![]() Whether it’s dissing former drug dealing partner DeHaven Irby on “A Week Ago” or checking his circle’s allegiance on “Ride or Die”, some of Hov’s darkest cuts linger here. Compiling all of his life’s wisdom (at the time) into this 14 track body of work, the record revolves around Jay’s past, present, and future. Led by the single “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”, Jay-Z’s third album elevated him to the a-list of hip-hop superstars. For those worried, this is just a rip off of its predecessor, songs like “Rap Game/Crack Game” and “Wishing on a Star” tie together Sean Carter’s gruesome past with his newfound fame. From talking about the dangers of growing up in the Marcy projects on “Where I’m From” to exposing his rivals on “Imaginary Player”, Jay-Z’s sophomore album is textbook when it comes to perfect world builders. Staying close to the streets, Jay crafted raw anthems prevalent to the world he grew up in. More importantly, producers Just Blaze and Kanye West were able to launch their careers with classic tracks like “The Dynasty (Intro)” and “This Can’t Be Life”.įollowing up on his critically acclaimed iconic debut, Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z took an even deeper dive into his roots on In My Lifetime Vol. With almost every song having a feature, fellow signees Memphis Bleek, Freeway, and Beanie Singel were able to show off their potential while additional guests like Snoop Dogg, Scarface, and Pharrell Williams added to the records star power. Doing all this in a short four years, Jay-Z looked to showcase the brand he built on his fifth studio release, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. Carteris truly the pinnacle of Hov’s braggadocios side.Īt the turn of the century, a 31-year-old Jay-Z was already an award-winning platinum rapper managing his own label in Roc-A-Fella Records. Teaming up with some of the genres hottest acts in Juvenile on “Snoopy Track” and UGK on “Big Pimpin'”, Vol.3… Life and Times of S. Focusing on his newfound wealth and fame, Jay boasts about the luxurious lifestyle he is now exposed to. Quickly rising to musical superstardom with the success of Vol.2… Hard Knock Life, the final installment of Jay-Z’s Life trilogy , was intended to be his biggest record yet. While not being his most groundbreaking project, The Blueprint 3 is at the helm of Jay-Z’s commercial success.ĩ. On top of this, hearing a young Drake, J Cole, Kid Cudi, and a list of other artists added additional layers and energy to the concise LP. Below its poppy surface, cuts like “D.O.A.(Death Of Auto-Tune)”, “Thank You”, and “A Star Is Born” rounded out the record into a cohesive experience. ![]() Songs like “Empire State Of Mind” with Alicia Keys, “Run This Town” featuring Rihanna and Kanye West, and “Young Forever” with Mr Hudson remain as some of Hov’s biggest hits to date. Fortunately, classic songs like “Hovi Baby”, “Excuse Me Miss”, “03′ Bonnie & Clyde”, and show-stealing features from Big Boi, Killer Mike, Beyoncé, Scarface, Twista, Kanye West, and an array of others keeps this double LP from being a total disaster.įinishing off the Blueprint trilogy, Jay-Z knew he needed a big finish, and with The Blueprint 3, we got exactly that. Dre and Rakim, the 25 song tracklist is way too bland to justify its one hour and 48-minute running time. While having glorious moments like “A Dream” with Biggie Smalls and “The Watcher 2” with Dr. The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002)Ĭreating a sequel to any piece of art is nearly improbable, and for Jay-Z’s seventh album, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, this standard remained true. The LP’s notable tracks “F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit”, “Oceans”, and “Part II (On The Run)” only glorify these claims as guest performances from Rick Ross, Frank Ocean, and Beyoncé was what made them so revered.ġ1. For the first time in his career, many questioned Jay’s ability as an MC due to his spotty lyricism and questionable deliveries. ![]() Despite its commercial success, Magna Carta… Holy Grail received mixed critical reception due to the visible wear and tear on Jay-Z. With the smash hit single “Holy Grail” featuring Justin Timberlake taking over the globe, Jay-Z’s 12th studio album sold 528,000 copies in its first week and went platinum in less than a month. While not as bad as Eminem or Lil Wayne’s worst records, Kingdom Come is still nothing to write home about. While standouts like “Show Me What You Got” and “Lost One”, remain as some of Hov’s best songs to date, the rest of the tracklist suffers from playing it to safe or being straight out boring. Today we will be ranking these records from worst to best, enjoy!Īfter a three year hiatus, Kingdom Come was set to be Jay-Z’s magnificent return album, and to everyone’s surprise, it flopped. Since the mid-90s, he has put out 13 solo albums that have defined the music of our generation. Jay-Z is unanimously considered one of the best rappers of all time.
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