Tell me your favourite Jay-Z song

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I was originally going to give this a trolling title like 'Jay-Z is overrated, change my mind' but I have had a terrible week and I don't want people to even accidentally think I am serious

So I haven't been in a mood to listen to hip hop for a few years, and I just recently finally got back in the mood for it

I am far from a novice with hip hop, I have listened to a lot of it but I never really connected with Jay-Z despite his huge reputation

I do like a lot of boom bap, and I have tried with Jay-Z - I just cannot enjoy Reasonable Doubt however much I try to.

I have listened to The Carters and quite liked that; I enjoy most of 4:33, and I tried both the Black Album and The Blueprint this week and found a few songs I liked; I have had Watch the Throne since it came out and still basically only like 'No Church in the Wild'

There are loads of articles I could read or reviews or whatever but I really enjoy personally recommending music to people and much prefer people personally recommending stuff to me, so I would be most interested in what your favourite Jay-Z songs are. And if you feel like it, tell me why! I would be most interested.

While we're at it, outside of Cardi B, the early Lizzo stuff and Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick and Drake, I have been out of the loop on almost all rap since 2016 or so, so if you just have other rap recommendations from the last few years (especially from rappers who weren't particularly well known until that point as I may have just heard none of their music) then feel free to fire away on that too

I generally like quite hard hitting beats; if it remotely informs your decision, other hip hop I like:
- Notorious BIG (pre death)
- Eminem (up to and including Recovery)
- Public Enemy (especially around 1991)
- NWA
- 2Pac (mainly pre death)
- Kendrick Lamar (didn't like TPAB or the new one much)
- Odd Future and their various solo albums and tapes up until about 2014, especially Earl
- Dr Dre, especially Compton
- Skinnyman
- early The Streets
- early Dizzee Rascal
- Drake, especially More Life
- Wu-Tang clan and their solo albums until about 1997 (although I didn't like Supreme Clientele)
- A$AP Rocky until 2015 or so

There's definitely more but that's all I can think of

[salz4life]

I love great beats.... Dirt Off Your Shoulder is one of my all time favorites.

[Deleted]

Hard Knock Life.

Just love everything about this from the song itself to the video.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Either Show Me What You Got or Hey Papi. He has more iconic songs, but I’d be here all day going through his catalog and those two get a lot of play on my devices.

[Spider2024]

I'll go with Big Pimpin, because I also like good beats.

[Cyno]

N***** in Paris is such a damn good beat. Kanye's on the track, too, but it was when Kanye was still good.

99 Problems is great, too. And Hard Knocked Life. Public Service Announcement (Interlude) is a fun track off the Black Album.

[Jindrak Mark]

Lost One. One of his more personal tracks. The first verse is about falling out with his business partners. The second verse is about a relationship that didn't work out. The third verse is about his late nephew. There's a fantastic chorus from Chrisette Michele too.

PSA. It's short but it's one of the most hype tracks ever.

Heart of the City. Just a great song. 

U Don't Know. One of the hardest beats ever.

Renegade. Everyone always says Eminem killed him on this track but I think Jays verses are great too.

Fallin'. This is one I rarely hear anyone talk about really, even Jay fans, but I think it's one of his best.

Black Republican is a great track and it was a big deal at the time, being the first Nas/Jay-Z collaboration since they ended their long-standing rivalry.

It was overplayed to death during that 2009-11 period but Empire State of Mind is a classic New York anthem.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Regarding his deeper songs, This Can’t Be Life and Kill Jay Z are intense stuff.

[Killah Ray]

I literally replayed Allure for two hours the first time I heard it.

Beach Chair still gets a lot of listens as well…

[Renslayer]

Never Change is the one for me

[chazraps]

While not his best album, I think Jay's rapping was at its best on Volume 3. It was the first album of his where he really set trends whereas before he was following them.

The DJ Premier produced "So Ghetto" is a favorite. Sounds like it's just what you're looking for:

(language warning)



The next year he had the back-and-forth posse cut "Change the Game" with Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek that really shows how his flow, timing and turn of phrase compliment each other perfectly. Like, holy shit Jay at 2:27 through the end is as dope of a verse as any rapper had that decade.
(language warning)


I know Reasonable Doubt was mentioned, but while that's technically his debut album, he had been putting out singles since 1986's "HP Get Busy." The first half of the 90s, Jay had the quick-tongue style and was nice with it. He rhymes third on here but the whole track slaps.
(language warning)


Finally, while the version of Missy Elliot's "One Minute Man" with Ludacris and Trina is the more well known, there's a version that originally had Jay on it. This is just his verse isolated and it's really, really good.
(language warning)

[Urethra Franklin]

Some favourites of mine:

- "Dead Presidents II"

- "PSA"

- "Dear Summer" (It's on a Memphis Bleek album and he's not even on the song, oddly enough.)

- His verse on Jeezy's "Go Crazy" is great

[Mozenrath]

Decidedly not "The Story of OJ".

99 Problems is probably the song of his that comes to mind most often.

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

D'Evils off Reasonable Doubt: Jay's known in the mainstream for his braggadocio and playboy attitude, but here's a track that's about how he came up. The haunting piano track provides the perfect partner to some of Hov's most calculated and retrospective tracks on his debut.

[Venti]

The opening track from the Blueprint, The Ruler's Back. That song just has so much swagger and a great beat.

Really, most songs from Blueprint are my favorite Jay Z songs. I also love Izzo, and Renegade is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever.

[BorneAgain]

*language warning*

[Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite]

Where I'm From.

That shit is just so epic/ominous sounding.

I know this is the opposite of what this thread is about, but I just heard what is probably the WORST Jay-Z song yesterday

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZvaotunYPA

They def made the right choice in not releasing this

[Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite]

Also I think I might like The Grey Album more than the actual Black album.

for a project that could have just been a throw away novelty, Dangermouse was working his ass off on some of those beats

[S-Chrome]

Considering his vast catalog, it's very hard to nail down a very favorite. So I narrowed it down from Classic Jay (Reasonable Doubt through Black Album) and then Modern Jay (Kingdom Come through 4:44)

Classic Jay
1. U Don't Know: A rundown of his accomplishments mixed with his braggadocio over Just Blaze's finest track. Usually listen to it 2-3 times whenever it pops up in my playlist.
2. Can I Live & D'evils: Two standouts from what's arguably his best album.
4. There's Been A Murder: Though Vol. 3 is down there with Vol. 2 and Vol. 1 as his weaker efforts (in my opinion), this is best cut from the album.
5. Meet The Parents: One of his best storytelling tracks.
6. Moment of Clarity: It's not the best track from the Black Album, but it is my favorite.
7. Where I'm From: Though I'm no fan of Brooklyn, Jay paints a vivid picture of his hood over a haunting track.

Modern Jay
1. Already Home
2. American Dreamin'
3. Trouble
4. Kingdom Come: Another great Just Blaze production, flipping Rick James' Superfreak and Jay likening his return to rap as a superhero returning to save the day.
5. BBC: In my view, the best Jay-Z & Nas collaboration.

[DeeBee]

Gangsta's Paradise, of course.