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Jay-z's Discography


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 of Mind, and Run This Town. Ultimately the album fails to reach the incredible BP1. Nonetheless its going to be hard for “Old” Hova to top this album.

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 Bleek…he even has a sample of Nas on my favorite song up here (Dead Presidents II). It’s easy to see why this album is a classic.

5 stars
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