The 83 Best Jay-Z Verses

83 essential JAY-Z verses, picked from solo studio albums, remixes, radio freestyles, and other classic ephemera from his dense catalog of music.

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Thirteen solo studio albums. Over two decades in the game. The Only Rapper To Rewrite History Without a Pen has given us enough scripture off the dome to fill ten phone books. The detractors love to mention Jay-Z's missteps, but the math will always be on his side: the prolific material outweighs, heavily, any perceived duds. There are so many gems to sift through, the very idea of sitting down to definitively rank his material is daunting and anxiety-inducing—especially for a superfan. Ranking songs almost seems easy by comparison of what Angel Diaz and I set out to do. Verses? My God. Even the so-called "bad albums" still contain head-spinning bars that brim with new layers on listen 17. Then there are the iconic radio freestyles, remixes, and features.

If it were up to us, this list would be in the hundreds, and that'd still only account for the undeniable grade-As. Overt lyrical dazzlers versus mainstream-ready "dumbed down for double dollars." Multiple, equally excellent "Dead Presidents." New fare that was classic-on-arrival, like his show-stopping Meek Mill feature. We settled on 80, and believe me we'll be losing sleep over the other classics we could've added for weeks to come. But what we have here is undeniable, with zero pandering to widespread public opinion. Just the best of the best, hands down, after months of whittling. Your fave probably couldn't fill a 50.

83. "Frontin'" (Verse 3)

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Producer: The Neptunes

Album: The Neptunes Present...Clones (2003)

Eight bars of effortlessness; near-distractingly brief, yet far from a mail-in. There's genius in brevity. Only Hova at his peak could give 20 seconds and still have his an essential contribution, and turn fellow living legend Denzel into a verb. —Frazier Tharpe

82. "Marcy to Hollywood" (Verse 1)

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Producer: DJ Clue & Duro

Album: Player’s Club OST (1998)

Some of you young bucks think 4:44 was when Jigga was at his most vulnerable, but this track dropped in the late ‘90s, and was officially released on the Player’s Ball (watch this classic if you haven't) soundtrack in ’98. In this verse, he talks about falling for a girl and dissing his friends, basically predicting his rise to fame. Jay has always been a prophet, that’s why they call him Hova! —Angel Diaz

81. "It's Like That" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Kid Capri

Album: Volume 2... Hard Knock Life (1998)

Q: How tight is Jigga's flow?

A: "I'm a motherfuckin problem, is this what you want?"

Jay leaves no bar wasted on Kid Capri's beat. The delivery may be laid back but, make no mistake, he's very much in every rapper's face, daring them to take the bait. Overachiever, indeed. —Frazier Tharpe

80. "We Made It" f/ Jay Electronica (Verse 2)

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Producer: Purp Dogg

Album: N/A (2014)

A stunning confirmation that, when he wants to, album rollouts be damned: Jigga can still jump in the booth and onto the hottest beat at the moment and like a "melatonin, black out at any given moment." (And a nice G-check to Drake that no shots, but nothing goes unseen, so "watch your tone.") —Frazier Tharpe

79. "Where Have You Been" f/ Beanie Sigel (Verse 2)

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Producer: Tété

Album: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)

I grew up with both parents, but my relationship with my pops could've been better. Through all of our disagreements, though, he was always there. Jay opening up about his father will always be Jay at his most heartfelt. You can hear the disappointed young kid in his voice here, always making me grateful that my father was around around. —Angel Diaz

78. "Gangsta Shit" w/ Ja Rule & DJ Clue (Verse 2)

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Producer: DJ Clue & Duro

Album: The Professional (1998) 

This is one of Jay’s funniest verses. “What you tellin’ the cops, huh? I’m taking your money and drugs?” Don’t quit your day jobs. —Angel Diaz

77. Pusha-T f/ Jay-Z & Pharrell Williams, “Neck & Wrist” (Verse 2)

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Producer: Pharrell Williams

Album: It’s Almost Dry (2022)

“Neck & Wrist” marks Pusha-T and Jay-Z’s first collaboration since 2016’s “Drug Dealers Anonymous,” and neither one of them came to play. Jay, in particular, laid down a saucy verse over Pharrell’s gritty production in which he issued some subliminals and addressed rumors swirling the media circuit. “The phase I’m on, love, I wouldn’t believe it either/ I’d be like, ‘Jay-Z’s a cheater,’ I wouldn’t listen to reason either,” Hov spits. The bar is in response to comedian Faizon Love, who attempted to discredit Jay’s reputation as a street hustler. Elsewhere on the track, Jay talks about comparisons and his legacy, rapping, “They like, “If Big was alive, Hov wouldn’t be in his position”/ If Big had survived, y’all would have got The Commission/Hov was gon’ always be Hov.” Jay’s verse on “Neck & Wrist” may not be as slick as some of the higher-ranked verses on this list, but it proves Hov’s still got the juice. —Jessica McKinney

76. DJ Khaled f/ Rick Ross, Lil Wayne & Jay-Z, “God Did” (Verse 3)

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DJ Khaled f/ Rick Ross, Lil Wayne & Jay-Z, “God Did” (Verse 3)

Producer: Dj Khaled, Friday, Streetrunner, Tarik Azzouz 

Album: God Did (2022)

Billy talk? Check. Boss talk? Check. Aspirational talk? Check. Drug talk? Check. Pop culture references? Check. Clearing up new rumors? Check. The most hyped verse of the last couple years checked all the boxes that we’ve come to expect from a primo Jay feature. The god went into his bag, set up shop in there for like four minutes, and what came out of that water was a work of art. He seemed angry and he seemed hungry, which—when I think back again to first hearing it—makes my head hurt. Jigga had plenty of memorable lines on this, but the “I got lawyers like shooters” line is just perfect because we all know it’s true. The fact that this guy is still this good is scary and it’s the reason fiends keep coming back. —Angel Diaz

75. Meek Mill f/ Rick Ross & Jay-Z "What's Free"

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Producer: StreetRunner, Tarik Azzouz

Album: Championships (2018)

Did you listen to 4:44? Like, really listen? Leave it to a Biggie flip to get Jay back in that zone of Educated Thug Music, advisory but not preachy with a couple devastating flexes thrown in to make sure he has niggas' attention. How many rappers are still losing sleep over "ain't got a billion streams—got a billion dollars." Like any great Jay verse, the entendres and triple-layer meanings keep revealing themselves upon further listen, while sparking intense debate. Whose spouse and house can't see Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter and their $96 mil compound—Trump or Jay's errant little brother? I'm just glad I caught carefree and nair-free before Guru had to tweet it. Recall that Hov and his family were either in South Africa or on their way when he recorded this verse, and that opening hits even harder. —Frazier Tharpe

74. "The Prelude" (Verse 1)

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Producer: B-Money

Album: Kingdom Come (2006)

Weakest album? Sure, but it boasts one of his strongest intros. Wikipedia tells me some guy named B-Money produced this gorgeous beat; it sounds like something Bernard Hermann scored for Hitchcock, or the lobby music in an Italian hotel. It's the perfect canvas for Jay to black out in the most casual mode ever, tossing off line after line on the first song of his comeback, with the arrogant air of someone who doesn't need to be here but can still do this in his sleep. Hell of an un-retirement party. —Frazier Tharpe

73. Pusha T f/ Jay-Z, "Drug Dealers Anonymous" (Verse 2)

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Producer: DJ Dahi

Album: N/A (2016)

Jigga took off the blazer, loosened up the tie, and returned to the block like Marlo Stanfield in his last scene on The Wire. This was a snow tale long in the making, and Push and Jay didn't let Escobar down. Naturally, Hova steals the show with an extra-long verse that begins with niche Italian auteur shoutouts and (maybe) one too many references to Google, but ends with ingeniously dark spins on both Uber and one of 2016's most popular memes. Call Jay name-checking "Damn, Daniel's" Vans #DadBars all you want, but as the Tomi Lahren mean-mug proves, the inner snarl of young(er) Hov is still intact. —Frazier Tharpe

72. "A Week Ago" f/ Too Short (Verse 1)

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Producer: J-Runnah

Album: Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life (1998)

"So fuck DeHaven for caving, that's why we don't speak/Made men ain't supposed to make statements." —Angel Diaz

71. "Picasso Baby" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Timbaland

Album: Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013)

As his legend, celebrity, and tax bracket rises with each passing year, so too does the perception that Jay-Z is more or less completely divorced from the talk of mere mortals, or above acknowledging it at the very least. So hearing Timb supply him with a gritty beat change worthy of "Come and Get Me" so he can admit "even my own fans like 'Old man, just stop,'" "No sympathy for the king huh? Niggas even talk about ya baby crazy," and snarl rebuttals to both White America and detractors in the rap community with "Don't forget, America: that's how you made me," is an unpredictable thrill strong enough to carry the entire album around it. —Frazier Tharpe

70. "Ride Or Die" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Stevie J

Album: Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life (1998)

Good Lord, he got Mase out the paint with these bars, and sent him straight to hell. Stop talking greazy on them R&B records is still good advice for rappers in 2017. One time for Jay-Z, aka Hova, aka Jigga, aka the King of Subliminals. —Angel Diaz

69. "In My Lifetime" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Ski Beatz

Album: N/A (1995)

This is from back when Jay-Z was just "the skinny nigga on the boat," popping Cristal in St. Thomas, rapping "In my lifetime, I need to see a whole lot of dough." Mission accomplished. —Frazier Tharpe

68. "Only A Customer" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Irv Gotti

Album: Streets Is Watching Soundtrack (1998)

Rumor has it Jay beat LL Cool J in a battle once upon a time, so him using Cool James' voice as a sample on the hook makes this verse that much more special. The stunting must've had Uncle L sick! —Angel Diaz

67. "The Game Is Mine" (Verse 1)

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Producer: DJ Green Lantern

Album: N/A (2004)

Hov rapping in Spanish over a beat made from a tennis ball is so ridiculous it makes you forget, for a second, about the Fat Joe dig when he mentions the Rucker in response to Crack's Rucker sub in "Lean Back." "You don't see the big picture yet, nigga, get." —Angel Diaz

66. "Primetime" (Verse 1)

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Producer: No I.D.

Album: Watch The Throne (2011)

What a showoff this guy is. When you've said and seen it all, motivation is the key to maintaining vitality. That goes for Jay, as the already certified living legend still rapping, and us as the listeners now hundreds of verses deep. Jay's best latter-career material shines brightest when he either has something new to say, or feels like going out of his way to give everyone a reminder in case the respect was waning. "Primetime" is the latter, a dazzling display of technical proficiency in which Jigga locks himself in a numbers theme for the majority of the verse, and completely bodies it. The old man's in the booth playing puzzle games in his bars, wow. —Frazier Tharpe

65. The Carters, "Friends" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Boi-1da, Sevn Thomas, NAV, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Jahaan Sweet

Album: Everything Is Love (2018)

In 2017, Jay-Z killed Jay Z, and whoever that is walking around with the Basquiat fro these days caught the "Hovi Baby" holy spirit, because Jesus! I love post-retirement Jigga, but how many of his verses this decade are as tightly wound, nimbly worded, and seamlessly delivered as this shit right here? He even improves one of his best recent bars when WTT's "fuck you squares the circle got smaller" becomes "tight circles, no squares, geometrically opposed to you—y'all like to try angles." The Kanye-bars get the most shine naturally but I'm haunted by the casual disdain in his voice when he says "y'all like to troll, do you? y'all talk around hoes, do yo?" Nothing cuts deeper than a disappointed dad. This verse is exciting, primarily because Boi-1da, Nav, and Sevn Thomas made the beat. 4:44 was proof that when he focuses, Jigga is never far from his bag, no matter how long the hiatus or how far he strays. But he basked in sonic comfort and familiarity. A Jay-Z who can talk that talk like Old Jay-Z on new sounds? Fear the GOAT. —Frazier Tharpe

64. "People Talkin'" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Ski Beatz

Album: MTV Unplugged (2001)

Jay locked in with Ski Beatz and went full Reasonable Doubt-level blackout mode. How this didn't make The Blueprint's final cut I'll never understand, but it deserves a shinier home than being the bonus on Unplugged. That trademark Jigga mix of casual arrogance, undercut with undeniable charm is on 1000 here: "Throw in the towel, I'm better with vowels." Jesus. —Frazier Tharpe

63. Ja Rule f/ Jay-Z & DMX, "It's Murda" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Ty Fyffe, Irv Gotti

Album: Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)

"Slumped, Kennedy-style with your memory out" is one of those lines you have to run back 10 times in the whip. This team of Jay, DMX, and Ja Rule could've been one of the grimiest trios in rap—had their rumored group album ever come to fruition. At least they left us with a couple bangers and one very memorable XXL cover. —Angel Diaz

62. "Dope Man" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Darrell "Digga" Branch, Lance "Un" Rivera, DJ Clue

Album: Vol. 3... The Life & Times of S. Carter (1999)

The trial concept here feels gimmicky until things shift into high gear on the last verse: "Blindfolded, expected to walk a straight line...Climbed over it, at a early age Jay shined/Fuck the system, at Lady Justice, I blaze nine/Your honor, I no longer kill people—I raise mine/The soul of Mumia in this modern day time."

Two things:

1. 4:44 is fantastic, but Jay's been on this Black Excellence empowerment wave. 

2. Vol. 3 is, truly, criminally underrated—Frazier Tharpe

61. "Murdergram" f/ Ja Rule & DMX (Verse 1)

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Producer: Ty Fyffe

Album: Streets Is Watching Soundtrack (1998)

Murderous Jigga is second only to Kingpin Jigga for me. Whenever he got on a track with Ja and X, he turned into ruthless killer. Rap Game Lepke Buchalter with the word play. —Angel Diaz

60. "Cashmere Thoughts" (Verse 1)

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Producer: DJ Clark Kent

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

I feel poor when I listen to this song. Jay was a rookie, spittin' flow like a veteran whose been in the game for decades. He transformed into Iceberg Slim on this one. —Angel Diaz

59. Young Jeezy f/Jay-Z & Fat Joe, "Go Crazy (Remix)" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Don Cannon

Album: N/A (2005)

"The Mariano of the Marriott." This shit dropped when everybody thought the god was washed. Instead, he washed us. Best closer in the game. —Angel Diaz

58. The Throne f/ Mr. Hudson, "Why I Love You" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Mike Dean, Kanye West

Album: Watch The Throne (2011)

The verse that inspired Jay-Z, Songwriting Hall of Famer, to declare "Words are tough" with a deep sigh as he tried to tease the flow out. The final product is well worth the writer's block. Watch The Throne is a true collaboration, despite being lauded as Kanye's album with Jay verses. They both pushed each other to places they might not have gone alone, and the proper album closer finds Jay trying to wrangle a pocket that challenged him in ways he probably hadn't been in a while. The result is the return of the double-time flow, densely packed but still accessible, and when he does give himself a breath it's for dramatic effect: "Wasn't I a good king?" —Frazier Tharpe

57. Young Jeezy f/ Jay-Z, "Seen It All" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Cardo

Album: Seen It All: The Autobiography (2014)

"Parked 92 bricks in front of 560 State/Now the Nets a stone throw from where I used to throw bricks." —Angel Diaz

56. "H.O.V.A." w/ DJ Envy (Verse 1)

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Producer: DJ Self

Album: DJ Envy: The Desert Storm Mixtape: Blok Party, Vol. 1 (2003)

The lines "Do anything for DeNiro like Joe Pesci" and "I'm on a whole 'nother level, I don't take the Jacob watch, I just screw up the bezel" still make me throw my hat in the abyss like Bobby Shmurda (free the boy). —Angel Diaz

55. "Best of Me (Part 2)" f/ Mya (Verse 2)

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Producer: Precision, Trackmasters

Album: DJ Clue Presents: Backstage Mixtape (2000)

This verse—matched with the image of Mya in her jersey dress—is one of the most iconic moments in R&B rap remix history. Jay gave us quotables to use on our summer crushes, whether they were spoken for or not. And "Have an affair, act like an adult for once" might be an undefeated line. —Angel Diaz

54. "Squeeze First" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Rick Rock

Album: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)

"Wanted to tell God I don't deserve this/was afraid he'd tell me that I deserve less" is, in my opinion, Jay's most profound bar. That he delivers it sandwiched in a song that's beat, flow, and bars find him in peak Jigga form (you can just picture him rapping this in the booth exactly as pictured, bandana tight) is just further proof of how many lanes Jay can occupy at any given moment. —Frazier Tharpe

53. "This Can't Be Life" f/ Beanie Sigel & Scarface (Verse 1)

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Producer: Kanye West

Album: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)

This is the first time Jay mentions his bad luck becoming a father as he raps about having a stillborn, while also watching his peers pop in the rap game as he struggles to leave the streets alone. Easily one of his most profound verses. —Angel Diaz

52. "Smile" f/ Gloria Carter (Verse 3)

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Producer: No I.D.

Album: 4:44 (2017)

"My therapist said I relapsed/I said prehaps, I, Freudian slipped in European whips." Cc: All ye blasphemers who thought Jay Hova lost it. —Angel Diaz

51. "Song Cry" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Just Blaze

Album: The Blueprint (2001)

I love a verse that begins in media res. Jay alone listening to Big’s mournful murder ballad. Watching Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway die together. “Me and My Bitch” and Bonnie and Clyde both lack happy endings. But they dissolve time for Jay, allowing him to reminisce about being happy broke, and how money messed that up. Messed with his thinking and his image and his memory. Time and money will change everything with certainty, and not always for the better, he reminds us. —Ross Scarano

50. "My 1st Song" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Joe "3H" Weinberger, Aqua

Album: The Black Album (2003)

Fuck a cynic. There's no way the retirement wasn't in earnest at the moment, not with a denouement as perfect as this, so resolute it sounds like a celebratory eulogy. Jay comes to terms with his decision in real-time, finding comfort in remembering he's done the one-door-closes-as-another-opens dance before. It's a funeral, but with Armadale shots and Cristal corks ricocheting. Onward to Shawn Carter the business, man, Jay-Z [was] dead. —Frazier Tharpe

49. "Stick 2 the Script" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Just Blaze

Album: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)

Hov got the fuck off on this shit right here and taught a young buck such as myself to always stick to the script. The William H. era was something else as Jigga continued to remind people he was gutter still even after all the success. Beanie always brought the beast out of him. Steel sharpens steel. —Angel Diaz

48. Talib Kweli f/ Mos Def, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes & Jay-Z, "Get By (Remix)" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Kanye West

Album: N/A (2003)

He may have dumbed down to double his dollars, but all of Jay's synapses are firing when asked to hold his own against Talib, Mos Def and an especially hungry Yeezy. —Frazier Tharpe

47. Scarface f/ Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel, "Guess Who's Back" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Kanye West

Album: The Fix (2002)

Through incredible ability, a one-of-a-kind perspective, and a personality that often plays the background, closed off, Jay can be a convincing chameleon. His conversion of “back” to “bizack” opening “Guess Who’s Back” sounds great when from the lips of another it might’ve earned a cringe. But not Jay, because he’s cool. (And there’s no way to really capture, in writing, what he does with that word, but the whistle he puts in it—well, you only need to hear the verse once to remember it forever.) —Ross Scarano

46. "Hova Song (Interlude)" (Verse 1)

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Producer: K Rob

Album: Vol. 3...The Life & Times of S. Carter (1999)

Might get: "Don't trust uppity white folks, keep the canon tucked" tatted in these trying times. —Angel Diaz

45. "Is That Yo Bitch?" f/ Twista & Missy Elliott (Verse 1)

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Producer: Timbaland

Album: Vol. 3...The Life & Times of S. Carter (1999)

1999 Jay-Z was a cold, cold man. Both emotionally and lyrically. Rappers stealing your girl is far from new thematic territory, but no one has ever sounded quite so impressively nonchalant about it, though. —Frazier Tharpe

44. "Young, Black, and Gifted Freestyle" (Verse 1)

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Producer: N/A

Album: The S. Carter Collection (2003)

Steer clear of anyone who alleges Jay-Z's recent music of late marks a radical shift in cultural awareness and commentary. That person is an opp, an ill-equipped listener whose favorite Hov LP is Black Album and loves "Young Forever." Jigga's been about empowerment, and with all due respect to Roc Boys, "Young, Gifted and Black" is truly black superhero music.

Threaded throughout the verse, Jay overtly outlines the distinctions between the world hip-hop comes from and the contrast of the outsiders who consume it; almost each line of every bar ends with here or there with references to either a "you" or a "we." "You lose your job, your pop rich, y'all don't care/So I don't care, y'all acting like y'all don't hear/The screams from the ghetto or the teens ducking metal here/So they steam like a kettle here." Live reporting from the block, a dressing down of the vultures and fans-as-tourists who don't pay due respect, what could be grim is flipped into inspiration thanks to his OG's glorious instrumental. If Shawn can rise to become "America's worst nightmare," you can too. —Frazier Tharpe

43. "Pump It Up (Freestlye)" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Just Blaze

Album: The S. Carter Collection (2003)

Having a mastered version of this is great and all, but I do miss having Kay Slay exclaiming "Damn!" in the background after "Who's the nicest? Life or lifeless on these mic devices, and I don't write this." Same, Drama King. —Frazier Tharpe

42. "So Ghetto" (Verse 2)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: Vol. 3...The Life & Times of S. Carter (1999)

Almost went with the last verse, but the second one has the ever-so memorable "Jigga Man, you rich, take the durag off" line that's still being rapped by Jay stans in the Year of our Lord 2017. Always remember: Never change and stay ghetto. —Angel Diaz

41. "Back From France Freestyle" (Verse 3)

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Producer: The Neptunes

Album: N/A (2002)

I remember being in the car with my mother when Jay got into this freestyle. She was talking to me, and I had to shush her. I apologized, of course, but only after I explained the situation: Jay was fresh off vacation and talking to Hot 97’s Angie Martinez about the events that transpired while he was away. Summer Jam had just happened and Nas tried to hang a doll of Jay during his performance. When the station heads wouldn’t allow it, he cancelled his appearance and went to rival Power 105.1 to air his grievances. The way Jay and Angie chuckle as he mocks Nas makes this that much better. —Angel Diaz

Frazier addendum: "Trip financed by my greatest ability" > your favorite rapper's entire discography

40. "Hovi Baby" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Just Blaze

Album: Blueprint 2 (2002)

Blueprint 2 is post-"Ether" Hot 97 poll chip-on-shoulder music. What sets Jay-Z apart though, is his response in these situations isn't meant to sound hurt. Rather, he'll hit you over the head with bars and make anyone disparaging him look stupid and sound foolish. The first few bars of this verse are all setup, then once he mentions Pac and Big being the only rappers who can be mentioned in the same breath as him, he unlocks an extraterrestrial level of breath control to go on a dizzying flow pattern as factually boastful as it is technically, that should effectively end all arguments about who the God of this shit is. —Frazier Tharpe

39. DMX f/ The Lox & Jay-Z, "Blackout" (Verse 4)

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Producer: Swizz Beatz

Album: Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood (1998)

DMX, each LOX, and Jay-Z together is like The Defenders of '90s New York rap. Every verse is A+, everyone shows up gritty, raw and stripped of any unnecessary blockbuster sheen. Jay sums it up best: "Surrounded by 6's and Hummers, bitches among us/Trying not to let this bullshit become us." —Frazier Tharpe

38. "In My Lifetime (Remix)" (Verse 3)"

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Producer: Jaz-O

Album: Streets Is Watching Soundtrack (1997)

Just, Ye, Timb, hell, No I.D.—they all have unquantifiable contributions to the sonics that comprise Jay-Z's vault of classics. But before they had a falling out that would send him back to Brooklyn to haunt the halls of Marcy Projects for the rest of his years, Jay's mentor Jaz-O gave him what is, arguably, a top 5 beat in his catalog.

"In My Lifetime (Remix)" is superior in every way to Jay's seminal first single; the beat is ethereal and spacey, shimmering like sun rays dancing across the ocean surface. The original had the video with the speedboat party, but you hear this and just picture Hov puffing cigars at sea on a lower key, laid back and reflecting. The last verse is basically proto-"Allure." The protagonist of the song falls for the game's bait and lands in jail, but when Jay says "the Medusa's head on Versace turned me to stone," he isn't just narrating. —Frazier Tharpe

37. Jay Electronica f/ Jay Z, “Flux Capacitor” (Verse 1)

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Producer: James Blake & Jay Electronica

Album: A Written Testimony (2020)

Jay-Z always makes sure to set the record straight. “Why would I sell out? Im already rich, dont make no sense/Got more money than Goodell, a whole NFL bench,” he spits on “Flux Capacitor,” responding to the backlash he got for working with the NFL. At a fresh 50-years-old, the greatest rapper breathing proves he’s only getting better. Hov goes from calling out critics to comparing himself to Moses and describing Roc Nation brunches as “a feast for non-believers, I created my own Easter.” Then there’s the notorious “Old Jay/ O’Jays/ O.J.” triple entendre—all in 26 bars. Evidence for your reverence. —Jordan Rose

36. Kanye West f/ Jay-Z, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Devo Springsteen, Jon Brion, Kanye West

AlbumLate Registration (2005)

"I got it from here, Ye, damn" is one of the most iconic tag-ins in rap history. Ye swore he spazzed, but Jay's never sounded more like a commander-in-chief than bumrushing the track for this emergency State of the Union. The chain remains. —Frazier Tharpe

35. "Can't Knock the Hustle" f/ Mary J. Blige (Verse 1)

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Producer: Knobody, Sean Cane, Dahoud

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Jay’s album openers are the stuff of legend, and this is the very first. Album one, track one, verse one. Demonstrating patience, he waits until nearly the last bar to tell you straight: “I'm one of the best niggas that done it.” And by now you believe him, because of how he hopscotches from the flurry of syllables and internal rhymes in “I'm leaning on any nigga intervening with the sound of my money machining” to the stutter-step that breaks up “My cup runneth over with hundreds.” This is rap at the highest level. —Ross Scarano

34. "Allure" (Verse 3)

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Producer: The Neptunes

AlbumThe Black Album (2003)

The Black Album is the third act in a crime saga, and Pharrell, scoring movies well before Despicable Me, provided Hov with the gorgeous soundtrack to every crime film's necessity: the reckoning. Jay recites the Hustler's Prayer on the chorus like the mantra of someone desperately trying to change despite knowing damn well they won't. The final verse doubles down on this reflection: Jay can plot his exit all he wants, but he already knows he'll never feel more alive. Like every De Niro who turns back, he knows he's facing almost certain death. A moth to the eleventy-million volt bulb.—Frazier Tharpe

33. "Friend or Foe" (Verse 1)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

"You draw, better be Picasso—you know, the best." —Frazier Tharpe

32. "Friend or Foe '98" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Premiere

Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

Godfather to Godfather 2 levels of the sequel being better than its seminal predecessor. Both are IMAX motion pictures on wax. —Frazier Tharpe

31. "Regrets" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Peter Panic

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

“We all gotta live with it," Jay told writer dream hampton during a Vibe interview in 1998, after she asked how he deals with the harm he’s likely caused hustling. “Regrets” is living with it on wax, and the third verse finds him talking to the spirit of a departed friend, possibly the great Marcy hustler Danny Dan. (Jay tells hampton about him in the same interview.) Musing on a friend he’s beefing with, Jay wonders if he’ll have to have this friend killed. He talks himself out of it, ending on the quintessential hustling Jay image: he’s alone, talking to the dead, because who else can you trust to not get you touched? —Ross Scarano

30. "The Watcher 2" f/ Dr. Dre, Rakim & Truth Hurts

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Producer: ​Dr. Dre, Scott Storch

Album: The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002)

When you’re left breathless from Jay-Z slaughtering his haters and rap’s pathetic posers on “The Watcher 2,” you know you just heard gold. It feels like Scott Storch and Dr. Dre took “The Watcher”—from Dre’s classic 2001—and took it up a notch, allowing Jay to put hip-hop’s Peter Pans on notice at a blistering pace. I’ll make the case that his final five lines are among his best, starting with the proclamation—“Know the shit I don't write be the illest shit that's ever been recited in the game, word to the hyphen in my name”—that can’t be matched, even by the two legends (Dre and Rakim) featured on the track. —Adam Caparell

29. "Politics As Usual" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Ski Beatz

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

While much attention is paid to Jigga's lyrics, part of his lasting appeal will always be his flow. He has the instinctive ability to stretch and contort his delivery to marry any beat he encounters. On the first verse of "Politics As Usual" his opening line "You can catch me skating through you town, puttin' it down, y'all relatin'" actually feels like he's creeping across the beat in a white Lexus GS.


Jay-Z has always managed to do a lot in a short amount of time; in this first verse he touches on his drug exploits, as well as the conflict that they cause. While aware of the potential ills, he's dealing with his reality. Lyrics like, "The price of leather's got me deeper than ever/and just think, Winter's here, I'm trying to feel mink nigga" almost convince you that the turmoil is worth it. Who doesn't wanna feel mink? I know I do. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

28. "Never Change" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Kanye West

Album: The Blueprint (2001)

"Chains is cool to cop, but more important is lawyer fees" sounds familiar, no? Our king is so unselfish with his wisdom as he always gasses us to get our credit scores up.  —Angel Diaz

27. "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Kanye West

Album: The Blueprint (2001)

The only thing somehow even iller than "All you other cats throwing shots at Jigga/y'all only get half a bar: fuck y'all niggas"? "I'll step to your porch, step to your boss/Let's end the speculation: I'm talking to ALL of y'all." Disrespect via BCC. Blueprint-era Jay wasn't about leaving *any* room for those who would dispute his claim to the throne. —Frazier Tharpe

26. "The 7 Minute Freestyle" (Verse 3)

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Producer: N/A

Album: N/A (The Stretch and Bobbito Show [1995])

Jigga hit us with the machine gun flow and rapped the Batman theme song in that last verse. Sending a phat shout to Adam West and Big L. RIP. —Angel Diaz

25. "99 Problems" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Rick Rubin

Album: The Black Album (2003)

The back-and-forth with the cop is so vivid, lived-in (and, by this point, classic to a point of having to disavow with anyone who can't go bar-for-bar with you) you could be forgiven for assuming Elmore Leonard ghostwrote it. Rick Rubin was verklempt. —Frazier Tharpe

24. "D'Evils" (Verse 2)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

The wordplay on this second verse is the stuff of legend. Jay-Z, the ruthless crack dealer, rears his ugly head as he talks about kidnapping a former friend's babymoms. "D'Evils" will make you do unspeakable things, even to those you once considered loved ones. —Angel Diaz

23. "What More Can I Say?" (Verse 3)

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Producer: The Buchanans

Album: The Black Album (2003)

It's scary how much a verse tailor-made to this very specific moment, The Retirement, is still so applicable today. It's basically evergreen. Whenever Jay retires for real, the last song should just be a reprise. —Frazier Tharpe

22. "Imaginary Players" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Prestige

Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

"You pull up in your 4.0 with your bitch I pull up in the 4.6 with my bitch with the seat back bumping some other shit. You know, some OTHER shit. You’ll probably hop on my dick right there, right in front of your bitch, ask me some stupid shit like 'Yo, yo dog, what’s the difference between a 4.0 and a 4.6?' Like 30 to 40 grand, cocksucker—beat it! Do them shits even got leathers?" —Angel Diaz

21. Puff Daddy f/ Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. "Young G's" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Rashad Smith

Album: No Way Out (1997)

That Jay and B.I.G. are so locked into the pocket here, and still it's only their third best song together, is fucking terrifying. May the good Lord curse the man who denied us a Commission album for all eternity. "Some say Jigga's zone is like the falling of Rome: reoccuring." Hail Caesar. —Frazier Tharpe

20. "Bring It On" f/ Big Jaz and Sauce Money (Verse 2)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

I don’t know if it was the multiple gangster movie references, the Hakeem Olajuwon shoutout, or the math lesson, but the first time I played “Bring It On” for my friend—fresh from dinner at an Italian joint where the bartender could tell you a million stories about the wiseguys Jay-Z channeled on Reasonable Doubt—it left him speechless. Because it’s 1:02 of deliciously buttery Hov flowing like few could, can, or ever will. There’s his first Robert De Niro and dinero hook. Numerous nods to trafficking narcotics. And, of course, we got a glimpse at the rapper’s softer side. On the 13th track of his debut album, we learned Jay-Z had to turn away when Tony killed Manolo. Watching Scarface do his day one dirty was just too much. Who knew a couple of white guys that went to school in Connecticut had something in common with drug dealer from Brooklyn? —Adam Caparell

19. "Where I'm From" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Amen-Ra, D-Dot

Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

This verse is even better when you watch him rap it in Streets Is Watching. Honestly I was hoping for the 4:44 visuals to be sort of a long music video instead of all these separate vids. Jay describes Marcy—or insert any American ghetto—with vivid detail. I've done came up on many a sweater or bootleg authentic jersey for cheap. I might’ve bartered some trees for some once upon a time as well, but that’s another story for another day. “Where I’m From” is top 10 Jigga. —Angel Diaz

18. "You Must Love Me" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Myrick

Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

Some people would have you believe that Jay just started to open up, that what happened on 4:44 is new. Don’t be like them. Listen to the music and you'll hear that he’s been baring his soul from the beginning. On the second verse on Vol. 1’s last track, he reveals that he shot his brother in the shoulder over a missing ring. And still his brother asked to see him while he was in the hospital. —Angel Diaz

17. "Dead Presidents II" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Ski

Album: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

How many quotables in this verse? Let’s point ‘em out:

“Who wanna bet us that we don't touch lettuce

Stack cheddar forever

Live treacherous, all the etceteras"

“We don't just shine, we illuminate the whole show"

“I'll do you one better and slay these niggas faithfully”

“Word life, I dabbled in crazy weight

Without rap, I was crazy straight

Partner, I'm still spendin money from '88”

To name a few. —Angel Diaz

16. Jay Electronica f/ Jay-Z & The-Dream, "Shiny Suit Theory" (Verse 2)

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Producer: The Bullitts

Album: N/A (2010)

Jay Elect brings the best out of Jigga. This and the “We Made It” freestyle are some of his best verses in recent years. Jay turns into a Black Panther when he raps alongside Elect. His pro-black raps have been going over people’s heads since his Reasonable Doubt days. From the Warren Buffet line to the bit about Jay's therapist offering a Prozac prescription to wondering aloud, "Since when have black men become kings?”—Hov doesn’t play fair. —Angel Diaz

15. "Ignorant Shit" f/ Beanie Sigel (Verse 1)

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Producer: The Neptunes

Album: American Gangster (2007)

"Ignorant Shit" is a joy to rap along to, the first verse in particular. The lyrics are fun, indulgent, and indeed ignorant. Clearly very aware of his audience's appetite, Jay broke down exactly what we wanted to hear, and perfectly packaged up all of our guilty pleasures—all over a Just Blaze rework of the Isley Brothers "Between The Sheets." The ability to repurpose heavily discussed subject matter in a fresh presentation only further cements Jay as one of the greatest writer of the 21st century. Pen or no pen. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

14. "Can I Live Freestyle"

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Producer: Nashiem Myrick and Jay "Waxx" Garfield for The Hitmen

Album: N/A (Hot 97 Freestyle [2005])

“I want 700 percent!” This shit is fucking jokes. He’s digging in on Cassidy, Game, and T.I.—and has the entire studio chuckling about it. This version is way better than “Dear Summer,” it’s raw, natural, and it didn’t intro a subpar Bleek album that I wish I hadn’t spent money on. —Angel Diaz

13. "This Life Forever" (Verse 1)

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Producer: J-Love

Album: Black Gangster Soundtrack (1999)


The wordplay on the second verse is quite impressive, even by Jay’s standards, but the first verse has some of the most uplifting bars he’s spit in his illustrious career. The flashbacks to a nine-year-old Hova being introduced to the streets; the way he persevered through rapping; and rapping about the police hating on him trying to go legit—the arc is something many a ghetto kid had to go through to make it out. I feel bad for people who feel like Jay just started to speaking on the struggle. —Angel Diaz

12. "U Don't Know" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Just Blaze

AlbumThe Blueprint (2001)

I had mad Rocawear in high school, and I still scour eBay for a leather, or this black-and-gray hoodie I used to have that the cops in my hometown ruined by making me take out the string after I just bought it. I’m pretty pissed about that, especially since they took me in for hot-boxing in my car. I probably was listening to “U Don’t Know” when this happened. Whatever. The third verse is my favorite because Jay predicted everything he rapped on that shit, and if he's not your favorite rapper it probably makes you sick because you have too much hate in your heart. —Angel Diaz

11. "Grammy Family Freestyle" (Verse 1)

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Producer: N/A

Album: N/A (Hot 97 Freestyle [2006])

First thing, this should be higher on the list. Second, I'm picking two verses. Third, this is the greatest freestyle in rap history. I'll explain.

Hearing this in real-time on Hot 97 during the station's glory days, when Hov and Flex were on friendlier terms, was mind-blowing. Jay-Z was already retracting from the public eye and there wasn't anyone in rap holding a candle to his accomplishments, artistically or commercially. He was at the top, far beyond the need to deliver a radio freestyle. It was his larger than life stature that became the subject of his live poetry.

Same sword they knight you they gon good night you with 

Sh.., that's only half if they like you

That ain't even the half what they might do

Don't believe me, ask Michael

See Martin, see Malcolm

You see Biggie, see Pac, see success and its outcome

See Jesus, see Judas; see Caesar, see Brutus

See, success is like suicide

Suicide, it's a suicide

If you succeed, prepare to be crucified

Jay opens up to his listeners about what life is like at the top of the pyramid, something he has pursued since the release of "Dead Presidents" back in '96. On the final verse he avoids lamenting about the ills of his success; instead he delivers a verse that has aged into prophecy, all while telling us that it was a prophecy.

They respecting my mind now

Just a matter of time now

Operation: Takeover, corporate makeover offices-es-es, then takeover all of it

Please may these words be recorded

To serve as testimony that I saw it all before it

Came to fruition, sort of a premonition

Uncontrollable hustler's ambition

This freestyle has aged like some expensive wine that I don't have the lifestyle to accurately reference. Everything this motherfucker said came true. Everything. And he did it in one take, live on the radio. Your fave could never. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

10. "Come and Get Me" (Verse 1)

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Producer: Timbaland

AlbumVol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)

For those who thought Jay shipped 5 million copies of Vol. 2 just to spend his days in the sun, Vol. 3 is the album-length reminder that, trust, he's still street, and "Come and Get Me" is the crux of that. Jay and Timbo have done extraordinary work across multiple albums. But this shit right here?! Never forget Jay-Z was orchestrating 360-degree beat changes in '99 before it was the producer gimmick du jour. The latter half is fantastic, but that opener...shit like this is why they called him Iceberg Slim. Jigga got the mainstream ascension he'd been plotting on, then he opened the door and dared you to come try and take it from him. Not even "Takeover" is this brazen. There are a myriad of classic Jay-Z opening lines, but the real ones know what's good: "I remove ya roof, nigga, let the sun shine in." —Frazier Tharpe

9. "Takeover" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Kanye West

Album: The Blueprint (2001)

I can remember copping The Blueprint a day early from this record store in my old hood, opening the CD, plopping it into my new sound system in my hooptie, and losing my mind when I heard the full version of “Takeover.” He had performed some of it at Summer Jam before the album dropped and made headlines, not for bringing fucking Michael Jackson out, but for putting Prodigy (RIP) on that Summer Jam screen, creating one of the most memorable moments in rap history. This was the beginning of the Nas beef, a rap war for the ages. And Hov hasn’t stepped down from rap’s Iron Throne since. —Angel Diaz

8. "Streets Is Watching" (Verse 3)

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Producer: Ski

Album: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

"The mind state of a nigga that boosted the crime rate/So high in one city, they sent the National Guard to get me." Honestly I kinda wanted to name the Sleepers sample the best verse on "Streets Is Watching" but that would've been too confusing for some and would've seemed like I wasn't taking this list seriously. The last verse on this track is life changing, giving you a glimpse into the mind of a kingpin. Jay took boss rap too another level. Before him most rappers were talking from the POV of a soldier. Jigga raised the price. —Angel Diaz

7. "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator '99)" f/ Jaz-O (Verse 2)

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Producer: Timbaland

Album: Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (1998)

When double-time Jay-Z and radio wizard Hova meld, the clouds part and an angel gets its wings. Jay dumbed down the flow to double his dollars, but every now and then he goes back to "fuck rap, coke by the boatload." There's none better than this next-century level Timbaland gem; you can picture his eyes going Bran Stark zoned-out in the booth on this one.—Frazier Tharpe

6. "Renegade" f/ Eminem (Verse 1)

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Producer: Eminem

AlbumThe Blueprint (2001)

"I bring you through the ghetto without ridin round

Hidin down, duckin strays

From frustrated youths stuck in they ways

Just read a magazine that fucked up my day

How you rate music that thugs with nothin relate to it?

I helped them see they way through it—NOT YOU."

Murdered, where? —Frazier Tharpe

5. "Intro"

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Producer: Just Blaze

AlbumThe Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)

This beat sounds like the intro music for Thunderdome, and Jay saunters into the ring with the assuredness of someone who already knows he's the victor. Don't mistake him starting off the Roc's de facto group album alone for hubris. To pledge allegiance to a crew you first have to believe in its leader; Jay-Z treats intros like reminders. Who would dare question his squad when the general is rapping this foolishly, extolling the daily mindset of his hustlers spirit pre-fame with such intensity. Corner of the block or corner office, Shawn is starting every morning with a yawn and a reflexive reach for his gun. —Frazier Tharpe

4. "PSA" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Just Blaze

AlbumThe Black Album (2003)

A mission statement packed with his most evergreen bars, the track that has become his uncontested flagship song. Part of its eternal concert appeal rests on Just Blaze's thunderously urgent beat, but David Chase lines like "You could try to change, but that's just the top layer, man, you was who you was 'fore you got here" are the reason why "PSA" will stick to your ribs forever. —Frazier Tharpe

3. "Intro: A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More" (Verse 2)

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Producer: DJ Premier

AlbumIn My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

Vol. 1 is probably the most underrated album in Jay's vast catalogue and the intro track is one of the best songs he's ever recorded, especially it's second verse. As the beat switches up, Jigga goes from rapping about his struggles with becoming this sudden rap star to a verse about how the fame and success will never change who he is. And left us with this gem: "Don't listen to these rappers, man, they dying to floss." —Angel Diaz

2. "Can I Live" (Verse 1)

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Producer: DJ Irv

AlbumReasonable Doubt (1996)

I want to begin this by saying that I've met Jay-Z, on the 20th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, in a private setting. His old friends like Kareem "Biggs" Burke and Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua—as well as other folk who also just happened to be in the room—were in attendance. I surely wasn't supposed to be there. We toasted to the lasting impact of his classic debut album which is widely regarded as his best. First impressions matter. 

It was surreal, and my only focus was trying to remain cool. Which became more challenging when Jay nodded in my direction, dapped me up, and started speaking to me about a piece published on Complex, as well as some others.

I honestly didn't want to talk about the writings of my colleagues, I wanted to talk about his writing on Reasonable Doubt. And if we're talking about Reasonable Doubt, we're talking about "Can I Live." And if we're talking about "Can I Live" we're talking about his first verse. It hits like a freshly rolled blunt, eliciting the related medley of after effects: euphoria, awe, hyper-awareness, an insatiable hunger, and the longing look popularized in the 'hits blunt' meme. Like Hov, the first verse has not only endured the test of time, but gotten better with age. Each line embodies everything that Jay-Z was and is.

A young man, with a gift of expressing his wisdom with accessible, charming lyrics. An observant poet, as aware of himself as he is environment and the figures who inhabit it. A hustler, offering you the rules of urban existence, with dreams of life beyond the constraints of the sidewalk.

When I was unemployed and dead broke—not far from the age Jay-Z was when he wrote Reasonable Doubt—I played "Can I Live" on repeat. His words resonated with me so deeply that they gave me assurance. If this is how he was thinking at this point in his life, and it earned him the success and status that he had, then I'd be fine. "I'd rather die enormous than live dormant, that's how we on it." It's a declaration. A life mantra. A big fucking mood for life on earth. It's by far one of the most important theses offered in rap, and frankly one of the flyest things ever uttered by anyone.

I wanted to tell him all this when I met him. But I was trying to be cool, and again, first impressions matter. —Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins

1. "Dead Presidents 1" (Verse 2)

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Producer: Ski Beatz

Album: N/A (1996)

It's crazy how the music game used to be. The original "Dead Presidents" was a street single used to promote Jay's debut Reasonable Doubt. He recorded the album with the intention of retiring soon after to focus on building a rap empire. Instead, he decided to continue rapping while also forging one of the most recognizable brands in music history because he was better than everybody else on both sides of the ball. Deciding to continue his rap career is the best decision he’s ever made. And for those that have been listening to Hova from the very beginning know that he’s been giving us game way before the jewelry he dropped on 4:44. Do you fools listen to music, or do you just skim through it? —Angel Diaz

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