout, "Cashmere Thoughts" are about the riches and materialism that can get one caught up. He delivers with precision and complete lyrical excellence on other cuts like the sick collab with former mentor, Jaz-O and former associate, Sauce Money, "Bring It On", the debuting Memphis Bleek-assisted, "Coming of Age", and the ever-legendary duet with Biggie Smalls' "Brooklyn's Finest", while illustrating the power of being a boss on the tremendous "Politics as Usual". The impact and influence this album have had throughout the decades ranks among the highest in all of hip-hop to this day. As if we were listening to Black audio versions of Superfly, Casino, and Godfather Pt. II all in one, Reasonable Doubt was the mafioso album emcees wanted to recreate but couldn't pull it off as effectively as Jay-Z did due to its authenticity. This remains his best album and ranks among many emcees and fans' lists in the GOAT discussions. You could call it a 'mafioso' album, you could call it a hustler's album. Whatever you call it, don't forget the most important term: CLASSIC!
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