Jay Z is arguably the best alive right now and one of my personal favorites. He is sure to go down as a Hip Hop legend. Here are some of his best songs…
#10- Can’t Knock The Hustle, Featuring Mary J. Blige
Can’t Knock The Hustle is the critically acclaimed third song off of Jay Z’s first album, Reasonable Doubt, a definite classic. With a smooth beat, Jay’s never disappointing lyrical performance, and Mary J. Blige on the hook, you can’t go wrong. If you have never heard this song you need to right now, and if you have, listen to it again.
Favorite Line:
“Chilly with enough bail money to free a Big Willy/high stakes, I got more at stake than Philly”
#9- Can I Live
Can I live is also off of Jay Z’s debut album Reasonable doubt. It has a slow beat, not much of a hook at all, but Jay Z delivers cool lyrics in this mellow song.
Favorite Line:
“While I’m watchin every nigga watchin me closely/
my shit is butter for the bread they wanna toast me/
I keep my head, both of them where they supposed to be”
#8- Takeover (Nas and Mobb Deep Diss)
Takeover was a diss track directed mostly at Nas but also to Prodigy of Mobb Deep. It was ranked #2 on XXL’s list of greatest diss tracks of all-time. Jay Z calls out Prodigy saying that he took ballet classes and disses Mobb Deep’s most famous song, “Shook Ones Pt. II”. After that he goes after Nas, saying that he only produces one hot album every ten year average and questions his flow among other things. This diss track was sick and it started one of the most famous beefs ever. Nas later released the song “Ether” which is also considered one of the greatest diss tracks ever.
Favorite Line(s):
“I don’t care if you Mobb Deep, I hold triggers to crews/
You little fuck, I’ve got money stacks bigger than you”
“I showed you your first tec on tour with Large Professor/
(Me, That’s Who!) Then I heard your album bout your tec on the dresser”
#7- Public Service Announcement
If you can name a better interlude to an album I would like to know. The beat is hot, Jay Z’s lyrics come hard and his punchlines drop even harder. This is a song you can’t listen to without singing along.
Favorite Line:
“Let me tell you dudes what I do to protect this/
I shoot at you actors like movie directors (Laughing)/
This ain’t a movie dog (Oh shit)”
#6- 99 Problems
In this song Jay Z tells a story about his ventures as a drug dealer and one day when a cop pulled him over and tried to look around his car in which he had drugs. Jay uses his wit to get out of the situation. This song is clever, and has a great beat produced by Rick Rubin (The Hippie/Caveman/Co-Founder of Def Jam, Founder of American Records, And co-head of Columbia Records).
Favorite Line:
“Nah, I ain’t pass the bar but I know a little bit/
Enough that you won’t illegally search my shit”
#5- Hovi Baby
Hovi Baby may not be one of Jay Z’s most popular songs but this song is crazy lyrically and has a pretty good beat produced by Just Blaze. This song has so many sick lines I can’t choose a favorite.
#4- Encore
Encore you might remember as the song that was mixed with “Numb” by Linkin Park and went on to win a grammy. But standing alone the Kanye West produced song was great.
Favorite Line:
“Who you know fresher than Hov’? Riddle me that/
The rest of yall know where I’m lyrically at/
Ain’t none of y’all miror me back/
Yeah hearin me rap is like hearin G. Rap in his prime”
#3- Hard Knock Life
With a sample from the musical “Annie” as the chorus Jay Z chronicles his rise to the top in this classic.
Favorite Line:
“I flow for chicks wishin, they ain’t have to strip to pay tuition/
I see you vision mama, I put my money on the longshots/
All my ballers that’s born to clock”
#2- What More Can I Say
What More Can I Say by Jay Z was probably the first song I knew by heart. Jay Z’s flow and use of “multis” on this track is incredible.
Favorite Line:
(In This Case It Is a Few)
“And no i ain’t get shot up a whole bunch of times
Or make up shit in a whole bunch of lines
And i ain’t animated, like say a, Busta Rhymes
But the real shit you get when you bust down my lines
Add that to the fact i went plat a bunch of times
Times that by my influence
On pop culture
I supposed to be number one on everybody’s list
We’ll see what happens when i no longer exist
Fuck this”
And The #1 Song Is…
Dead Presidents Pt. II
This song about “the underworld of drug dealing” is nothing less than Jay Z’s best. The chorus was originally part of Nas’ song, “The World Is Yours” and Nas was asked to appear on the song re-doing the chorus and also to be in the video but he declined. This was the start of beef between the two.
Favorite Line:
“And you fake thugs is Unplugged like MTV/
Empty three, take your treasure, my pleasure/
Dead presidents, politics as usual”
Sidenotes:
I didn’t add “Brooklyn’s Finest” because I didn’t add any of his songs where someone else had a verse. If I had I would have also added “Renegade”.
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