All 285 Jay-Z Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best
All-time classics, unfortunate clunkers, and more.
www.vulture.com
If Jay-Z had his way back in 1996, this list would be too brief to warrant compiling. The skinny kid from Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects intended to drop just one album — a musical I was here statement — before partnering with a major label and falling back into a comfy executive role, becoming a vessel to launch hopeful Roc-A-Fella acts like Memphis Bleek and Christión into orbit.
But the industry had different plans. Def Jam, impressed with Roc-A-Fella’s early independent success, agreed to sign a joint venture with the young imprint on one condition: They needed seven albums from Jay. And now, two decades (and two dozen solo LPs) later, Jay-Z has become one of music’s all-time most important voices. His catalogue contains some of the most potent imagery and lucid storytelling about poverty and the desperation that it breeds, all while dominating mainstream pop music, in a delicate tightrope act that almost no one else has ever been able to manage for the span of time that Jay has. His merging of thinking-man street raps with commercial hits paved the way for artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole to do the same today.
Jay-Z’s adolescence coincided with the Reagan ’80s. He’d spend his time banging on the kitchen table at his 534 Flushing Avenue apartment, rhyming to the percussion he created. But as an adolescent, he put his hobby on the backburner and crack sales on the front. But he continued to develop his craft, taking stock of hip-hop’s evolving aesthetics and mastering hyperspeed raps in the vein of East Coast rap duo Das EFX. Jay moved in and out of rapper circles in the late ’80s and early ’90s, popping up on songs with his mentor, Jaz-O, and Big Daddy Kane. He’d adopt a slower, more conversational pace for his 1996 masterpiece debut LP, Reasonable Doubt, a project that was self-released after his undeniable talent was denied by every major label he approached.
He followed that with the inconsistent, overly polished In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, which took more than a few cues from the flashy rap aesthetic that Puff Daddy had been proliferating through his Bad Boy label. The sound fit Jay just as well as one of Biggie’s oversized Coogi sweaters might have — there are hints of genius, but he was clearly still finding his voice and place in the art form.
From 1998 through 2003, Jay was unstoppable. He released at least one project annually, while nurturing promising new talent like Philadelphia-based rappers Freeway and Beanie Sigel. With the help of brilliant music minds like Kanye West, Just Blaze, and the Neptunes, Jay dictated the course of hip-hop and emerged as a keen songwriter who knew exactly how to maximize the strengths of his collaborators. He released his career-defining LP The Blueprint in 2001 and released the excellent retirement fake-out The Black Album just two years later.
But Jay never really committed to his retirement. From 2004 on, he seemed hell-bent on proving that he still had what it took to keep the No. 1 spot. Every release from this period of his career had a strategic selling point, whether it was a marquee collaborator like R. Kelly, Kanye West, or Linkin Park, or a calculated buy-in — Kingdom Come and Budweiser, American Gangster and the film American Gangster, Magna Carta … Holy Grail and Samsung. These albums range from lyrically and musically progressive, to painfully awkward and unfocused.
The confessional 4:44, released in 2017, seemed to be the start of a new phase in the rapper’s career. It’s a human album that builds on familiar topics like black nationalism, infidelity, and money phones, but here, he handles these topics with more maturity and sophistication than ever before.
The expensive, No I.D.–chopped samples — Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Sister Nancy, the Fugees — are significant in their own right, creating a mature and well-worn ambiance unlike anything else streaming on Spotify’s RapCaviar playlist. 4:44 is the late-career big-budget home run that Hov needed. Everything Is Love, his 2018 collaborative album with Beyoncé (billed as The Carters), builds on that graceful maturation, doubly celebrating their romance and riches.
So what’s next for Jay-Z, who this week turned 50 and re-gifted Spotify with his full discography to celebrate? It’s never been harder to predict where he’s headed musically — which is why it’s the perfect time to look back on his entire body of work. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive listing of Jay-Z’s songs with some parameters for manageability: no freestyles over someone else’s beats (sorry “Young, Gifted and Black”), no song in which Jay-Z is not the lead artist (unless it appears on a DJ compilation). No leaked tracks, no mash-ups, and no remixes — a tricky restriction given Jay’s penchant for sequels.
Before we get into it, props are due to Sean Fennessey — and by extension, DJ Clark Kent — whose 2008 Jay-Z songography for Vibe magazine was a crucial cornerstone of this list’s creation.
Here’s Jay-Z’s full canon (so far), from most regrettable — two albums with R. Kelly! — to most remarkable.
285. “Anything,” Kingdom Come (2006): Jay-Z’s first ever collaboration with Usher is an ode to amateur night at the strip club.
284. “Tru Life Intro,” Tru York (2007): Hov spends two minutes firing spoken subliminal shots at Cam’ron and Jim Jones, and introducing the world to rapper Tru Life. The final minute features some struggle patois and one of Jay’s most throwaway of throwaway freestyles.
283. “Bitches & Sisters,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): At best, this N.W.A-sampling cut is a misguided attempt at celebrating stand-up women and shaming shady ones. At worst, it’s an indefensible cocktail of misogyny and respectability politics that Jay for some reason made sure to retain as a bonus cut on the abridged rerelease Blueprint 2.1.
282. “Nickels and Dimes,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): Hov expresses his side in a squabble over social responsibility with civil-rights icon Harry Belafonte that should’ve never happened. We could’ve done without this song, too.
281. “I Know What Girls Like,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997): Ah, yes, the phase when Jay-Z was blinded by Puff Daddy’s shiny suits. Who decided it was a good idea to crate dig in the Waitresses’ catalogue?
280. “La Familia,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): Keep the phrase “facts only” and Lil Wayne jab, delete the rest.
279. “Pretty Girls,” Unfinished Business (2004): In 2002, Jay-Z and R. Kelly joined forces for The Best of Both Worlds, an unprecedented duet album uniting two hip-hop and R&B giants. The project was doomed, though, once a video that allegedly shows the Chicago singer having sex with (and urinating on) an underage girl began making the rounds — Jay wisely fell back from the project like Homer Simpson sinking into a bush. The controversy seemed to be simmering down two years later (despite 14 then-pending child-pornography charges against Kelly in Chicago) and the two stars gave it another go. Still, after “that VHS tape,” the title and subject matter of this generic song should’ve raised a red flag.
278. “As One,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): A rip-off of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Fantasy” that serves as a roll call for Roc-A-Fella’s newly bolstered roster. Maurice White deserved better.
277. “Shorty,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): R. Kelly sings about sexing “pretty girls” from coast to coast — and specifically cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. The following year, Kelly was actually arrested in Miami after police found 12 images of a nude, underage girl in his Florida home. Those child-pornography charges were later dropped after a technicality deemed the photos inadmissible in court. But yeah, this song is okay, I guess.
276. “2 Many Hoes,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): Jay’s second Blueprint album is weighed down by filler songs like this male groupie shooing.
275. “Reminder,” The Blueprint 3 (2009): Hov re-reintroduces himself by running down his résumé in a meticulous manner and demanding that fans, peers, and bloggers put some respek on his name. Singer K. Briscoe’s hook is robotic and irksome.
274. “Hollywood,” Kingdom Come (2006): A stripped-down, Beyoncé-led version of this track appears on the deluxe version of her album B’Day, which dropped months earlier. “Hollywood” fits much better there — too much woe-is-me fame bemoaning from Jay on an already out-of-touch Kingdom Come.
273. “Jockin’ Jay-Z (Dopeboy Fresh),” B-side (2008): Even Jay’s most loyal fans act as if this holdover from The Blueprint 3 never happened. Kanye’s hyperventilating synths and Run-DMC sample are ill-fitting for Hov. If nothing else, the track delivers a needed response after Noel Gallagher disparaged his 2008 Glastonbury Festival headlining slot: “That bloke from Oasis said I couldn’t play guitar / Somebody shoulda told him I’m a fucking rock star.”
272. “Venus vs. Mars,” The Blueprint 3 (2009): Jay may have been reading too many self-help books.
271. “Things That U Do,” Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999): Long before Future and Drake made the flute hip-hop’s hottest instrument of 2017, Swizz Beatz programmed this basic woodwind melody for a contrived attempt at a hit record.
270. “She’s Coming Home With Me,” Unfinished Business (2004): An unnecessary revisiting of the stronger “Somebody’s Girl” from two years earlier.
269. “S. Carter,” Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999): From the music to the lyrics, this song feels limp. Aside from being a vehicle to showcase Amil, who already has two other appearances on this album, it really has no reason to exist.
268. “Off That,” The Blueprint 3 (2009): In the early 2000s, Jay-Z popularized and then killed the trend of wearing retro Mitchell & Ness jerseys in favor of another fashion fad: button-up shirts. He must’ve become a bit high on his own influence. It’s the only way to explain this silly Drake-sponsored attempt to buck some more trends — from Timberland boots to money showers at the strip club.
267. “Young Forever,” The Blueprint 3 (2009):
In this song’s defense, it goes down much smoother when performed live, with Beyoncé singing the hook in place of Mr. Hudson. Still, Jay should stay away from ’80s pop samples. And Mr. Hudson.
266. “Break Up (That’s All We Do),” Unfinished Business (2004): Another recycled concept from The Best of Both Worlds that adds nothing new to its predecessor (“Break Up to Make Up”). Even the titles are nearly identical, ugh.
265. “Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour),” Hope for Haiti Now (2010): A charity track in support of survivors of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Jay-Z syncs up with Rihanna and U2’s Bono and the Edge for a sincere dedication. Musically, the sum is not greater than its parts.
264. “Versus,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): Jay nods to A Tribe Called Quest on this quickie of an interlude that has promise, but is too brief to ever really establish itself.
263. “The Return,” Unfinished Business (2004): Jay has better Slick Rick impressions in his catalogue.
262. “H.O.V.A.,” The Desert Storm Mixtape: DJ Envy Blok Party Vol. 1 (2003): Yet another name-based anthem that uses a hollering vocal sample to big-up Jay, who in return drops a freestyle that sounds like he’s just fooling around.
261. “Dig a Hole,” Kingdom Come (2006): This retort to Cam’ron’s caustic “You Gotta Love It” puffs out its chest and builds the anticipation for a dismantling, but in the end it’s just a slap on the wrist.
260. “Lookin’ at My S Dots” (2003): To think, this glorified Reebok ad would’ve graced The Black Album in place of the legend-making “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” if not for an eleventh-hour spurt of inspiration from Just Blaze. “Lookin’ at My S Dots” is fine as a one-minute short, but it would’ve dated the LP with of-the-moment references to NBA ballplayers Kenyon Martin and Shawn Marion.
259. “Blue’s Freestyle/We Family,” 4:44 (2017): Come for Blue Ivy’s mumble raps (that flow, though!); stay for Jay deriding Trump and pledging the importance of kin while a sample of Colombian singer Totó la Momposina’s voice plays in the background. This bonus track is a decent addition to 4:44, but sits among the project’s weaker material.
258. “Heard About Us,” Everything Is Love (2018): Jay-Z and Beyoncé remind you that they make up one of the world’s most prominent power couples without offering much new substance about the price or responsibility of fame.
257. “Big Chips,” Unfinished Business (2004): After canceling their first collaborative album, Jay and Kelly never came close to recapturing their magic from classics like “Fiesta (Remix),” although this horn-laden single tries its best.
256. “Pussy,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): Songs like this make you wonder what was discussed during this album’s in-studio brainstorming sessions. After Kellz and Jay tell cautionary tales about man’s carnal weakness, Devin the Dude shares an anecdote about losing his virginity at age 7.
255. “You’re Welcome” (2008): “This is much more than marketed music,” Jay-Z raps on a languid Mary J. Blige–featuring track recorded to boost anticipation for their co-headlining Heart of the City tour that year. You might believe him, if a usually high-energy Swizz didn’t sound so dry on this overall meh loosie.
254. “We Got Em Goin,” Unfinished Business (2004): Memphis Bleek and Jay add some flair to an insipid album cut with a bridge in which they complete each other’s rhymes for four bars over a beat switch-up.
253. “Pop 4 Roc,” Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999): A passable Roc-A-Fella posse cut that feels more like a team-building exercise. Check out Amil’s “4 Da Fam,” released one year later for the real deal.
252. “Shake Ya Body,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): Trackmasters’ synth chirps and Lil Kim’s repetitive chorus make this a guilty-pleasure earworm.
251. “Nice,” Everything Is Love (2018): The Carters team up with Pharrell Williams for a feel-good record that toes the line between motivation and hubris.
250. “For My Thugs,” The Tunnel (1999): A lukewarm Roc-A-Fella family affair that unites Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, and Amil. As it’s title suggests, it’s a gritty episode, best depicted by this callous threat from Hov: “Running the streets, lawless, blastin’ police / Sticking Furby’s out the window, snatchin’ your niece.”
249. “Roc Army,” Paid in Full Soundtrack (2002): A sparse Roc cross-pollination designed to unite Cam’ron with State Property, under Jigga’s supervision. The verses are choppy and the song is mostly bloated with soundbites from older material.
248. “Trouble,” Kingdom Come (2006): There’s some pretty harsh subliminal sniping at unnamed targets in the closing verse, but this song is probably best remembered as a hint of the impending release of “4:44,” 11 years early. “If my hand’s in the cookie jar, know one thing / I’ma take the cookie, not leave my ring,” he rhymes over Dr. Dre’s staticky instrumental.
247. “(Always Be My) Sunshine,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997): Foxy Brown and Jay-Z’s glitzy follow-up to “Ain’t No Nigga” misses its mark, badly. The song reeks of trendy pandering; the polychromatic music video, with its fish-eye camerawork, is a Top 10 corniest Hov moment.
246. “Feelin’ You in Stereo,” Unfinished Business (2004): Well, this sure is meta. R. Kelly sings about trying to conjure the sexiest lyrics and music possible for this actual song, and Jay enables him by dropping eight bars of metaphors about waistlines and bass lines. It’s not terrible, though, just too goofy for anyone’s sex playlist.
245. “Lift Off,” Watch the Throne (2011): Kanye West and Jay-Z held a listening session for Watch the Throne at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium. As the album played, attendees watched an outer-space light show, with shooting stars zipping across an overhead screen. The setting particularly amplified this galactic Beyoncé-guested track, despite Kanye’s verse sounding like placeholder vocals and Hov not saying much of anything, either.
244. “Mo’ Money,” Unfinished Business (2004): Another phoned-in update of a superior Best of Both Worlds track (“Get This Money”) and a spectacular example of why sometimes more is less.
243. “What They Gonna Do” / “What They Gonna Do Part II,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): Shawn Carter flirts with dancehall — at the time a scalding-hot mainstream fascination — but stops short of fully committing musically. The alternate version retains his verses, but backpedals by swapping out Sean Paul’s vocals and adding a Timbaland beat that possesses not even a sprinkle of jerk seasoning.
242. “Stop,” Unfinished Business (2004): Kellz reignites an odd R&B beef with Sisqo, while Foxy and Jay drop solid verses without a single mention of Bonnie or Clyde.
241. “I Made It,” Kingdom Come (2006): A saccharine dedication to Jay-Z’s mother that’ll make you say “aww” but probably will never listen to again.
240. “All Around the World,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): While there’s nothing especially wrong with this atlas-scanning cut, it’s the type of bland fodder that prevented The Blueprint² from living up to its predecessor.
239. “Fuck All Nite,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): A Pharrell-guested track that’s good for a nice, mindless two-step and not much else.
238. “Holy Grail,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013):
Justin Timberlake’s melodramatic singing about the pitfalls of fame borders on comical.
237. “Nigga Please,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): A checklist of riches, accolades, and overall bragging rights over a forgettable beat from Pharrell and Chad Hugo.
236. “Tom Ford,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford” is one of rap’s great non sequiturs.
235. “20 Bag Shorty,” The Projects Presents: Balhers Forever (2000): Jay’s braggadocio is impeccable on this deep cut that’s likely only recognizable to stans.
234. “Don’t Let Me Die,” Unfinished Business (2004): An impassioned soul-baring prayer from Robert Kelly — who’s obviously been battling demons for some time now — on an otherwise uninspired project.
233. “BBC,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): Justin Timberlake, Pharrell, Nas, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Jay-Z put their heads together and came up with this tepid ode to ’80s drug-dealer paraphernalia.
232. “They Don’t Love You No More,” I Changed a Lot (2015):
Sports fans gave Jay (perhaps unwarranted) shit for the line, “Boy, you know you soft as a lacrosse team” — a perceived Drake diss — pointing out that lacrosse is indeed a full-contact sport. Still, Hov fit right in over ringing gongs on his first proper DJ Khaled collaboration alongside Rick Ross, French Montana, and Meek Mill.
231. “Girl’s Best Friend,” Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999): Jay personifies diamonds to fit the plot of the cop comedy Blue Streak (this song also appears on the soundtrack). But this cut seems more like cubic zirconia compared to harder Swizz-produced singles of the era (i.e., “Money, Cash, Hoes”).
230. “Wishing on a Star,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997): The cover of Rose Royce’s song of the same name sounds flat, but this is a warm recollection of childhood’s innocent days. There’s no talk of Jay’s hustler past here — a rarity — but instead he recalls cutting school, playing run, catch and kiss, and imitating his favorite rappers in the mirror, armed with a brush as a microphone.
229. “Paper Chase,” Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998): On wax, Foxy Brown makes for a convincing Bonnie to Jay-Z’s Clyde. Still, it’s awkward to listen back on their old collabos now that she’s been replaced by his real-life spouse, who also happens to be the world’s most famous pop star.
228. “Justify My Thug,” The Black Album (2003): This revision of Madonna’s “Justify My Love” fittingly gets flack as The Black Album’s weak link. It is a curious choice for a remake, but DJ Quik’s synthesizer rounds out the album with a catchy Cali bounce.
227. “Friends,” Everything Is Love (2018): Two decades after “Friend or Foe,” Jay-Z can convincingly differentiate the two. He and Beyoncé celebrate their small circles on a mellow song that plays like a musical friendship contract (and offers a belated explanation for their no-show for Kanye and Kim’s 2014 nuptials).
226. “Beach Is Better,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): At under a one-minute runtime, this is a missed opportunity for a playful, fly-on-the-wall look inside the Carter household. Still, “Girl, why you never ready?” is a delicious “They’re just like us!” moment.
225. “Hate,” The Blueprint 3 (2009): Some of the inflections are weird, but Kanye wins this kooky pre–Watch the Throne track with some amusing laser-gun and car-engine onomatopoeias.
224. “Hello Brooklyn 2.0,” American Gangster (2007): Lil Wayne and his idol address the borough of Brooklyn as a woman, with help from a significant Beastie Boys sample. Not quite the best-rapper-alive lyrical showdown that rap heads craved in ’07 (that’d come via Weezy’s “Mr. Carter” the following year) but this still has a nice bounce to it.
223. “A Dream,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): The allure of this dialogue from beyond with the Notorious B.I.G. wears off after the first listen, but props to Jay for finding new ways to keep Biggie’s legacy alive.
222. “Get Your Mind Right Mami,” The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000): Singer Rell was an underused member of the Roc; but here he helps Snoop, Bleek, and Jay’s pimp talk go down easier.
221. “F.U.T.W.,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): Jay-Z sure knows how to blow his own horn. Here he presents his unlikely success as a disruptive force, likening himself to Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. How could you not root for this guy?
220. “Real Niggaz,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997): There’s a historical significance here: Jay invites Too $hort along as his first rap collaborator from beyond the Big Apple, following a model Biggie established on Life After Death (which also features the Bay Area rapper, among other regional stars). Still, this beat is plodding, and the track slows the momentum of Vol. 1’s back half.
219. “Boss,” Everything Is Love (2018): Hov seems to be in the creative driver’s seat for this jazzy ode to self-employment and middle finger to the Man, landing some subliminal digs at Drake and Kanye West in the process. But does the Carters’ wealth flaunting ever get old? Somehow, no, especially not when Bey is kicking convincing boasts like, “My great-great-grandchildren already rich / That’s a lot of brown chil’ren on your Forbes list.”
218. “I Did It My Way,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): Frank Sinatra is one of Hov’s favorite figures to emulate; he likens himself to the legendary singer with Mafia ties by sampling his 1969 classic “My Way” — albeit the less-popular Paul Anka version (it was cheaper to clear than Sinatra’s).
217. “A Star Is Born,” The Blueprint 3 (2009): This song finds Jay chronicling the rise and runs of his peers and neophytes. It approaches gimmicky ground when he introduces his own rap prospect, but J. Cole seizes his moment with the song’s hottest internal rhyme: “The flow’s cold as the shoulders / Of gold-digging hoes / When a broke nigga approaches.”
216. “The Game Is Mine,” Creative Control (2010): Green Lantern recorded and jumbled sounds from a live tennis match for what was intended to be a Reebok ad on wax. Instead it became a stand-alone short that finds Hov announcing his partial ownership of the Brooklyn Nets.
215. “Get This Money,” The Best of Both Worlds (2004): This sounds like every song about life on the other side of the club’s VIP rope.
214. “History,” More Than a Game Soundtrack (2008): Somewhere within this muddled and vague extended metaphor about success, defeat, victory, death, and history, Jay is trying to congratulate Barack Obama for becoming America’s first black president, I think.
213. “Moonlight,” 4:44 (2017):
There are some important messages about the struggle of being a black creative on here, mixed with ideas on acceptable Instagram etiquette, according to Shawn Corey Carter. Unfortunately, the Fugees-sampling beat is the Ambien-induced version of DJ Khaled’s “Nas Album Done,” and Jay raps like he’s reading Blue Ivy a bedtime story.
212. “It Ain’t Personal,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): Jay and R. Kelly express the confusion that comes with fake friends, both sounding conflicted. This simile from Hov still evokes a chuckle, though: “And your mom got it twisted, she think Hov changed / Nope, Hov’s still here like Rogaine.”
211. “Guns and Roses,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): Rap-rock hybrids can be tricky to pull off, but Lenny Kravitz blends in nicely on this one (their 2004 collabo “Storm” is even funkier). Unfortunately, Hov tries to kick knowledge but instead offers questionable optimism: “Even a garbage can gets a steak,” he raps, a failed offer of encouragement.
210. “Black Effect,” Everything Is Love (2018): Everything Is Love is a statement of two megastars’ affection for each other — and for hip-hop. You can hear the latter here in references to Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def), late Atlanta trapper Shawty Lo, and ’90s rap duo Das EFX, amid Hov and ‘Yonce’s declarations of blackness and insistence that they’re good in any hood.
209. “Don’t U Know,” Paid in Full Soundtrack (2002): This originated as a Nas diss before it hit the public — according to Just Blaze, Jay adapted it into a more general single for the streets. The final draft retained some subliminal shots, but ultimately sounds like Hov is shadowboxing with himself. Jay’s punch lines and puns show he’s as light on his feet as ever.
208. “Do U Wanna Ride,” Kingdom Come (2006): An open letter — or, as it’s depicted here, a collect call — to Jay-Z’s then-incarcerated friend Emory Jones, looking back on their poor upbringings and painting an image of the riches and good life that awaits once he’s released.
207. “Green Light,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): R. Kelly sing-raps a warning to naysayers and fellow R&B crooners over a gnarly electric guitar. Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z lend their support by splitting a verse.
206. “MaNyfaCedGod,” 4:44 (2017): If 4:44’s climax is its title track, in which Jay reveals and apologizes for his marital wrongdoings, then this two-part song is the resolution. On it, Hov discusses the healing and reconciliation process, candidly remembering the ways the turbulence in his marriage played out in the public (“Look at all we been through since last August / Skating through the rumors like, ‘Aw, shit!’”). He’s not as somber as he sounds on “4:44” — at times he’s even playful and a little cerebral — but Jay conveys the difficulty of continuing a relationship after someone majorly messes up.
205. “A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier,” The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse (2002): For the first half of his career, Jay-Z didn’t get enough credit for the conscious content implanted in his rhymes. This is one of his more overt examples — over a dreary piano backdrop, he compares the plight of soldiers to that of street hustlers. It’s not the most novel analogy, but this post-9/11 metaphor is especially resonant: “Bin Laden been happenin’ in Manhattan / Crack was anthrax back then, back when / Police was Al-Qaeda to black men.”
204. “Spiritual,” Tidal (2016): The unfortunate reality about this plea for an end to police brutality is that it was recorded years before it hit the public, yet felt timely when it finally dropped as a response to the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. “I am not poison / Just a boy from the hood that / Got my hands in the air / In despair don’t shoot,” he rhymes.
203. “What We Talkin’ About,” The Blueprint 3 (2009): Jay clears the air to open his 11th solo studio album, shrugging off insignificant chatter over futuristic keys.
202. “Crown,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): It’s crazy to think that Jay-Z went from ducking police and clashing with enemies in the streets to participating in hip-hop battles that seemed ready to erupt into real-life violence to songs like this Travis Scott–assisted affair, in which he taunts a corporate rival: professional sports agent Scott Boras.
201. “The Streets,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): If anyone out there has a doctored, R. Kelly–free version of Best of Both Worlds, please tweet it to me @youngJFK. Thx!
200. “Salud!” B-Side (2018): Why this song was omitted from Everything Is Love’s track list is anyone’s guess. Production duo Cool & Dre creates a woozy ambience on which the Carters stunt about the fruits of their success as only they can. “Your president tweeting about Hov like he knows us / My road to the top was to take what you owe us / I give a fuck what that man find vulgar / Just look in my eyes when you toast us,” Jay raps — an effective political clapback in under 280 characters.
199. “Crew Love,” Belly: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1998): Jay-Z is relegated to hook duty here, supervising Roc underclassmen Memphis Bleek and the newly signed Beanie Sigel, who packs his verse with a bevy of clever Monopoly references.
198. “Face Off,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997): Jay-Z’s lyrics about love have evolved since releasing this hump-and-dump anthem with Sauce Money. They’re a formidable tag team no matter the subject matter, and the fun they’re having here is palpable.
197. “Minority Report,” Kingdom Come (2006): A sullen, time-capsule take on the socioeconomic injustice of the U.S. government’s piss-poor Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Jay’s words make the song cry and Dr. Dre’s piano keys sound like teardrops.
196. “Snoopy Track,” Vol. 3 … Life and Times of S. Carter (1999): Jay-Z’s fourth studio album continued hip-hop’s growing shift away from regionalism. He’d already shown love to burgeoning New Orleans star Juvenile by blessing his breakout single, “Ha,” with a complementary remix verse the previous year. Juvie returns the favor here, sing-rapping a gruff hook over Timbaland’s revved-up instrumental, while Jay’s tempered flow panders to Dirty South listeners, insisting, “It’s for the black culture.”
195. “There’s Been a Murder,” Vol. 3 … Life and Times of S. Carter (1999): Jay-Z brings you back to the days before he was a world-known star, recalling shoot-outs and high-speed cop chases, and summing up his plight with this simile-metaphor hybrid: “See my life is like a seesaw/ And until I move this weight it’s gon’ keep me to the floor.” It’s a morose three-and-a-half minutes that sink an often upbeat LP.
194. “Only a Customer,” Streets Is Watching Soundtrack (1998): This song is built around an unexciting Mary J. Blige sample. But Jay’s lyrics are sharp as he contemplates whether the need for the finer things in life is worth the risks attached to selling weight.
193. “Anything,” The Truth (2000): Jay hijacks a bonus slot on Beanie’s debut to house this heartfelt dedication to his mom, nephews, and musical and business partners. But it’s docked for it’s Oliver! sample, a formula jacked from “Hard Knock Life” that didn’t pay dividends the second time around.
192. “30 Something,” Kingdom Come (2006): This was an awkward stage in Jay’s career. He boasts about his maturity, which entails everything from smoking Cuban cigars to maintaining an excellent credit score. Congrats? It’s elitist, but still, Jay’s lyrical interplay with Dr. Dre’s simple piano riff works.
191. “Somewhere in America,” Magna Carta … Holy Grail (2013): A rumination on cultural and socioeconomic politics — basically, the tanning of America — over a funky horn loop.
190. “Break Up to Make Up,” The Best of Both Worlds (2001): Why angry, intense sex is the best: a special report by R.
Kelly and Jay-Z.
189. “Legacy,” 4:44 (2017): Breezy horns add a sweet, mellow ambience to a track about maximizing generational wealth and erasing inherited family traumas.
188. “Party Life,” American Gangster (2007): This song sounds nothing like its title suggests. Hov spits some fly-ass talk about his couture, superstar wife, and overall cool-guy quintessence, as he’s been known to do so effortlessly.
187. “Honey,” The Best of Both Worlds (2002): Knowing R. Kelly’s real-life vices really reframes these collaborative projects, even making once-gleaming standouts like this one unlistenable.
186. “100$ Bill,” The Great Gatsby: Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Film (2013): Over a frenetic E*Vax beat, Hov points out the hypocrisy behind man’s relationship with the almighty dollar. Unsurprisingly, there’s coke talk too. It’s a wonder that Jay is still finding new ways to rap about moving weight, playing on everyone from Albert Einstein to Marvin Gaye to Taylor Swift to metaphorically describe his past life.
185. “Top Off,” Father of Asahd (2018): DJ Khaled just can’t help himself — he’ll return to the well again and again once he finds a fruit-bearing formula. The producer rounds up his “I Got the Keys” and “Shining” collaborators for this frenetic ode to convertible Maybachs that feels a bit too familiar (Future’s hook is unbearable). A then-incarcerated Meek Mill receives shoutouts from Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
184. “8 Miles and Running,” 8 Mile: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture (2002): Jay throws his success in the faces of those who doubted he’d find a fruitful career in music.
183. “Stop,” Blueprint 2.1 (2003): Making hits seemed so easy for Hov around this time. This one might be forgotten among the surplus of turn-up tracks if it weren’t still a mainstay in the throwback portion of New York City DJs’ party playlists.
182. “Oh My God,” Kingdom Come (2006): A high-energy Just Blaze banger that feels like it’s seeking the combustible high of “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” — there’s that same buildup to hard drums and guitar stabs. On the track, Jay skims through his life story, from growing up without a father to sonning his rap competition.
181. “The City Is Mine,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997): The eulogy to late friend Biggie Smalls feels heartfelt, but Jay’s posturing as rap’s next in line here is unconvincing.
180. “Jigga That Nigga,” The Blueprint (2001): A rare but necessary deviation from the soul samples that shaped Jay-Z’s second classic LP. Poke and Tone cue up a catchy synth-based beat perfect for Jigga’s flossy rhymes (sample: “I am, killing ’em out there, they needing first aid / Cause the boy got more 6s than first grade”).
179. “That’s My Bitch,” Watch the Throne (2011):