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When neverending debates of the outstanding of all time in rap commence , Jay - Z’sname sovereignty as compulsory in these conversations . The length of service that Jay - Z has adore over the course of action of almost 30 years is unprecedented and unheard of in any profession . Success that lasts that long only comes from an artist who excels at Jay - Z ’s level , but does his discography excel enough to warrant his GOAT status ?
To best assess Jay - Z ’s GOAT status , one must evaluate all 13 of his solo belt albums . Without including collaborative albums with the the like of Beyoncé and Kanye West , consider how Hov submit himself without consistent aid throughout the project is the best way to look back his worthiness as the all - time good rapper ever . By the same accord , in assessing all of his albums in unison , it allows reader to sympathise which of his record album rank unremarkably as the worst and which ones rank highly as the unquestioned good .
13Kingdom Come
Even Jay-Z Hates It
Three years after advertise The Black Album as his last album , Kingdom Come arrived as his comeback record album . With those expectations , the project is already underwhelming . It ’s telling thatJay himself is n’t a fan ofKingdom Come . In 2013 forLife and Times , he celebrated his forty-fourth birthday by ranking all of his albums , placingKingdom Comedead last and hold himself by saying , " First biz back , do n’t shoot me . " No one should shoot the messenger , butKingdom Comeis weak enough to shoot off the disk player .
12The Blueprint 3
A Disappointing End to a Great Trilogy
BothThe BlueprintandThe Blueprint 2rank extremely among Jay - Z ’s best albums . In fact , in different ways , both projects are take in as existent design for how to craft splendid hip - hop music . The Blueprint 3 , regrettably , does not hold up in the same way and , for many fans of the trilogy , stands out as thesignificantly worst out of the three . LikeKingdom Come , there are a small handful of redeeming track , but not enough to advocate the album .
11American Gangster
A True Comeback Album and Return to Form
After the disappointment ofKingdom Come , Jay - Z manages to find new inspiration in the 2007 picture of the same name to shoot down the dismount this time . The conception album is deeply frozen inmafioso idea that blank space Jay - Z mobster motif into the pastinto a cinematic setting , not just because the album sportsa prominent cameo from Idris Elba . An all - star cast featuring fellow superstar Lil Wayne and former rival Nas gives the projection a exceptional touch , as does the funk output .
10Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life
Perfectly Transitions Jay-Z into the Mainstream
The secondVolumeof Jay - Z’sVol.trilogy can be viewed as a gaolbreak of variety . While Reasonable doubtfulness introduced Jay - Z to the hip record hop landscape painting , this album cemented his infinite as a ace in that same landscape . The album is chock - full of golf-club bangers that solidify Jay ’s home in mainstream culture , namely " Hard Knock Life ( Ghetto Anthem ) . " After that song alone , Jay was off to the races , specially when they ’re surveil by " Can I Get A … " and " Money , Cash , Hoes . "
These albums drive the boundaries of what hip - hop intend when they were put out , and still resonate today as phenomenal pieces of artwork .
Still , though , just becauseVol . 2is delineate by its deed trail and accompany posse cuts does not entail that the B - sides are n’t worthy of a listen . Songs like " A Week Ago " make for compelling head nods . Meanwhile , " come of Age ( Da continuation ) " and " Reservoir Dogs " make it clear-cut why Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel are often hailed as Jay - Z ’s honest collab cooperator in the cubicle .
9Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter
The Most Underappreciated Volume
Jay - Z’sBlueprinttrilogy is often herald for what Jay - Z brings to the table , but hisVolumetrilogy does n’t get enough dearest . Each issue in the trilogy is honest , even great , and the finale to the trilogy is no elision . It ’s easy to under - rate or underappreciateVol . 3when whenVol . 1and2are so strong , but that should n’t take away anything from the third mass . Truthfully , one can argue that even ifVol . 3isn’t the good in the trilogy , it might rollick the best production out of any of the albums .
Similarly , while the songs may not hit as memorably as its counterparts , call like " Nymp " and particularly " Anything " showcase a tongue that is at its sharpest yet for Jay - Z. His lyric ability seems to better with every record album and his playpen is at its most cunning inVol . 3 .
8The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse
A Worthy Sequel
The Blueprintwas straight off recognized as Jay - Z ’s magnum opus upon liberation , and the sequel carry its name instantly carried a weightiness of expected value alongside it . With possible action track " A dreaming " sporting vocals from Jay - Z ’s late would - beCommission stablemate infamous B.I.G.and widow Faith Evans intensify those expectations . Not just because the track is great , but because call down the emotional state of a GOAT - level artist farseeing past tense is exit to illicit early expectations for any belt buff , naturally .
Although not extend to the in high spirits elevation ofThe Blueprintitself , The Blueprint 2lives up to prospect . legion tracks have continued to be in revolution , like the timeless " 03 Bonnie & Clyde , " which Jay - Z made with succeeding wife Beyoncé .
7Magna Carter … Holy Grail
Underrated and Overhated
Magna Carter … Holy Grailhas a report as one of Jay - Z ’s most hat albums by purists who retrieve it fail to arrive at the heights of anything comparable to Jay - Z ’s best . While it ’s easy to see how fans who acquire up on Jay - Z ’s earliest masterpieces , but keep in mind that in 2013 , Jay - Z ’s modern image and lifestyle was a far cry from the prototype and reputation he had head intoReasonable question .
Now dominated by loudness and glam , Jay was cater to and bringing in anewer , younger , more mainstream audienceand for that audience , there ’s a lot to enjoy here .
One of the album ’s overlooked standouts is " Part II ( On the Run ) , " a ghostly subsequence to Beyoncé and Jay - Z ’s " 03 Bonnie & Clyde . “The Grammy - winning mogul couplecreate a track that ’s adequate parts sultry and amatory . The poppier tracks like " Hol Grail , " " Picasso Baby , " and BBC " are an adjustment for Jay - ezed loyalist , but it ’s not risky . In fact , for younger audience discovering Jay - Z , it name a large gateway to discovering Jay - Z preceding classic .
6The Black Album
An Ambitious Would-Be Swan Song
When Jay - Z set forth working on what he in the beginning plan on being his last album , Hov had the idea of surrounding the production with producers who were life-sustaining to his life history , but with the caution that each manufacturer can only make one birdcall for the album . Kanye West was allowed two Sung , because he ’s Kanye West , someone who means a great pile to Jay , and Pharrell Williams had to force his way to a second song with a " Allure " flap so full that Jay - Z could n’t refuse it . Regardless , it ’s a unequaled and ambitious concept foran album that is executed to beau ideal .
The 2004 documentaryFade to Blackrecounts the fashioning of The Black Album in real time , featuring behind the view footage .
" 99 job " is obviously the standout classic that everyone talks about , but listeners ca n’t overleap the said " Allure , " or the thunderous " Lucifer , " the victory lap of " What More Can I Say " … the point is that a lot can be tell about this one album and it would ’ve made for a winning exit had Jay - Z called it chuck up the sponge after .
5The Dynasty: Roc La Familia
An Underrated Masterpiece
On paper , this is a solo Jay - Z record album , but off the book , there are enough feature of speech from Roc - a - Fella label partner that this is practically a collab project . However , that definitely is not a detterent asThe Dynastysupports Jay - Z at his finest . For some reason , this record album does n’t get spill the beans about often , if at all . It ’s like a muddied lilliputian mystery in Jay - Z conversation to the point that it is comfortable to forget that his fifth studio album even be .
However , anyone who actually hears it knowshow unforgettableThe Dynastyis . " I Just Wanna Love U ( Give It 2 Me ) , " " Streets Is Talking , " and " Where Have You Been " help make this a memorable gem that deserves more attending . It ’s Jay - Z at his blossom alongside his pet collaborators .
44:44
A Potential Career Sendoff?
Released in 2017 , this remains Jay - Z ’s last record album . While it ’s killing his biggest fans to not have a project from the valet de chambre in eight years,4:44isa dandy album to end a vocation onif it truly is Jay - Z ’s final project . It showcases the natural phylogenesis of Jay - Z ’s calling , still finding substance to talk about when his life history is n’t reflective of who he was on his first album .
He trades diatrabes about drug dealing to talking to the listner about the note value of recognition , how to better credit , maintaining the kinsfolk social structure , and owning up to the mistakes he ’s made as a father and a husband . It ’s Jay - Z athis most ripe and introspective . If it proves to be a true , unofficial swan song , then so be it . It ’s good than his past attempts to retire while also being a masterpiece in its own right field . Some may even consider it his good album .
