Favorite Jay-Z album?

Honestly for me it's a slam dunk choice, and only 2 real contenders, with Blueprint easily winning for me and Reasonable Doubt coming in 2nd. The only other album of his I ever listen to besides those is American Gangster, Jay tryin' to act all flashy isn't a good look IMO. Who ya got?

to me its easily Reasonable Doubt, then the Blueprint and Black Album. The only other CD of his i listen to is In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

The Blueprint is my favorite easily.

Reasonable Doubt is my favorite, with Blueprint a close 2nd.

Seriously though, I like ALL of Jay's albums save for Blueprint 2 and Kingdom Come.

Blueprint...

I can't even sit through a full listening of Reasonable Doubt.

WOW Norf, you're obviously not a Jay fan. I think his rhymes on RD were better by far.

Blueprint was a dope album, but I think the production carried it moreso than the lyrics, not to say that the lyrics were bad, they just paled in comparison to RD's IMO.

Nah, I would say I'm a Jay fan, I have all of his albums, but I simply can't get into that album. I find albums like Vol. 3 way more enjoyable.

Call me crazy... LOL

My favorite Jay albums are Blueprint, Vol. 3, and The Black Album

Blueprint all day and Nor i'm really surprised with the Vol. 3 pick that rarely gets luv. My top 3 Jay albums are:

Blueprint
Black Album
Vol. 1

One of the best to ever do it easily..

1.Reasonable Doubt
2.In My Lifetime Vol 1
3.American Gangster

those are the top 3 for me....also I like his wife too, but that's for another topic..lol

"I can't even sit through a full listening of Reasonable Doubt."

Go tell C. Tran that and see if he attacks you with a bicycle kick. And then tell That Juice that, and see if he gets hard

American Gangster, Powell?

Powell thinks Blueprint is overrated. If not for Change Clothes, I'd pick the Black Album over Reasonable Doubt. As it is Reasonable Doubt may actually be the better album, but i play the Black Album way more often becuase it has more of my favorite Jay-Z songs.

I love American Gangster Shaun...The Black Album is number 4 for me and then in 5th place comes Blueprint for me

Cool. American Gangster fits into number 5 for me... everything below 5, I can't listen to

Blueprint, no question about it.

Let's take it back a minute, did you ever hear The Originators feat. Jay Z and The Jaz? That's some SICK rhyming.

There's only one answer to this question...fools

Lmao @ the Kingdom Come vote

AFutureWithoutAPast wrote:

Lmao @ the Kingdom Come vote

lol...that was me. I was wondering how long it would take for somebody to comment on that. Apparently not very long. lol

I'm not really a fan though...

Zoltar wrote:

Blueprint, no question about it.

Let's take it back a minute, did you ever hear The Originators feat. Jay Z and The Jaz? That's some SICK rhyming.

You must be talking about "Jigga What, Jigga Who", Yeah I love that song. It's on Vol 2 which is about my 4th fav Jay-Z album.

I go back and forth between "Blueprint" and "Reasonable Doubt". I guess you can call them 1a and 1b. 3rd would be "The Black Album" and 4th would be "American Gangster". I really don't care about the rest.

KJ Styles wrote:

You must be talking about "Jigga What, Jigga Who", Yeah I love that song. It's on Vol 2 which is about my 4th fav Jay-Z album.

That would be Originators Part 2 (see: after Jay Z sold out)...



The Originators (see: before Jay Z sold out and actually gave a shit)...

Yeah, he sold out alright.

His concerts are always SOLD OUT, and his albums are usually SOLD OUT if you get to the store too late, LOL.

KRob86 wrote:

Blueprint all day and Nor i'm really surprised with the Vol. 3 pick that rarely gets luv.

Yeah, I'm not sure why people dismiss this album. Me being a Timbaland stan might have something to do with it. In my opinion, even though my favorite Hov & Timbo collab is on Blueprint (Hola Hovito), some of Jay and Timbaland's tightest collabs are on this album.

Then there are a few tracks that I think are outright classics:

So Ghetto (with Premo on the boards)
There's Been A Murder (I love this song...best song on the album, IMO) (Russ & Saf)
NYMP (Rockwilder)
Dope Man (Clue & DURO)
Do It Again (Rockwiklder)
Snoopy Track (Timbo)
Come And Get Me (Timbo)
It's Hot (Some Like It Hot) (Timbo)
Hova Song (Intro) (K. Rob No, seriously... lol) <---classic beat, IMO

Sadly enough, though, most people only remember it for Big Pimpin' (another Timbo joint)-- a song that makes me cringe every time that I hear it.

KJ Styles wrote:

Yeah, he sold out alright.

His concerts are always SOLD OUT, and his albums are usually SOLD OUT if you get to the store too late, LOL.

You've heard the Black album right? I'll leave it at that...

The Snoopy track and It's Hot are wack IMO.

Big Pimpin makes you cringe? You must not like UGK much. I thought they RIPPED IT!

I will agree with you that There's Been A Murder is the dopest song on the album though. Followed by Dope Man.

Kopasetick wrote:

KJ Styles wrote:

Yeah, he sold out alright.

His concerts are always SOLD OUT, and his albums are usually SOLD OUT if you get to the store too late, LOL.

You've heard the Black album right? I'll leave it at that...

Yes I did. You must be referring to "Moment Of Clarity" (which is the best song on the Black Album IMO)

Honestly, I don't blame him!! If you can sell 5 million, then why the fuck wouldn't you!

A lot of people diss Vol 2, but I thought it was a banger

Hard Knock Life (a dope twist on the Annie theme song)
Ride Or Die (an indirect Mase diss)
Jigga What Jigga Who (commercial or not, Jay dropped some slick lines on that track)
Money Cash Hoes (the remix was better, but the original was still bangin)
A Week Ago (My fav song on the album, real track about snitchin and how wack it is)
Coming Of Age 2 (I'm not a big Bleek fan but he did his thing here, as well as the original)
Can I Get A (Other than Amil's verse this song is hot, I like the message it's sending to gold-diggers)
Reservoir Dogs (My 2nd fav track on the album, everybody did their thing on this joint)
It's Alright (see Coming Of Age 2)
Money Ain't A Thang (JD is really an underrated producer. He's a sub-par rapper but his beats are bangin)

Overall it's 4.25 stars IMO.

KJ Styles wrote:

The Snoopy track and It's Hot are wack IMO.

I'll concede Snoopy Track (that's more a beat pick for me anyway) but It's Hot is dope from top to bottom and it even contains the infamous 50 Cent jab. Timbo did his thing on the boards.

Vol 3 is probably my favorite Jay album, even if it's not his best. It's the album I always go back to and the one where he's at his most clever IMO.

1. The Blue Print
2. Reasonable Doubt
3. The Black Album

All of which are 5 stars to me......

I'm with Norf on the Vol. 3 pick also, I have it rated at 4.5.

Jay is no sell out.

lol shut the fuck up kev, bunnies could be shuckin and jivin eatin friend chicken in their underwear on tv and they aren't a sellout in your eyes.

jay is the epitome of sellout.

Steve wrote:

jay is the epitome of sellout.

Co-Sign. What I don't get is Jay owning up to it more than his fans do...

In my view, I can acknowledge the flaws and still like an artist. I like Jay's albums, but there's no denying his sellout status. He made selling out cool and that opened the floodgates for the lames that followed him. The only thing that separates him from said lames is his skill level. If he rhymed like Thrill Da Playa, he'd have been dismissed with such a quickness...

Just look at the tracklist for Blueprint 3. This isn't even the worst he's done, and it stills shows the sellout

So does an artist have to stay poor and rhyme about the hood every track not to be considered a sellout?

So what if he makes some commercial tracks! Truth be told, you have to make some commercial tracks in order to sell records. If he didn't, he'd be another one of those artists who struggle to go Gold. He wasn't content with that, so he dropped some commercial stuff in order to double his sales, as he explained on the Black Album's Moment Of Clarity.

In that song, he also said "I can't help out the poor if I'm one of them/so I got rich and gave back/to me that's a win-win/so next time you see me and my rims spinning/remember my mind's spinnin just like them/the rims that is."

So basically, he hasn't forgotten where he's came from. That is a trait of a sellout. Jay Z has opened the doors for MANY artists, as well as become an entrepreneur.

If someone isn't a Jay fan then that's fine, but to call him a sellout is completely inaccurate. Sellouts fuck the rap game up, Jigga's enhanced it, and let artists know that ANYTHING in the rap game is possible.

lol, how has jay enhanced it moron? what artist has jay ever put on, with the exception of sigel (which was independent of jay really) that is any good? now he's co-signing wayne, jeezy, drake, kid cudi, etc, etc. you can say he's not a sellout, but get NY's dick out ya ass dogg. he is the DEFINITION of a sellout, why you think his boy Jaz-O even ridin' on him now Game.

You're not even worth debating because you can't talk to anyone without insulting them.

Kanye blew up because of Jay-Z. Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and some of the members of State Property are very talented. He also put on Rihanna, Ne-Yo, and Teria Marie (who pissed her career away, which wasn't Jay's fault) and was briefly president of Def Jam.

What has Jay done to "sell out"? Jaz-O is jealous of him because he never had the success that Jay did. Nobody was playin that wack ass Hawaiian Sophie shit back then. Instead of hatin, he should have shown Jay love when he did Jigga What Jigga Who with him on Vol 2.

As for co-signing those artists. While I'm not a fan of those cats, they are a part of hip-hop. The definition of a sellout is somebody who EXPLOITS hip-hop and tries to make it something that it's not. Hammer did that, Vanilla Ice did that, Souljah Boy did that, Jay Z's NOT doing that.

Instead, he's showin cats that it is possible to blow up in the rap game. Like him or not, he's the most successful East Coast MC in the history of the game.

KJ don't waste your time trying to explain this simple shit, Jay is no sell out he did not TRY or come into the game to sell out. The man just so happened to have music a lot of people really like. So fucking what? He's a diverse artist that can switch from str8 hard to smooth to club and still keep his shines.

Another thing where would mainstream hip hop be without Jay Z? I mean think about he is one of the rare exceptions to the rule of what type of artist you have to be to have success.

Jay has pretty much been doing the same music since day one but some of the naysayers just have to find small flaws that all artists have but try to make Jay's so much bigger. I understand why this happens because he is a big fish in a small pond mainstream wise.

"If he rhymed like Thrill Da Playa, he'd have been dismissed with such a quickness..."

Lol what's wrong with Thrill Da Playa? He's obviously not a lyricist but he's not bad.

Kevin is especially stupid, and KJ is just blinded by his new york bias. The whole definition of a sellout is a musician changing their music to SELL, something which Jay-z has done, and has admitted to on many times to switching styles or dumbing down his rhymes to SELL. case over, you can pretend your boy hasn't done that, but he has.

So you really think Jay actually does songs he does not want to do? Just because you switch up your production on a few trks or make a radio friendly hook does not make you a sell out. Is Jay rapping like Jeezy or Soulja Boy? Thats dumbing down your lyrics, now I wouldn't doubt Jay tones down his lyrics for certain singles but when you are one of the best to do it you can do that.

KJ Styles wrote:

So does an artist have to stay poor and rhyme about the hood every track not to be considered a sellout?

That is so far from the point. The dumbing down of lyrics (which he admits to) and following of trends makes him a sellout (amongst other things)...

Nor you have said nothing that truly supports Jay is a sellout, if Jay is a sell out so is every rapper from the late 80's - early 90's who had a radio trk.

Jay has admitted to dumbing down his songs thats a fact

I know that but what rapper that has been really successful hasn't? I was just reading Kool Moe's book again and I agree with what he says about for hip hop to stay relevant rappers must to a extent dumb down their rhymes. That is not selling out that is versatility imo, can we honestly say Jay rhymes are dumb or str8 stupid? No. Jay is just a versatile rapper, no one calls Kane or RunDmc sell outs so how is Jay one?

KRob86 wrote:

I know that but what rapper that has been really successful hasn't? I was just reading Kool Moe's book again and I agree with what he says about for hip hop to stay relevant rappers must to a extent dumb down their rhymes. That is not selling out that is versatility imo, can we honestly say Jay rhymes are dumb or str8 stupid? No. Jay is just a versatile rapper, no one calls Kane or RunDmc sell outs so how is Jay one?

Too many holes in that post. I'll start with the most obvious...

1) Kane didn't dumb down anything. If he did, please point it out because I'm unaware of it.

2) Run DMC came out in the early 80's. If you know anything about that era, you know that dumbing down was pretty much impossible back then. They actually improved their flows -- peep King of Rock and then give Down With The King a spin. Night and day.

3) All the dumbing down and emphasis on "versatility" started in the Big & Pac era, so trying to find it before then is sort of a moot point. Cats were doing it before (like Heavy D), but it wasn't so emphasized and heavily scrutinized until Pac told people what his formula was and dick riders started biting.

4) Plenty of rappers have been successful without selling out. I guess it all depends on how you define success, but Tupac was wildly successful without changing a thing. That's why people went ape shit over him. LL Cool J was successful as well. After he dumbed it down, he was dropped like a bad habit in terms of success is concerned. Do you own a copy of Todd Smith? Exactly...

A few successful rappers who reached their peaks without selling out:

Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Wu Tang Clan, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and...wait...

Just pick up The Fugees second album... Show me where they sold out...

Pick up Reasonable Doubt and then pick up Kingdom Come and tell us all with a straight face that there isn't a very noticeable difference in his flow. When he dumbed it down, that was a sellout move because his original approach is what got him to that position and he proceeded to abandon it once success was within reach. That's what makes a rapper a sellout (amongst other things).

I mean, come on...

And y'all talkin' like we don't like Jay or something. I like the dude, but me liking his albums doesn't blind me to what the facts are. Facts that he owns up to quicker than anyone else.

Defenses go up quick when his name comes up. Y'all wouldn't listen even if Jay himself logged onto the forum and told y'all again that he sold out.

"I Get The Job Done" Nor? What about the single with Barry White where he is talking all smooth over trk? I'm going to ask anyway but I know you have does Walk THis Way ring a bell Nor? What was that? Now these are not sell out to me either but they are attempts at single ready songs. Jay had trks like Ain't No bunny, Can't Knock The Hustle, Sunshine, etc etc when he 1st came out. Of course there is a dang difference between RD and KC it's called over 10yrs! I mean get off that, you and I are not the same people 100% we were 10 yrs ago right?

And like I have told you and others before I could see if Jay came out like Public Enemy when he 1st dropped and then now of a sudden he's the teflon don but Jay came out about money and respect. Look at the damn album cover of RD I see a man that wants to rep money and power. What do you see Nor? So what is Jay rapping about these days Nor hmmm let's see....the same shit pretty much. Only thing that has changed is how many saving accounts he has now. Offenses go up quick when his name comes up.

definition of nut rider norm...don't even bother lol ^^^^^

I have to agree with Norf and Steve on this one and I love Jay-Z

It's no secret that he has sold out many times over to improve his sales and stature in the game but what has always "saved" him was his actual skills on the mic, which is why he enters into my top ten emcees of all-time (number 7 to be exact)

his mic skills are no joke, his flow is no joke and even his voice although annoying sometimes is his calling card as well, he has crafted some of the most memorable hip-hop songs of all-time but he has also "sold-out" with the best of 'em which is why heads like Jeezy and Lil Wayne and Drake all want an emcee of Jay's stature on their projects...they would NEVER request a KRS-One or a Buckshot or a Sadat X or a Canibus for their projects because there's not more exposure involved in dealing with those types of emcees...and it doesn't help out with their bottomline which is record sales....something that heads like Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Kanye West have all become obsessed with, and I mean I can't fully blame them, if they wanted to make "regular" money then they could've become accountants or applied at Staples...lol...

Well by that theory success=sellout point blank period and thats some of the dumbest shit ever. Every artists that was ever popular is a sell out than even if they still have "mic skills" and they still rep the artform lord forbid you have hit singles and makes a lot of money. Hey only make songs like You Must Love Me and Meet The Parents and put those out as singles all the time. Why have a goodtime on trks? Why have a dope ass beat everyone can vibe too? Why do concerts? I mean like I said if Jay is a sell out so is 70-75% of the srtists from the late 80's and early 90's.

Let's look at his single history so you guys can see in plain ole english why he is not a sell out just a well rounded artist you guys want to make one dimensional:

Singles

RD
Can't Knock The Hustle- talking about guys like y'all having a problem with him wanting to make it.

Dead Presidents- yeah what a sell out trk huh?

Aint No N- telling a girl how she will never meet a cat that can do what he does to her. Nice radio friendly sample and feat. an up and coming female rapper that can spit..remember?

Vol. 1
City Is Mine- proclaiming himself as the new king of NY
Streets Is Watching
Who You Wit- attempt at radio spins but true to form imo.
Where I'm From
Sunshine- attempt at radio spins but true to form imo.

So here you got 2 out of 4 songs that can be said to be "pop" I guess..lol. What a sell out huh?

Vol. 2 (these next two albums are where he crossed over at due to the sinlges not because he changed who we was)
Hardknock Life- Have any of you listened to these lyircs? No it is not a deep song and yes you used a Annie sample but that beat was not poppish it banged.

N What N Who- With all the cussing in this damn song where's the big sell out attempt in it? Sound like he wanted to make a hit street record. Also took his ole school mentor off the streets and put him on a major single. He took the risk of putting a unknown old school cat on his single..damn he's sure selling out.

Can I Get A....- Another obvious single attempt but true to form. Jay has always had trks like this..Aint No, Who You Wit, anyone?

Money Ain't A Thing- ahh a trk talking about what Jay has talked about since his 1st album..money.

It's Like That

Vol. 3
Do It Again- bangin club trk with a hip hop quotables in it? sell out? GTFOH..lol. I still see a trend from his first album radio friendly trks mixed in with stree lyrics.

Big Pimpin- yeah what a way to sell out and put some unknown nationwide grp on your big single? He could have put Nelly, DMX, Black Eued Peas, Ja Rule, but he got UGK. Sell out?

Girls Best Friend- a concept song that went with a motion picute. He could have got on the trk and just said how much he luv's diamonds but he turned it to a concpet trk.

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
I Just Wanna Love You- another big single with lyrical content though, but guess what he has been doing it since RD.

Gulity Until Proven- don't get mad because he had sense enough to mix a message to the government with a up tempo beat and put Kell's on the hook. Thats smart not sell out because the content is still true to him.

Blueprint
Izzo- kind of like the 2000 version of City Of Mine

Girls Girls- a tight ass concept record that he could have easily just rapped about well...girls.

Never Change- Oh shit hold the press a single about not knowing how to maintain a relationship....lyrics anyone? Sell out?...lol.

Blueprint 2
Bonnie & Clyde- now this one song I can see as a str8 bullshit sell out record.

Excuse Me Miss- Once again do not focus so much on the outside of the package (hook, smooth beat) focus on the inside of it which would be the lyrics.

Black Album
Encore
Change Clothes
99 Problems- no one rembers thisrecord huh? it has sell out written all over it....lames.
Dirt Off Your Shoulders/Public Service Announcment- Guess why he made this song...(hint) read some of the post in this thread.

Kingdom Come
Show Me What You Got
Lost One- could have eaily just put out these other singles but he chose one with substance.
30 Something
Hollywood- Another message song but if you focus on the outside to much you will miss the good filling.

American Gangster
A whole album roughly based off a major motion picture, a concept album that took a little thought from the biggest sell out in hip hop?? Man this is crazy.