From Worst to Best: Jay Z

Time to rank the albums of Great Hova! I call him great hova cause lets face it, he's not young anymore. I have omitted Dynasty Roc La Famlia....I just don't feel its a Jay album...it's more of a Roc A Fella album. . And I'm not including Collision Course(With Linkin Park) or the R.Kelly albums. Watch the Throne with Kanye will be on the list however.
With that out of the way lets get into it

12)

Blueprint 2-82 :BP2 is Jay’s effort right after his masterpiece album. The production is solid here. However Jigga was trying to many different things on here. Some were really effective like “03 Bonnie & Clyde” and others it didn’t. All in all his bars are not up to his usual standards…It is a double disc….so theres a lot of filler. Top Tracks: U Don’t Know (Remix), 03’ Bonnie & Clyde, Excuse Me Miss, Hovi Baby, The Watcher 2.

11)

Kingdom Come-84: Jay’s coming out of retirement party is decent…..The production is flashy but not that cohesive as other albums from him. The songs “I Made It” and “30 Something” are highly skippable, but nothing is worse than “Beach Chair” one of his worst songs. Lyrically its not that bad but again not up Jay Z’s incredible standards. There is also a good amount of guests too. Top Tracks: Lost One, Trouble, Show Me What You Got, Kingdome Come.

10)

Hard Knock Life, Vol. 2-87: Yes you read right, to me; Jay’s most commercially successful albums is one of his worst. Sure it’s got bangers on it, but outside of those it’s a tad shallow. Only a tad tho. I mean there’s huge guest list and everybody seems to add something good, like Amil and Ja Rule on “Can I Get A”. The production is really solid. This album is kind of the beginning of a new Jay Z compared to how he presented himself on his first 2 albums. TT: Hard Knock Life, Money Ain’t A Thing, Can I Get A, Nigga What Nigga Who.

9)

Vol. 3…The Life and Times of S. Carter-88: This 4^th Jay album is more of what we got from him on Vol. 2…but its better lyrically. I really like just about every song. Also there’s “Big Pimpin” with UGK. The production is also really good, but not quite as good as it was on HKL. TT: Dope Man, Snoopy Track, Big Pimpin’, It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot)

8)

American Gangster-90: Depending on who you ask or talk to, determines how people feel about AG. Jay came back in lyrical prime after a somewhat disappointing showing on KC. The problem here is some filler tracks and some of the production. However, the album is fire. I love the theme too. Can’t get this one on Itunes :P TT: Hello Brooklyn 2.0, Roc Boys, Ignorant Shit, Blue Magic.

7)
Watch the Throne-91: The rap duo album with Kanye West is really good. It sounds a little dated now, but that doesn’t mean its not great. The production is really solid. I feel Kanye more than holds his own with Jay Z here. They sound like associates not friends here. Not all the songs are bangers tho. Can we get a WTT 2? TT: Niggas in Paris, HAM, Otis, New Day, Gotta Have It.

6

6)

Magna Carta…Holy Grail-95: A lot of people seem to not like MCHG, but I love it. In fact, from this point on there’s just not a whole lot wrong with each album. The production is solid as is Jay’s bars. Some of the songs are too similar and not all that interesting. However its still got lots of catchy songs like “Tom Ford” and “Part II (OnThe Run). As of me writing this, this is his latest work,and it was certainly one of the best albums of 2013. TT: Somewhereinamerica, Part II, BBC, Oceans.

5)
Blueprint 3-95: This is a really solid album. The production is top notch and Jigga spits hard. The production was mostly handled by Kanye’s mentor, NoID. It’s one of those albums where it’s not easy to name the best song. I’m still not sure. It edged out MCHG but barely. Some songs like “Venus & Mars” have creative topics, but most of this is just well executed songs.My favorite track has to be “Run This Town”.  TT: Already Home, D.O.A., On to the Next One, Empire State of Mind, Run This Town.

4)
In My Lifetime Vol 1.-97: Jay Z’s second album is really underrated. One of the weaknesses though is its kind of like a more popish sounding Reasonable Doubt. However Jay’s lyricism is top notch here. There’s a good amount of guest spots too. The production ain’t bad either. It’s a very good record. TT: The City Is Mine, (Always Be My) Sunshine, I Know What Girls Like, Streets Is Watching.

3)

Black Album -99: This is arguably my favorite Jay album, and the one I’ve heard the most I think. From a technical aspect it’s flawless. The beats are so varied and different(due to different producers), yet they sound pretty cohesive. Lyrically Jay spits hard bars. “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and “Change Clothes” are two of his better songs and they’re back to back! He was supposed to retire off this album, and honestly he could have. TT: Dirt Off Your Shoulder, 99 Problems, Change Clothes, What More Can I Say.

2)

Reasonable Doubt-100: This album grew on me. I didn’t originally have it scored so high. The rhyming is complex and smooth. There’s a good amount of guest spots too. It’s easy to see why Jay’s career took off after this. “Brooklyn’s Finest” with Biggie Smalls is a great song, as is the iconic “Dead Presidents II”. Ultimately there’s just nothing wrong with this album. Its not #1 however. Top Tracks: Ain’t No Nigga, Brooklyn’ s Finest, D’Evils, Dead Presidents II.

1)

Blueprint -100: Okay so this is it, the Jigga’s magnum opus, and also a top 4 or 5 rap album all time imo. While The Black Album  was a contemporary masterpiece and Reasonable Doubt was a classic, the first Blueprint is better. The lyrics are really on point. So damn good that Jay seems bored with how easy it comes to him. The production (from the likes of TImbaaland, Eminem, Just Blaze, and Kanye West) is amazing. Sure Eminem upstaged him on Renagade, and Takeover wasn’t as vicious as Ether….but this is the one he’ll be remembered for. Top Tracks: Girls Girls Girls, Take Over, Izzo(HOVA), Heart of the City, Renegade, Song Cry.