Jay-z is one of the
most successful, most versatile rappers in the game. He is arguably the best
rapper alive. I’m taking a look at his discography.
Magna Carta Holy
Grail-Jay’s MCHG album is very very good, but I cant help but feel it
failed to live up the hype that surrounded it. There aren’t any really stellar
tracks besides Part II with Beyonce…..and
maybe a few others. However the good news is the album has no weak songs on it;
making it a little more cohesive than BP3. I really like the fact that there aren’t
many guest features….also Jay does some experimenting here, but its nothing way
out there.
4.25 stars
The Blueprint 3-
BP3 is one of Jay’s best albums. The production is stellar, and Jay’s lyrics
are pretty consistent. There’s a lot of hits on the album, but the first half
is the better half with hits like D.O.A.,
Empire State
4.25 stars
American Gangster- For
the most part A.G. tells a story of a rise and fall. Jigga hasn’t been this
lyrical in years. Some of my favorite songs here are Blue Magic, Roc Boys,
Hello Brooklyn, and Ignorant S***. The album also has some pretty cohesive
beats, and the concept of the album is very good for the most part.
4 stars
Kingdome Come- Jay’s
coming out of retirement album is clearly not his best lyrical performance but
this album has some pretty explosive beats. Kingdome Come and Show Me What You
Got Are some of my favorites. There are some lackluster songs like Beach Chair
which actually closes out the album. Lost Ones and Trouble are some other good
tracks. It seems like Jay was a little rusty even though he had been rapping
during his retirement period.
3.25
The Black Album- The
best rapper alive had to retire with a bang, and he did that on this album.
There are no bad songs, and no guest rap verses. The beats are almost all from
different producers and it still sounds cohesive someow. This is just a stellar
“Swan Song” for Jay-z….Hova hasn’t been able to top this album and its been
almost 10 years since this came out. Favorite songs are Dirt off Your Shoulder, 99
Problems, and Public Service
Announcement.
4.75 stars
The Blueprint 2- BP2
is a double disc, “The Gift and the Curse”. I think the Gift disc is better. It
seemed Jay was willing to try a lot of different techniques and styles to try
and top his masterpiece the Blueprint 1. The album has some really good songs
like 03’ Bonnie & Clyde with Beyonce, The
Watcher 2 with Dr. Dre, Guns & Roses with Lenny Kravitz, U Don’t Know
Remix, 2 Many Ho**, and Excuse Me Miss. Overall it’s a good album.
3.5
The Blueprint—Jay
took the NYC crown with this one. It’s a classic no doubt. BP1 has some of the
best beats I’ve ever heard, and Jay also has the lyrical prowess to match.
Noone steals the show from him…except on Renegade, where Eminem raps “Tight”.
Jigga goes at Nas and Mobb Deep really hard on Takeover. Izzo and Girls Girls
Girls are also great songs. Song Cry is
a sad love song. All in all I’d say this is not only Jay’s best album but also
a top 5 rap album period.
5 stars
Dynasty Roc la Familia-
It’s obvious Jay really wanted to push his Rocafella crew forward on this
one. He sounds like a guest on his own album. It is good however. Memphis
Bleek, Freeway, and Beanie Siegel all lend their talents.
3 stars
Vol. 3…Life and Times
of S.C.- Another good album from Jigga. Jay enlists some top notch producers
such as Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. This album is simply better than Hard Knock
Life. U see more of Jay’s current style start to emerge on this album. My
favorite tracks include Things That U Do,
It’s Hot (Some Like it Hot), Dope Man, and Big Pimpin.
3.75
Hard Knock Life, Vol
2- Arguably the album that gave Jay a lot of his commercial success. There
are a lot of guest spots and for the most part they are well used. However some
songs are clearly filler. On the other hand there’s the album title track
and Money Ain’t a Thing which are
excellent songs..
3.5 stars
In My Lifetime, Vol 1-
A great sequel to RD. Jay’s lyrics
are great here. Jay gets better production on this album than on RD. Imaginary
Player, The City is Mine, Street’s Is Watchin, and I Know what Girls Like are
all great songs.
4.75 stars
Reasonable Doubt- Jay’s
debut album is best lyrically without question. Jay spits really fast as he is
joined by the Notorious B.I.G. Foxy Brown, and Memphis
5 stars