Carter raps on his Black Album highlight (which didn’t even make this list) “December 4th”.

“They say they never really miss you ’till you’re dead or you’re gone,” Mr.

A list like this is so hard when greatness comes this easy to a single artist, and while this particular collection will highlight only 20 of his songs, it would undoubtedly be just as easy to pick another group of entirely different tracks to debate alongside the following picks. Some will be scoffed at others will be imperative. Some of these tracks will be predictable others may force you to scratch your head. To top it all off, he developed a sports agency, signing some of the most celebrated athletes of American sports at breakneck speed, reminding us all that his mind wanders far beyond the realm of simple beats and complicated words.īut, alas, such is why we are here in the first place: To try and contain an idiom that frankly can’t possibly be defined to try and nail down a best-of list when it comes to the output Jay-Z has so graciously offered over the years. He took one of the most electrifying beefs the medium has ever seen (with Nas) and turned it into a lucrative business proposition, proving first-hand that it can be wise to swallow our pride every now and then. Jay-Z was the first rapper to age gracefully, the one who embraced preconceived ageism within a subculture by confronting it head-on, proclaiming “30 was the new 20” without anyone even remotely challenging as much. Rather he has set himself apart by making forward-looking, awe-inspiring, never-been-done-before revelatory choices that have helped lead a personalized sense of transcendence throughout all of hip-hop. Because much like his roundball peer, the man born Shawn Carter has built his empire not by merely showcasing his exceptional rhyming skills. Moments - not dunks, not passes, not shots, not highlights - moments. To try and nail down a list of the best Jay-Z songs is kind of like trying to nail down a list of Michael Jordan’s best moments on a basketball court.

Jay z hits collection volume 1 download