Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, has been active since 1996, released 11 studio albums and multiple collaboration albums, and has been remixed and mashed up countless times. Here are our picks for some of his best moments.
“Dead Presidents II”
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
On this song from his debut album, Jay-Z sparks the now-infamous feud with rapper Nas by sampling his voice and using it as the chorus. Rapping about the drug-dealing underworld over a gently plinked piano melody, Jay-Z shows off his signature flow and swagger. The song is now considered the centerpiece of his classic, gangster-epic debut album.
“Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”
Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life (1998)
Before this song, nobody had ever thought that sampling “Annie” could possibly result in a staple in any artist’s catalogue, let alone a hip-hop classic. With a bouncy piano line and the “Annie” sample, Jay-Z raps about the luxuries of being a mega-selling rap artist, turning the original “Annie” song into tongue-in-cheek commentary. The song was such a cultural moment for hip-hop that Dr. Evil parodied it for a scene in the movie “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”
“Big Pimpin'”
Vol. 3: Life And Times of S. Carter (1999)
Images of Jigga Man throwing money into a crowd in Trinidad during Carnival and throwing an opulent party on a yacht accompany the music video for this song, at the time the highest-charting song of his career. The ritzy music video perfectly emulates the rich layers of the song’s production and the lavishness of the times it was written for, when unemployment in America was impressively low. This is party music at its finest and arguably Jay-Z’s most famous song from his pre-Blueprint career.
“Takeover”
The Blueprint (2001)
From Jay-Z’s stone-cold, 2001 classic album, “Takeover” is the sound of an artist proclaiming his dominance over the world of not just hip-hop music but all of pop music, and in stylish fashion. Produced by Kanye West, the track samples classic rock staples from both The Doors and David Bowie, and is the epitome of Kanye West’s production style. The track was also the first song to publicly acknowledge the feud with Nas, and it includes some of Jay-Z’s most vicious and emotionally charged disses ever put to tape. With “Takeover,” Jay-Z won the feud with a knockout punch in the first round.
“’03 Bonnie and Clyde”
The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse (2002)
Featuring Beyonce, this Kanye West-produced track is the most memorable from the inconsistent follow-up to 2001’s “The Blueprint,” including elements of both “Me and My Girlfriend” by Tupac Shakur and “If I Was Your Girlfriend” by Prince. Pronouncing their love for one another through song, this was one of Jay-Z’s most tender moments. Following their marriage in 2008, the song only resonates more with deep emotion than it did when it first came out.
“Big Pimpin'”
Vol. 3: Life And Times of S. Carter (1999)
Images of Jigga Man throwing money into a crowd in Trinidad during Carnival and throwing an opulent party on a yacht accompany the music video for this song, at the time the highest-charting song of his career. The ritzy music video perfectly emulates the rich layers of the song’s production and the lavishness of the times it was written for, when unemployment in America was impressively low. This is party music at its finest and arguably Jay-Z’s most famous song from his pre-Blueprint career.
“Takeover”
The Blueprint (2001)
From Jay-Z’s stone-cold, 2001 classic album, “Takeover” is the sound of an artist proclaiming his dominance over the world of not just hip-hop music but all of pop music, and in stylish fashion. Produced by Kanye West, the track samples classic rock staples from both The Doors and David Bowie, and is the epitome of Kanye West’s production style. The track was also the first song to publicly acknowledge the feud with Nas, and it includes some of Jay-Z’s most vicious and emotionally charged disses ever put to tape. With “Takeover,” Jay-Z won the feud
with a knockout punch in the first round.
“’03 Bonnie and Clyde”
The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse (2002)
Featuring Beyonce, this Kanye West-produced track is the most memorable from the inconsistent follow-up to 2001’s “The Blueprint,” including elements of both “Me and My Girlfriend” by Tupac Shakur and “If I Was Your Girlfriend” by Prince. Pronouncing their love for one another through song, this was one of Jay-Z’s most tender moments. Following their marriage in 2008, the song only resonates more with deep emotion than it did when it first came out.
“99 Problems
The Black Album (2003)
Probably Jay-Z’s most popular song, “99 Problems” has been remixed and mashed-up so many times that it’s easy to forget the brilliance of the original song’s production by Rick Rubin. With crashing, dissonant guitar chords that could fill an entire stadium, “99 Problems” grabs your attention, and then Jay-Z keeps it with his vigorously engaging raps, culminating in the now-classic “traffic stop” verse. With respect to all of Jay-Z’s singles that came before, this was the song that propelled Jay-Z to full-blown superstardom. Moments like this ““ where everything comes together to create a definitive cultural moment ““ only happen once in a career, if ever.
“Show Me What You Got”
Kingdom Come (2006)
After Jay-Z came out of “retirement,” this was his attempt to reclaim his spot at the top of rap’s hierarchy. Sampling the horn loop and Flava Flav’s chorus from Public Enemy’s “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got,” Jay-Z’s return to rap sounds like a bona fide celebratory announcement of his arrival, making sure that nobody forgets that only three years prior, he was at the top of the game.
“Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)…”
American Gangster (2007)
Those horns are unstoppable. Jay-Z plays off his self-proclaimed role as the famous Harlem gangster Frank Lucas, which was inspired by the Denzel Washington movie that lends its name to Jay-Z’s 10th album. As if the infectious horn sample weren’t enough already, this song would make the list simply for having the line “Hero’n got less steps than Britney.” If you needed positive proof that Jay-Z’s return to rap was a success, “Roc Boys” is just that.
“Empire State of Mind”
The Blueprint 3 (2009)
The best song from Jay-Z’s recently released “The Blueprint 3,” “Empire State of Mind” takes the intoxication of the big-city life and translates that feeling perfectly to song. With a gorgeous piano melody and the even more gorgeous vocal talents of Alicia Keys, the song breaks into a rousing chorus with the help of a driving string section. The build-up and eventual release creates the perfect head-bobbing song for driving under the city lights with the whole night ahead of you.