JAY-Z ILM TRACKS POLL RESULTS - WORD TO THE HYPHEN IN MY NAME

okay, I'm reloaded!

I received 21 ballots, 12 of which also included top 5 albums lists (there was zero consensus on the other subpoll to have any results).

only seven albums received votes, so we'll start with 7:

Top 7 Albums

7. Watch The Throne (with Kanye West) - 2011
3 points, 1 vote

6. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia - 2000
9 points, 5 votes

Off to a good start!

5. In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 - 1997
26 points, 10 votes

4. Vol. 3… Life And Times of S. Carter - 1999
29 points, 10 votes, 2 first place votes

Cautiously optimistic.

3. Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life - 1998
31 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote

:-)

so no one had black album or AG in their top 5? awesome but weird

Sometimes I feel bad about being so down on The Black Album, but jesus the number of people I've met who think it was the point in time at which to start paying attention to jigga is just i don't know.

i know, right!

the top 2 was pretty close, each was on every single voter's ballot

2. The Blueprint - 2001
41 points, 12 votes, 3 first place votes

1. Reasonable Doubt - 1996
44 points, 12 votes, 6 first place votes

Albums that received zero votes:
The Blueprint 2: The Gift And The Curse
The Black Album
Kingdom Come
American Gangster
The Blueprint 3
Magna Carta… Holy Grail

hopefully will have the tracks counted in time to start that countdown sometime today, but it'll be at least a couple hours.

at the end of the poll i'll also have tracks point totals for each album, which i think will be interesting to compare with the albums poll results.

Basically any of RD, Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3 or The Blueprint I listen to I think "this is my favourite" while it's playing, except that the tracks on Vol 3 I love seem so like the most amazing music in the world that it puts it over the edge for me slightly.

Although maybe what I want most of all is an entire album of "Where I'm From".

Wow v surprised at zero votes for the Black Album!

yeah. i think that's a pretty good indication of how awesome the tracks results are going to be. hopefully i'll be done tallying in the next couple hours.

ok, y'all ready? gonna do the top 40, with the first 10 today.

A note about the results: in any situation where a song has a remix or sequel and both versions received votes, the votes were only counted together if each version of the song has the same beat and/or any of the same verses (Dead Presidents, Who You Wit, U Don’t Know, etc.). If the two versions do not share the same beat or any of the same verses, they are counted as two separate entries in the poll (Friend Or Foe/Friend Or Foe ’98, Can’t Knock The Hustle and remix, Coming Of Age and Da Sequel, Can I Live and Can I Live II, Excuse Me Miss and La La La, etc.).

here is the Spotify playlist: http://open.spotify.com/user/1219464571/playlist/2s35LbrcHhuv3GSVqDyWIy

our list starts with a tie

39. (tie) Imaginary Player
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
6 votes, 173 points

39. (tie) Roc Boys (And The Winner Is…)
#63 Hot 100, #15 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
American Gangster (2007)
6 votes, 173 points

hahaha had i voted for any american gangster track it would've been that one.

loooove "imaginary player"

hard to find anything interesting to say about it bc it's just a tight song

"Imaginary Player" always seemed to be one of the songs Jay most regretted not releasing as a single. An early Vol 2 tracklist had "Imaginary Player II" on it.

ooh, actually kind of wish I included that on my ballot, forgot about it

roc boys I mean

38. Rap Game/Crack Game
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
5 votes, 175 points

ftr i am a weirdo who likes "Rap Game" more than "Dead Presidents"

37. Hola Hovito
The Blueprint (2001)
6 votes, 177 points

I am a werido who doesn't like "Hola Hovito"

it's an interesting track to me because a Timbaland production should be really glaring in the context of the Blueprint sound/'concept' but it works in there so well, better than it probably would've on any of the other more Timbaland-heavy albums.

oh yeah i always forget that's timbo

36. Lucifer
The Black Album (2003)
6 votes, 179 points

35. Hey Papi featuring Memphis Bleek and Amil
#76 Hot 100, #16 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps soundtrack (2000)
6 votes, 181 points

::does Dame Dash champagne bottle dance in empty room by himself::

i'm just glad this is finally rolling out, big man.

YES @ "Hey Papi" placing.

and up next we have another summer soundtrack single...

34. La-La-La (Excuse Me Again)
#112 Hot 100, #37 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Bad Boys II soundtrack / The Blueprint 2.1 (2003)
7 votes, 200 points

up next, the second of 3 ties in the top 40

32. (tie) Politics As Usual
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
6 votes, 206 points

Rap Game/Crack Game & Imaginary Players just missed it for me, glad to see em place.

Roc Boys kinda bugs me but not sure why.

yeah, not a huge fan. it's kinda stuck in my head today and i don't mind it, though.

up next is one of my favorite beats ever

32. (tie) Streets Is Watching
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
7 votes, 206 points

Didnt even consider that one! Dig it though

Vol. 1 bangers getting their due in this poll damn near brought a tear to my eye

Yeah this is awesome and unpredictable so far.

La La La is all about THAT synth.

Have you in your long-legged life
Ever seen a watch surrounded by this much pink ice
Look but don't touch, muthafucka think twice
Cuz this gat that I clutch gotta little red light
Need a light?

Never occurred to me before but Eminem's flow sounds kind of like Jay on Imaginary Players sometimes

Lucifer is one of Ye's best beats.

really xp? i dont really hear it

*Player

Nah, I just crush a lot.

really don't love Lucifer, La-La-La or Papi all that much either.

all of those beats get on my nerves

yay at STreets is Watching placing. that was one of mine.

yeah me too, and Politics

I like Politics and there was no shortage of RD tracks I voted for, but left that one off.

I do love the way he says "yoo-zhoo-al" tho.

I love that little syncopated bit of the sample every four bars that drops the one.

Yeah that beat is kind of a tease. Perfectly sequenced.

ok, one more for tonight, and then we'll pick up in the morning. I should mention, 152 different songs received votes in this poll!

31. Guess Who’s Back – Scarface featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel
#78 Hot 100, #22 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Fix (2002)
7 votes, 209 points

talk to me maaaan

oooooh man, see cuts like that is what my ballot was missing.

I just realized I forgot to throw in a vote for "I Do"

"I Do" is one of the songs that i considered for the 'great song where Jay is the weak link' ballot

btw here's a depressing list:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/1568783/jay-z-20-biggest-billboard-hits

less than half of those songs got a single vote in this poll

Unhhh gwb top 3 for me.

not surprising at all. A lot of those are solid party songs, just not what comes to mind when I think about why I listen to Jay-Z. I guess that's to his credit that he can make so many earworm hits and still has amassed a fatter folio of nerd-approved lyrics than most.

Vol. 1 bangers getting their due in this poll damn near brought a tear to my eye

― Some-D (some dude), Tuesday, 30 July 2013 23:38 (Yesterday) Permalink

Damn straight, though in retrospect I put "Streets Is Watching" too low on my ballot.

Also I rated it high but "Politics As Usual" is too low here.

Ski wins everything, basically.

i don't understand how people can not love roc boys, but i wasn't the huge pre-BA Jay stan some of you are

can we agree that he has tons of great non-album tracks?

al did "stop" place anywhere in the top 40? can you give me a hint?

has anyone ever thought of doing a "worst rap adlib" poll

OJ Da Juiceman Freshman Freestyle POLL

talk to me maaaan

― Some-D (some dude), Tuesday, July 30, 2013 9:01 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^

i don't understand how people can not love roc boys, but i wasn't the huge pre-BA Jay stan some of you are

― Beatrix Kiddo (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, July 30, 2013 9:36 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hehe not even "some," yours is pretty much the only ballot that is not overwhelmingly pre-2002. "Stop" never stood a chance.

ah well

fuck i didn't vote for "guess who's back"

had total moment of blindness re: jay features before i submitted my ballot but man i'm glad it placed

yeah non-album stuff really did not do well in this poll in general, could easily be a whole separate runoff poll of just features.

I did vote for "Stop" in the lower reaches of my ballot. Although it's not the latest tune I voted for it was probably the end point of my Jay obsession.

wtf at that billboard list. lots of r&b singles where he has a really tiny guest spot at best.

i mean that said i think i tilted my ballot towards album cuts too much. would almost be happy with a separate guest spot poll. (and one for luda too!)

oh i voted for stop low too, and its also the chronologically last track i voted for. after we get through the main 40 i'm curious about the outliers.

i paid no attention at all during the american gangster era, so rediscovering Roc Boys is v. pleasant, even though like all the work is in the production and the lyrics don't seem v. "there"

when it's all said and done i'll post at least the top 60, maybe top 80 or something

oof forgot about guess who's back. lotta songs i love but didn't vote for so far.

weird that 99 problems isn't even one of his 20 highest charting appearances. hard knock life isn't either...

that is nuts

I would be curious how it would shake out if they didn't include tracks where he clearly just had a guest role

in the late '90s even some of the biggest rap hits still weren't really getting that high on the Hot 100 -- "Hard Knock Life" didn't get into the top 10, neither did "Can I Get A." that was already changing by early 2000, when "Big Pimpin'" did go top 10, though.

I'm gonna toss a song out now since I have to be up this early for work anyway

30. Money AIn’t A Thang featuring Jermaine Dupri
#52 Hot 100, #10 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life / Life In 1472 (1998)
7 votes, 210 points

i remember talking to a friend who lived in NYC who had also been a fan of RD/Vol. 1 and he was telling me about this Jay-Z/Jermaine Dupri song Hot 97 was playing super heavy, but back then you couldn't really just listen to it on the internet, so i was all primed for "Money Ain't A Thang" way before i heard it, such a jam.

29. Song Cry
#45 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Blueprint (2001)
8 votes, 211 points

i always think about the time on Making The Band 2 that Ness went to see his newborn child in the hospital, and the MTV producers put "Song Cry" in the background with Jay yelling "most incredible baby!" like Jay-Z was actually talking about Ness's most incredible baby.

Haha

last several have been separated by just like 10 points

there's a lot of really close almost-ties, and only a couple of really big jumps of more than 20 points at a time or whatever.

was really one of those polls where pretty much every single ballot changed things up pretty significantly.

28. Poppin’ Tags featuring Big Boi, Killer Mike and Twista
The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse (2002)
8 votes, 222 points

next song is one you might be surprised to see this low

27. Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
#15 Hot 100, #10 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)
7 votes, 223 points

not after so many people were trashing it in the other thread

well, most of those people didn't vote

that's a fine spot for HKL, didn't make my ballot tho

have none of these songs gotten a number 1 vote yet or have you just not been specifying?

yeah, none of these have been anyone's #1 yet. the first one will be coming up soon, though.

is it too early for these goons?

I like "Hard Knock Life"; the fact that Jay-Z has made 35 better songs really reflects the quality of those 35 songs more than anything else.

26. This Can’t Be Life featuring Scarface and Beanie Sigel
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)
8 votes, 226 points

i remember talking to a friend who lived in NYC who had also been a fan of RD/Vol. 1 and he was telling me about this Jay-Z/Jermaine Dupri song Hot 97 was playing super heavy, but back then you couldn't really just listen to it on the internet, so i was all primed for "Money Ain't A Thang" way before i heard it, such a jam.

― Some-D (some dude), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 09:02 (4 hours ago) Permalink

Yeah, I probably first heard like half the Jay-Z songs I know on Hot 97, mostly in the car. It brought a certain excitement to things that the internet lacks, especially when Funkmaster Flex is like "THIS IS SO TOUGH!" and runs it back to the beginning like 18 times in a row.

"hard knock life" has some of my favorite individual jay lines though

it's possible i just really love "flow infinitely like the memory of my n--- biggie"

anyway WHAT'S UP "this can't be life"

that song is heartbreaking

Money Aint A Thing is still so great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc9xZQd-iPg

HKL bass line is perfect. Agree with Brad re memorable lines.

ah man, that's awesome.

up next is the first song that was somebody's #1...

25. Brooklyn’s Finest featuring the Notorious B.I.G.
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
8 votes, 248 points, 1 first place vote

If you haven't seen that full so so def 20th ann concert you damn well need to.

Brooklyns Finest sample is my favorite Ohio Players song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6zxpM0fY1E

The vocals on that thing, man alive.

I had mixed feelings about voting for Brooklyn's Finest because I think Biggie kind of crushes Jay on it. But Jay is still kind of essential to the track because of the back-and-forth, plus he has "Squeezed off on him/ left them paramedics breathing soft on him"

yeah Biggie shines brighter but they're both so great going back and forth every few bars. it's such a shame that Jay and Big didn't get to do like 30 songs together.

otm

that said, it's far from my favorite RD track and i never really considered voting for it.

i finished tallying up point totals for each album, and for each big name producer...REALLY interesting results, looking forward to sharing that with you guys after the countdown's over on Friday.

that should be interesting, hopefully Ski takes the title

I didnt vote Brooklyns FInest either.

up next is the last tie in the countdown...

23. (tie) Girls, Girls, Girls
#17 Hot 100, #4 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Blueprint (2001)
7 votes, 249 points

i love the wanton waste of starpower on that chorus, which kind of feels like it anticipated Kanye's whole check-out-all-these-unbilled-stars-deep-in-the-mix method these days. would've been nice to hear Slick Rick or Q-Tip actually rap on a track with Jay-Z, but they sound so great on that hook.

now that i think of it, i'd be comfortable calling Jay/Tip/Rick my top 3 MCs. no disrespect to Biz.

There's this guy in my office who every time someone says "Indian" he says to me quietly, leaning in "red dot or feather." For that alone I fucking hate that song.

yeah that's :(

lot of lines in the song are pretty obnoxious like that but i'm kinda of the opinion that asshole jay is the best jay

23. (tie) D’Evils)
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
8 votes, 249 points

all time

oh damn how did i forget to vote for hey papi. ive not bought many cd singles in my life but i had i just wanna love u/parkin lot pimpin/hey papi and trounced it on my cd walkman, you could listen to all three songs three times on the walk to school; it was like the soundtrack to my first year in secondary school.

i hold amil in way more esteem than should have ever happened. was her album actually any good? what ever happened to her?

this is a great poll sh1p.

man all 3 of those songs on one single, that's great. i love the story about how the "I Just Wanna Love U" video has all those cars in it because it was supposed to be a shoot for "Parking Lot Pimpin'," but at the last minute changed his mind about the single because he released he had a monster record on his hand. "Parking Lot Pimpin'" is nice but it being a single woulda been too "Big Pimpin'" sequel-ish.

after the Roc dropped Amil, they kept performing "You Me Him & Her" in concert but with the chorus changed to "Amil-lion GONE!" lol

I like Amil's album (because I like her voice). Not sure I can muster up anything more persuasive than that, but IIRC there's a few strong tracks on it. Amil appeared 3 or 4 times on my ballot.

HKL bass line is perfect.

just listening through the spotify playlist and otm, but also

"take the bassline out"

alright, i'm gonna run and give you guys the last 2 for today later this afternoon

scarface on "this can't be life" ;_;

22. Is That Yo Bitch? featuring Memphis Bleek, Missy Elliott and Twista
#68 Hot 100, #18 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999) / The Understanding (2000)
8 votes, 251 points

getting into the car and hearing "Tom Ford" after listening to some of these songs is a real douse of cold water

:D

ok, last one for today

21. Come And Get Me
Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
7 votes, 252 points, 1 first place vote

in my top 5

there's like three dope songs within it

I love that songs like this are placing

Proud of all the pollers tbf.

The chopped-up talk box fits so perfectly

Come and Get Me, another banger I didn't even think of. So many good tracks. I didn't really give a fuck that Tom Ford etc are wack, but his recent comments about Belafonte make me kind of sad.

so happy This Can't Be Life made it - was on mine. also surprised at Poppin' Tags. That one was on my ballot, didn't realize it was that popular!

i didn't vote for poppin but it always makes me happy, just thinking about it

"Poppin' Tags" is one of those songs where they really just messed up not making it a single

aw man i was kinda hoping "come and get me" would be higher.

my no. 1

Definitely top 5 for me.

I feel like "Come & Get Me" is a bit of an oddity - an experimental, even ~arty~ track from a big name rapper that:

(a) is, if anything, underrated; and

(b) goes as hard as anything in his discography ever

One thing that I feel was particularly fantastic about the Tim/Jay pairing in this period is the way subtle shifts in the groove mirror and counterpoint the shifts in flow and narrative, these very carefully controlled gradations of murderous intensity the perfect complement to the ever-increasing relentlessness of Jay's flow (this could describe "It's Hot" and "Snoopy Track" as well but it's particularly true of "Come and Get Me").

It's something that I don't think either of them ever really did in quite the same way with anyone else (whether producer for Jay-Z or singer/rapper for Timbaland), which makes these tracks all the more fascinating to me.

yeah "Come And Get Me" was actually on the list of underrated tracks deej and i worked on recently:
http://www.complex.com/music/2013/07/underrated-jay-z-songs/

it's always been a favorite of mine and it did way better than i expected here. i was comparing how Jay/Timbaland collaborations ranked on this poll vs. the Timbo poll, and they ended up in slightly different order, and without giving too much away, "Come And Get Me" is one of the songs that kinda jumped up in the pecking order here.

20. Ain’t No Nigga featuring Foxy Brown
#50 Hot 100, #17 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
10 votes, 273 points

it was tough picking out songs from RD, but i love the beat on that and the change of pace it provides on the album

19. 1-900-Hustler featuring Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek and Freeway
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)
11 votes, 275 points

i always go back and forth over who's got the best verse on this. freeway's is massive

it's really one of the best debut guest verses of all time. only time i've ever worked on an impression of a rapper after only hearing one verse by them.

my first time hearing freeway was on the 8 mile soundtrack, lol

Yahhh love this.

kev that can't be right, "roc the mic" had already been a hit by then!

one of my favorites up next

18. Can I Live
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
8 votes, 277 points, 1 first place vote

I am just loving this poll.

i have to say, the saltiness i have sometimes in poll threads about the results, even in some i ran like the Neptunes? i have none of that here. i love how this turned out. i'm very 'the more the merrier' and encouraged casual fans to vote, but the kind of serious fans that turned out really made the results pretty awesome.

I'm guessing at this point there's no way Addicted to the Game is placing (probably partly for lack of exposure). I'm just going to post it because fuck it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXf0GNJ-2t8

yeah, dope Blueprint outtake produced by Just Blaze.

17. Money, Cash, Hoes featuring DMX
#116 Hot 100, #36 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)
11 votes, 309 points

i remember the DAY that Vol. 2 dropped talking to one of my friends about how crazy it was that someone just looped their hand running down a keyboard and made it into a banger

lol true

getting into the car and hearing "Tom Ford" after listening to some of these songs is a real douse of cold water

― some dude, Wednesday, 31 July 2013 20:41 (Yesterday) Permalink

i had this same experience this morning and i tried, like, no, let me put the bitterness aside, i bet this'll sound great on the radio, i'll let it play... still sucked.

excited to see the top 15.

16. It’s Hot (Some Like It Hot)
Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
9 votes, 314 points, 1 first place vote

nice

"money cash hoes" is so dope

the claps on "it's hot" are so crazy, tim got away with such wild shit sometimes

That beat is insane, and Jay does this sick thing where he mostly accents the beats that don't have the claps (the down beats) so the whole thing is just like maximum head nod

meaning accents the 1 and 3 while the claps are on 2 and 4, I mean

man every track i didn't vote for makes me feel guilty for not voting for it

i made a deliberate choice to not vote a straight Vol 3. ticket though, so hard choices had to be made

I decided I didn't want to vote for both "Come And Get Me" and "It's Hot" for some stupid reason, and now that decision seems very ill-conceived.

the albums part of this was also more or less on point

Vol. 3 is kind of a patchy album for me but if Jay had shelled out for a 75% Timbaland album in 1999 instead of 2013 it could've been the greatest album of all time

truth

vol 1 is too patchy for me i think

Vol 1 is like three iffy songs max, Vol 3 has maybe four or five

these results are great

15. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) featuring Pharrell and Omillio Sparks
#11 Hot 100, #1 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)
9 votes, 315 points

I will say even Tom Ford has some layers to it that escaped me the first few listens. Not a good track at all, but his wheels are always turning.

Am I the only person in the world who is meh on I Just Wanna Love U? I can't deny it's a good party beat, but I have a real allergy to Pharrel vocals and I kind of hate that flat, cheap-sounding rhythm guitar synth.

a lot of new jay songs have a few really good slow burner lines, they just don't all come together to a totally enjoyable song that often

I never got what "the rap Jerry Rice" meant until I looked at the lyrics of Addicted to the Game on Rap Genius, and it strikes me as pretty apt in light of his new album.

"i just wanna luv u" is one of the best rap songs to karaoke

::stretches::

alright y'all, i took a great nap, i'm goin back in

14. Public Service Announcement (Interlude)
The Black Album (2003)
11 votes, 323 points

Can I Live was my number 1.

i have to say, the saltiness i have sometimes in poll threads about the results, even in some i ran like the Neptunes? i have none of that here. i love how this turned out. i'm very 'the more the merrier' and encouraged casual fans to vote, but the kind of serious fans that turned out really made the results pretty awesome.

― some dude, Thursday, August 1, 2013 6:20 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm this is a real heads poll :)

^^^^ My only The Black Album track and the newest thing in my list.

"It's Hot" was my number one, such an astonishing track on every level. I love that it never seems to settle, Jay and their beat stay crouched on their toes the entire time.

jay z-- hypha

13. Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
#8 Hot 100, #4 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Blueprint (2001)
14 votes, 370 points

Love both of those tracks. I remember at the time what a ridiculous, left field hook Izzo seemed like for a radio hit. And the straightforward hardness of PSA, and that organ, wow.

next track is the first one with multiple #1 votes

12. Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)
The Blueprint (2001)
12 votes, 371 points, 2 first place votes

Ain't got much love for Heart of the City. It's alright.

Vol. 3 is kind of a patchy album for me but if Jay had shelled out for a 75% Timbaland album in 1999 instead of 2013 it could've been the greatest album of all time

― some dude, Thursday, 1 August 2013 15:50 (6 hours ago) Permalink

truth

― Attractive Humas 2013 (a not-necessarily WS thread) (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 August 2013 16:04 (6 hours ago) Permalink

vol 1 is too patchy for me i think

― Attractive Humas 2013 (a not-necessarily WS thread) (J0rdan S.), Thursday, 1 August 2013 16:05 (6 hours ago) Permalink

Vol 1 is like three iffy songs max, Vol 3 has maybe four or five

― some dude, Thursday, 1 August 2013 16:10 (6 hours ago) Permalink

I feel like some dude is correct here but (or maybe not "but" since it looks like he probably agrees with the following) my favourite seven or so Vol. 3 tracks (basically Timbaland + Premier + Rockwilder) feel stronger as a whole than my equivalent favourites from Vol. 1 - like, I love "It's Hot" a little bit more than "Where I'm From", "Come & Get Me" a little bit more than "Friend or Foe '98", and so on down the line. This is enough to push it to top spot for me regardless of the quality of the second-rung tracks.

Vol. 2 is probably the least patchy of the first three volumes (i.e. least variations in quality from track to track) but it's also the one of those I listen to least, overall the highs don't feel as high.

I didn't vote but this is a fantastic list so far.

I think we all know what's going to be #1 but the way things are going it'd be pretty fun to see 99 Problems miss the top 10.

I don't much like 99 Problems either, did not vote for him. But I do have a lot of respect for how sharp he is about changing his rap style for different audiences/formats.

ok, we're gonna finish the day by rounding out a trio of Blueprint cuts

11. U Don’t Know / U Don’t Know (Remix) featuring M.O.P.
The Blueprint (2001) / The Blueprint: The Gift and the Curse (2002)
12 votes, 372 points [10 votes for original, 2 votes for remix]

A totally undeniable tune(s)

I remember the exact spot where I was driving when I first heard that

my vote for #1 is a RD song.

and yay for "U Don't Know". he did this on the Watch the Throne tour and it got the crowd goin completely.

Beat has kind of a purdie shuffle feel to it, not a lot of beats like it

I'm gonna song cry this poll is so perfect.

feel like this thread is a boom-bap group hug for those of us still coming to grips w/ the shittiness of MCHG

Havent even been able to get through that album tbf

I couldn't get through the whole thing but I got through 66% of it.

Tim F breakdown of Vol 1-3 seems pretty otm. I really had a hard time deciding what order to place them in because of bigger highs vs more consistent.

I remember I got em all years after the fact, but all within weeks of each other (there's posts of mine on here under my earliest terrible incarnation where I was asking for opinions on which was best).

I remember not liking Vol 3 much when I first heard it, but on revisiting it two years ago, loved most of it. Vol 1, I always liked a lot, but I just had a problem with those really OTT commercial tracks like "I Know What Boys Like". but the rest of the album is ace, outside of those 2-3.

Vol 2 tho, it's weird at first hearing Jay-Z over Ruff-Ryder-esque beats, but I grew to love it. his lyricism is great on it too - "A Week Ago"'s final verse is so ice cold ("You'll always be in jail, son/minus the bars"), "Coming of Age Part 2", "Nigga What, Nigga Who". when I saw Jay-Z and Kanye on the WTT tour, it was a 4-hour drive, so I was playin nothing but old Jay-Z joints, and Vol 2 probably entered my player the most on that trip.

Vol 2 was my first Jay purchase, love it to death. So many memories tied to it. I was always mad at him for not getting Redman to guest on Reservoir Dogs tho.

His tracks on the Streets Is Watching OST are all worthy of this poll too. I put Only A Customer in my top 15 but no way does it place here. Sounds kinda like a DJ Quik beat is prolly why I love it tbf.

rapping on izzo is underrated. line about the cold crush is one of the all time greats.

honestly that song is what made me realize I'd underrated him so badly as a rapper. Blueprint was the second album of his I owned (years after the fact) and I heard that line about overcharging niggas for what they did to the cold crush, "poof, vamoosh son of a bitch", "show them how to move in a room full of vultures", "I seen hoop dreams deflate like a true fiend's weight/To try and to fail, the two things I hate/Succeed in this rap game, the two things that's great"....so many good lines.

think it was lost on many of the casual rap fans who really just liked the chantable chorus, but man, it's full of quotables.

I've kept out of the thread out of embarrassment from not participating, but the results are terrific.

Vol. 3 my pick for best, and it's true: anyone who's 19-27 has a different answer as to which are his best.

I was raised in the projects, roaches and rats
Smokers out back selling their mama's sofa
Lookouts on the corner focused on the ave
Ladies in the window, focused on the kinfolk
Me under a lamp post, why I got my hand closed?
Crack's in my palm, watching the long arm of the law
So you know I seen it all before

imagery isn't always his thing but he does it well when he wants to

yeah, that verse is so ill

"he who does not feel me is not real to me and so does not exist"

vol 3. is the jay album that actually feels that it has the most conceptual unity to me. it takes the rap game / crack game analogy and mixes it up with the trial motif and he spins this elaborate justification for his career and success that spans the whole thing. his flow is also at its most inventive and reinventive (and Things That U Do is the height of this for me).

i was just remembering when blueprint came out and i feel like lots of us were collectively floored by the luxuriousness of its beats (which have nothing on e.g. watch the throne or really anything that came after). now it doesn't feel nearly as impressive, but at the time there was this feeling of "wait, rap can do that?" and i feel like it was when kanye and just blaze both really broke big. jay's verses are less rhythmically inventive and syncopated, but there are also these tracks where he just keeps going like he's speaking in perfect rhyming iambic couplets or something, on and on. stuff like breathe easy. its just this lyrical monster truck crushing everything in its path. but now it feels overwhelming to me, like aesthetically unified by not sufficiently _fun_, and thematically too "important" and dispersed at once. it probably changed up the next few years of rap more than anything else jay did though, and in terms of casting that shadow its maybe in the top 20 albums of all time?

but now i go back to jay and i really want bangers and sick verses, and for those two things, the earlier stuff is generally way better.

PSA slays ALWAYS

i've always thought PSA was kind of overrated around here tbh. my black album cut was "my first song"

think I voted for every song from 20 to 11

Ah man that PSA drop. xp

Lol what a tease (starts 1:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1ooUhT_mHk

i've always thought PSA was kind of overrated around here tbh. my black album cut was "my first song"

― k3vin k., Friday, August 2, 2013 3:59 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"around here"? dude, it's an interlude with no chorus that people love so much that he plays it at every concert and put it on his fucking greatest hits album. i think we actually kinda rated it low relative to its popularity by leaving it outside the top 10.

do you guys know the remix/alt version with a different Just Blaze beat and slightly different verses? also incredible:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOSASFK42mQ

ok, first track in the top 10 is the one i was most surprised to see there. not mad at all, though.

10. Intro/A Million & One Questions/Rhyme No More
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
12 votes, 373 points, 1 first place vote

scarface on "this can't be life" ;_;

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Wednesday, July 31, 2013 2:09 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

man i just had to hug my son listening to that verse

9. Where I’m From
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
11 votes, 379 points, 2 first place votes

ok, this next one, it's fine, i have nothing against it, but i thought it was too high in the Timbaland poll and i DEFINITELY think it's way too high here

8. Snoopy Track featuring Juvenile
Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
12 votes, 415 points

i didn't rank my ballot, but "where i'm from" would have been my number 1

Listening to early Jay this morning, holy shit

but now i go back to jay and i really want bangers and sick verses,

yeah basically

xp yeah I love the alternate PSA.

this is a pretty good mixtape for unreleased tracks:
http://www.j-loveonline.com/jayztoptracks.html

9. Where I’m From
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)
11 votes, 379 points, 2 first place votes

― some dude, Friday, August 2, 2013 8:24 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ah, I want to know who else ranked this #1. One of the best pure lyrics songs ever imo, up there with Shook Ones, Juicy, the Message, etc. And the beat is scary as fuck.

Top 5 for me. Astonishing tune.

The way he sprays rhymes all over the beat like there's barely a meter, just fucking sick

intro/one in a million/rhyme no more was in my top5 i believe. that aaliyah flip is so incredible... as much as i love that entire track i'll still be forever salty that jay didn't rock over that beat for 3 verses

agreed that "snoopy track" is a bit overrated... he should've let juvie kick a verse

does jay get enough credit for throwing dudes like too short and juvie etc on his albums? or is it not as unusual as it seems to me

Snoopy Track top 5? Madness.

Er top 8

considering ilx i'm not surprised

i was the other #1 for "Where I'm From" :)

intro/one in a million/rhyme no more was in my top5 i believe. that aaliyah flip is so incredible... as much as i love that entire track i'll still be forever salty that jay didn't rock over that beat for 3 verses

― Attractive Humas 2013 (a not-necessarily WS thread) (J0rdan S.), Friday, August 2, 2013 10:05 AM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

he did!

http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-a-million-and-one-questions-remix-lyrics

what!!!!

ok next song

7. Can’t Knock The Hustle featuring Mary J. Blige
#73 Hot 100, #35 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
13 votes, 416 points, 1 first place vote

oh yeah i forgot, even on the remix the beat switches to something different for the 3rd verse. but still!

that was in my top 5 I think or at least top 10. One of my favorite openers, it has the feeling of getting in the car at 5am on a quiet morning and leaving the city, but to do some really bad shit.

does jay get enough credit for throwing dudes like too short and juvie etc on his albums? or is it not as unusual as it seems to me

― Attractive Humas 2013 (a not-necessarily WS thread) (J0rdan S.), Friday, August 2, 2013 10:06 AM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think it's pretty unique for that era...other than Bone Thugs and Too Short on Life After Death i can't think of a lot of big '90s New York rap albums with those kinds of regional guests in the mix.

6. Can I Get A… featuring Ja Rule and Amil
#19 Hot 100, #6 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Rush Hour soundtrack / Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)
13 votes, 418 points

first jay verse i ever memorized, i think

i love how he was already insinuating he was worth 8 figures before his first really big album even dropped

even though it's in service of internal rhyme, jay calling his dick "wood" always kinda weirded me out

he didn't exactly invent the woody/morning wood family of dick slang

i know! nonetheless

Side Q: What was the first track to do that thing of having the sultry female R&B singer singing about gangsta shit instead of romance?

in re Can't Knock the Hustle

good question!

5. Takeover
The Blueprint (2001)
12 votes, 459 points, 1 first place vote

o-ver rat-ed

i can't take anything away from it, but it didn't need to be that high, yeah. i enjoy it when it's on, but it's not one i go back to for listening pleasure very often.

It didn't make my ballot.

but I'm not mad at it for placing. I get it.

4. So Ghetto
Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
15 votes, 460 points

"So Ghetto" and "A Million" placing this high just kinda reinforces my annoyance at Jay for writing "Hand It Down" for Bleek, that could've been another classic Jay/Premo track.

Where I'm From should have been higher than these

o well i didn't vote nothing i can do

"brandish iron / outlandish buyin" is one of my fav lyrics ever

starting to feel like i probably wasted my Hawaiian Sophie vote.

lol deej you scamp

lol clover that hawaiian sophie ballot cracked me up

starting to feel like i probably wasted my Hawaiian Sophie vote.

― stefon taylor swiftboat (s.clover), Friday, August 2, 2013 9:29 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol I threw a high vote for The Originators trying to get it on here

Cant Knock is such a warm song.

yeah originators is really good actually -- i voted for it too. maybe it'll hit the top 80 at least?

maaaybe

man i can't believe "jigga what" isn't gonna place

unless i missed it

SAY WORD TO ME

3. Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99) featuring Big Jaz and Amil
#84 Hot 100, #23 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)
15 votes, 476 points, 1 first place vote

:D

o-ver rat-ed

― k3vin k., Friday, 2 August 2013 15:59 (1 hour ago) Permalink

yeah I guess the hardest diss track ever is bound to be a little overrated

"hardest diss track ever" is not what i think of really. mainly i think of the era of wholemeal classic rock sampling.

Wow, happy to see 'Jigga What' this high!

I think sampling Five To One for that track was a great move

Top-ten all time opening line quotable imo.

never forget Jay-Z / Nas hip-hop throw down? & other throw-downs?

So Ghetto is cool but ranked too high here. Can I Get A is actually the only song on this poll I flat out dont like anymore, Amil's voice is the worst.

"you only get half a bar" is pretty untouchable

Hillis 3000, whattup?
I'm a little upset that you wasn't involved in this whole process
But it's all good - whassup Qoolout?
My whole family, my nephew, cousin 3:16, whassup Hollywood Jaimison?
Steph, you made the album, how crazy is that?
Big J, rest in peace

hard to think of better jay or timbo tracks than "n--- what"

I always thought "Ether" was massively overrated though, it's so scattershot and unfocused "You're ugly, you're stupid, you're gay, hey your shoe's untied, gotcha dummy, that's an ugly shirt" etc.

hard to think of better jay or timbo tracks than "n--- what"

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Friday, August 2, 2013 1:33 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

people apparently prefer the next one, but i'm with you

2. Big Pimpin’
#18 Hot 100, #6 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Vol. 3… The Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
15 votes, 526 points, 3 first place votes

thought it would be number one

it was pretty close!

#1 coming up in a few, y'all. gimme about an hour to roll out some stats and the complete top 80, and then you can post your ballots or whatever.

It's hard for me to separate that song from the mental image of the shitty college parties I would always hear it at, and the douchebags that were always rapping along to it with red solo cups in their hands.

Huh, so is it 99 Problems? Does that mean What More Can I Say didn't place?

99 probs at #1 would ruin this poll.

my favorite thing about "Big Pimpin'" is the 2nd Jay verse he added after the album version...it's like after he decided to make it a single he realized how much UGK killed it and felt too competitive to not try and top them.

What else could be #1? What am I not thinking of?

I got 99 problems but not that song at #1

1. Dead Presidents II
Reasonable Doubt (1996)
16 votes, 534 points, 1 first place vote

ohhhhh shit

booooom

nice!!!!

damn

#mylaugh

Proven by science: it was all downhill after the first single

this poll

sounds like it won largely by being on the most ballots?

1. Dead Presidents II 534
2. Big Pimpin 526
3. Nigga What 476
4. So Ghetto 460
5. Takeover 459
6. Can I Get A 418
7. Can’t Knock The Hustle 416
8. Snoopy Track 415
9. Where I’m From 379
10. Intro/A Million 373
11. U Don’t Know 372
12. Heart of the City 371
13. Izzo 370
14. PSA 323
15. I Just Wanna Love U 315
16. It’s Hot 314
17. Money Cash Hoes 309
18. Can I Live 277
19. 1-900-Hustler 275
20. Ain’t No 273
21. Come And Get Me 252
22. Is That Yo Bitch 251
23. D’Evils 249 (tie)
23. Girls Girls, Girls 249 (tie)
25. Brooklyn’s Finest 248
26. This Can’t Be Life 226
27. Hard Knock Life 223
28. Poppin’ Tags 222
29. Song Cry 211
30. Money Ain’t A Thang 210
31. Guess Who’s Back 209
32. Politics As Usual 206 (tie)
32. Streets Is Watching 206 (tie)
34. La La La 200
35. Hey Papi 181
36. Lucifer 179
37. Hola Hovito 177
38. Rap Game/ Crack Game 176
39. Roc Boys 173 (tie)
39. Imaginary Player 173 (tie)
41. 99 Problems 172
42. Never Change 168
43. Who You Wit 150
44. Friend Or Foe ’98 142
45. Change The Game 140
46. Dirt Off Your Shoulder 135
47. My 1st Song 132
48. Jigga My Nigga 131
49. It’s Alright 122
50. Encore 114
51. Ride Or Die 112
52. Reservoir Dogs 109
53. What We Do 104
54. Paper Chase 101
55. The Originators 100
56. If I Should Die 94
57. Parking Lot Pimpin’ 90
58. Streets Is Talkin’ 89
59. Meet The Parents 87
60. I Love The Dough 86
61. Stop 84
62. Feelin’ It 83
63. Dope Man 81 (tie)
63. S. Carter 81 (tie)
65. Best of Me 80
66. 22 Two’s 80
67. Frontin’ 78
68. Do It Again 73 (tie)
68. Things That U Do 73 (tie)
68. I Know What Girls Like 73 (tie)
71. You’re Only A Customer 71
72. Coming Of Age 70
72. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix) 67 (tie)
74. New Day 67 (tie)
75. It’s Like That 67 (tie)
76. The Ruler’s Back 66
77. Excuse Me Miss 63
78. December 4th 59
79. Moment Of Clarity 58
80. Friend Or Foe 57

LLLLOOOOOLLLLLL 99 PROBS

lol "99 problems" just missed the top 40

lol number 41

i definitely did a top 40 instead of a top 50 to maintain that suspense lol

Is that everything that got more than one vote? Cause I don't see everything from my ballot on there.

that's actually kinda perfect - wish you'd started the rollout from 80 now

i definitely did a top 40 instead of a top 50 to maintain that suspense lol

well also who'd want to count down "dirt off your shoulder"

fuckin a that's a great #1

best poll ever

it's cool that the hits that are genuinely dope still got high rankings

nah there were about 100 songs that got more than one vote. #80 got three votes.

awesome top ten. Only "Takeover" is a hair's breath less amazing than the other nine imo.

oh man i was totally wondering if dead presidents II was going to place. boom!

loving everything about this poll. And Originators at 55!

Albums by total points from tracks poll:

1. Vol. 3… Life And Times of S. Carter – 2782
2. Reasonable Doubt - 2643
3. The Blueprint – 2504
4. Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life - 2498
5. In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 - 1820
6. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia - 1303
7. The Black Album - 1266
8. The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse - 835
9. Watch The Throne (with Kanye West) - 217
10. American Gangster - 207
11. The Blueprint 3 – 86
12. Kingdom Come - 71
13. Magna Carta…Holy Grail – 26
14. Best of Both Worlds (with R. Kelly) - 16

now compare that to the Top 5 albums subpoll I revealed the results from at the beginning of the thread:

1. Reasonable Doubt - 44 points, 12 votes, 6 first place votes
2. The Blueprint - 41 points, 12 votes, 3 first place votes
3. Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life - 31 points, 10 votes, 1 first place vote
4. Vol. 3… Life And Times of S. Carter - 29 points, 10 votes, 2 first place votes
5. In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 - 26 points, 10 votes
6. The Dynasty: Roc La Familia - 9 points, 5 votes
7. Watch The Throne (with Kanye West) - 26 points, 10 votes

when i get home in a few hours i'll put the whole top 80 in the Spotify playlist btw

Awesome results, nice work everyone. Cheers for running the poll SD.

yeah this was surprisingly perfect.

oh wait n/m i just realized i could do it from where i am, it's all there now (xp)

bummed about Can't Get Wit That not placing (its always the track I play people when they somehow dismiss jay as commercial and boring and invariably it changes up how they think about him), and Things That U Do and Do It Again placing so low. I thought the latter two were universally loved.

thanks guys! y'all are the best!

ok, one more stats breakdown, then you guys can post ballots and whatnot

Jay-Z’s top 10 producers, by point totals, with top 2 ranking productions in parentheses:

1. Timbaland – 2986 (“Big Pimpin’,” “Nigga What, Nigga Who”)
2. Kanye West – 2811 (“The Takeover,” “Heart of the City”
3. Just Blaze – 1514 (“U Don’t Know,” “PSA”)
4. DJ Premier – 1281 (“So Ghetto,” “A Million And One Questions”)
5. Ski – 1259 (“Dead Presidents,” “Streets Is Watching”)
6. Swizz Beatz – 813 (“Money, Cash, Hoes,” “Jigga My Nigga”)
7. Irv Gotti – 777 (“Can I Get A,” “Can I Live”)
8. The Neptunes – 706 (“I Just Wanna Love U,” “La La La”)
9. Big Jaz – 448 (“Ain’t No,” “Rap Game/Crack Game”)
10. Bink! – 472 (“1-900-Hustler,” “The Ruler’s Back”)

for comparison, old poll thread on the same subject:
best Jay-Z/producer combo

Good breakdown. Interesting. Seems about what you'd expect, preem and ski were close.

my ballot (tracks out of the top 80 in bold)

1. Things That U Do
2. I Can't Get Wit That
3. Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99)
4. Beware of the Boys
5. D'Evils
6. Politics as Usual
7. Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)
8. Snoopy Track
9. S. Carter
10. Ain't No Ni**a
11. The Originators
12. Dope Man
13. Dead Presidents II
14. Izzo
15. Come and Get Me
16. Hawaiian Sophie
17. Can I Get A…
18. Stop
19. Paper Chase
20. Money, Cash, Hoes
21. Frontin'
22. So Ghetto
23. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
24. Lucifer
25. A Dream

Top 5 albums
1. Vol 3
2. Vol 2
3. Reasonable Doubt
4. The Blueprint
5. The Dynasty

Top 5 tracks with Jay but not needing Jay
1. Can I Get A…
2. What We Do
3. Is That Yo Bitch?
4. Poppin' Tags
5. Big Pimpin'

this was my ballot

#1: Can't Knock the Hustle

#2: Takeover

#3: A Week Ago

#4: Dead Presidents II

#5: Izzo

#6: U Don't Know

#7: Feelin It

#8: Hard Knock Life

#9: Heart of the City

#10: Change the Game

#11: Streets is Watchin

#12: Coming of Age (DA Sequel)

#13: Girls Girls Girls

#14: Big Pimpin

#15: Intro/A Million and One Questions....

#16: So Ghetto

#17: Brooklyn's Finest

#18: Snoopy Track

#19: This Can't Be Life

#20: If I Should Die

#21: Encore

#22: Public Service Announcement

#23: Nigga What, Nigga Who

#24: Dirt Off Your Shoulder

#25: Poppin' Tags

#26: The Watcher 2

#27: Dope Man

#28: Can I Get A...

#29: Song Cry

#30: Friend or Foe

#31: Where I'm From

#32: Hovi Baby

#33: Paper Chase

#34: Ain't No Nigga

#35: New Day

my ballot, songs that didn't place in the top 40 in bold:

1. so ghetto
2. feelin' it
3. snoopy track
4. aint no love (heart of the city)
5. dead presidents 2

6. brooklyn's finest
7. cashmere thoughts
8. where i'm from
9. i just wanna love u
10. hola hovito

11. 1-900-hustler
12. can I live 2
13. d'evils
14. lucifer
15. it's hot

16. big pimpin'
17. twenty two twos
18. public service announcement
19. izzo (hova)
20. what we do (freeway)
21. regrets
22. can i get a
23. this can't be life
24. meet the parents
25. u don't know

26. in my lifetime
27. change the game
28. money cash hoes
29. ain't no nigga
30. s. carter

31. 99 problems
32. the takeover
33. streets is watching
34. who you with
35. can i live

all the reasonable doubt album tracks basically

rules for myself were "no reasonable doubt no blueprint no black album"

1. Come and Get Me
2. Big Pimpin'
3. N---- What N---- Who (Originator 99)
4. La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)
5. Where I'm From
6. It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)
7. Snoopy Track
8. You Must Love Me
9. It's Alright
10. Poppin' Tags
11. Is That Yo Bitch
12. 1-900-Hustler
13. So Ghetto
14. Ride Or Die
15. Streets Is Watching
16. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
17. Hey Papi
18. Can I Get A…
19. This Can't Be Life
20. Rap Game/Crack Game
21. Who You Wit
22. Money Cash Hoes
23. Some People Hate
24. Friend or Foe '98
25. If I Should Die
26. The City Is Mine
27. Streets is Talking
28. Imaginary Player
29. Some How Some Way
30. What They Gonna Do

and that's such an awesome ballot that it never would've occurred to me looking at it "there's something missing, like he was avoiding certain songs for some reason"

(unranked ballot, songs o/s the 80 in bold)

Dead Presidents
I Love The Dough
I'll Be (Foxy Brown feat. Jay-Z)
Can't Knock The Hustle
Ain't No N***a
D'Evils
Rap Game / Crack Game
Can I Get A...
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
N***a What, N***a Who
Ride Or Die
Paper Chase
Is That Yo B*tch?
S. Carter
Pop 4 Roc
NYMP
That's Right (Amil feat. Jay-Z)
So Ghetto
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
Takeover
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Girls, Girls, Girls
Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)
Song Cry
Back in the Day (Missy feat Jay-Z)
La-La-La (Excuse Me Again)
December 4th
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
Moment of Clarity
99 Problems
Lucifer
Diamonds from Sierra Leone (remix)
Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)
Jockin' Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)
New Day

Thank you, some dude!

My tracks ballot (ranked 1-35):

Dead Presidents II
Can I Live
Imaginary Player
D'Evils
Poppin' Tags
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Takeover
Where I'm From
Jigga What, Jigga Who (Originator 99)
Snoopy Track
U Don't Know
Money, Cash, Hoes
Intro/A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More
Big Pimpin'
Can I Get a...
All I Need
Politics as Usual
Public Service Announcement
Is That Yo Bitch
The Ruler's Back
Encore
Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)
Friend or Foe
Can't Knock the Hustle
It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)
Rap Game/Crack Game
If I Should Die
Who You Wit II
Some People Hate
Guess Who's Back (w/ Scarface)
This Can't Be Life
So Ghetto
Brooklyn's Finest
Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)
1-900 Hustler

it's pretty tragic that Irv Gotti made the "Can I Live" and "Can I Get A" beats but then became a brand name by throwing windchimes over Bad Boy beats

TRACKS

1. Can I Live
2. D’evils
3. Guess Whos Back
4. Snoopy Track
5. Come and Get Me
6. Big Pimpin
7. Medly: intro
8. The Originator
9. Some How Some Way
10. Time To Build (lol why did i place this so high? I think I forgot to edit it out)
11. Nigga What Nigga Who
12. Only A Customer
13. Young G’s
14. Reservoir Dogs
15. Dec 4
16. Threat
17. Cant Knock The Hustle
18. It’s Like That
19. Hypnotic
20. Public Service Announcement
21. Lucifer
22. Hey Papi
23. U Don’t Know
24. Diamonds from Sierra Leone
25. Change The Game
26. A Week Ago
27. Money Aint a Thing
28. Never Change
29. La La La
30. Honey
31. Always Be My Sunshine
32. 1 900 Hustler
33. What You Think of That
34. Where I’m From
35. Dead Presidents II

ALBUMS

1. Reasonable Doubt
2. Vol 2
3. Vol 1
4. The Dynasty
5. The Blueprint

8-19 was a rough run for me

Listening to Memphis Bleek's verse in "1-900-Hustler" is a helluva way to start a weekend let me tell YOU.

lol "Time To Build"

lotta pre-RD tracks are impressive but the only one i really love enough that i'd've considered voting for is probably "Only A Customer"

Yeah I burned a high vote on that one. Only A Customer, though, would place it even higher today.

spottie you and me on that "some how some way" tip

"Some How" is good but i could never look at it as anything but a minor "This Can't Be Life" sequel

xp yeah man! thats my beanie/face/jay cut of choice. Play that and This Cant Be Life back to back and you'll drowned in tears.

but its close, probably should have put them both in there.

these are all gold tbh

best Scarface/Roc-A-Fella collab

1) Where I'm From
2) U Don't Know
3) Takeover
4) Nigga What Nigga Who
5) Hard Knock Life
6) It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)
7) Can't Knock the Hustle
8) Brooklyn's Finest
9) Politics as Usual
10) Money Cash Hoes
11) Public Service Announcement
12) Success
13) Streets is Watching
14) Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)
15) D'Evils
16) Addicted to the Game
17) Ain't No Nigga
18) What More Can I Say
19) Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
20) Never Change
21)Oh My God
22) Money Ain't A Thang
23) Dirt Off Your Shoulder
24) It's Alright
25) So Ghetto
26) Show Me What You Got (kind of regret this vote, but like the beat and wanted to throw a pop tune a bone)
27) Big Pimpin'
28) Friend or Foe
29) Jigga My Nigga
30) Niggas in Paris
31) H.A.M.

Also feel kind of meh about my Watch the Throne track votes, but at the same time I think that album got so overly shit-talked on ILM that I wanted to up it a little.

AWESOME POLL SOME D

My ballot:

1. It's Hot (Some LIke it Hot)
2. Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)
3. Politics As Usual
4. Where I'm From
5. Come & Get Me
6. Friend Or Foe '98
7. Can I Get A...
8. The Takeover
9. Intro/A Million And One Questions/Rhyme No More
10. Girls Girls Girls (Remix)
11. Dead Presidents II
12. Meet The Parents
13. Who You Wit II
14. Money Ain't A Thang
15. U Don't Know
16. Big Pimpin'
17. So Ghetto
18. Nigga What, Nigga Who
19. Can't Knock The Hustle
20. Is That Yo Bitch
21. Poppin' Tags
22. Hey Papi
23. Parking Lot Pimpin'
24. H To The Izzo
25. Streets Is Watching
26. Public Service Announcement (Interlude)
27. Money, Cash, Hoes
28. You Must Love Me
29. La La La (Excuse Me Miss Again)
30. Brooklyn's Finest
31. Song Cry
32. N***a Please
33. Can I Live II
34. 1-900 Hustler
35. Stop

lol "99 problems" just missed the top 40

― emo canon in twee major (BradNelson), Friday, August 2, 2013 1:50 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol, knew it would. I don't even hate the song (actually love it tons, even the homage to UGK in the last verse), but I hate that it was a gimmicky tune that non-Jay fans still throw out whenever you say you like Jay-Z. "Oh, it's the 99 Problems guy". fuck that.

sad that ther ewasn't much A Week Ago love :(

this was really fun

here's my ballot

1. big pimpin (ft. ugk)
2. can i get a... (ft. amil & ja rule)
3. nigga what, nigga who (originator 99) (ft. jaz-o)
4. intro/a million in one questions/rhyme no more
5. heart of the city
6. poppin tags (ft. big boi, twista & killer mike)
7. stretch & bobbito 95 (w/ big l)
8. so ghetto
9. izzo (hova)
10. money cash hoes (ft. dmx)
11. PSA
12. dead presidents II
13. what we do (ft. freeway & beanie sigel)
14. i just wanna luv u
15. money ain't a thing (w/ jermaine dupri)
16. jigga my nigga
17. this can't be life (ft. beanie sigel & scarface)
18. it's hot (some like it hot)
19. the bounce (ft. kanye west)
20. reservoir dogs
21. is that your bitch? (w/ memphis bleek & missy elliott)
22. party people (w/ timbaland &magoo/twista)
23. jigga that nigga
24. frontin (w/ pharrell)
25. heartbreaker (w/ mariah carey)
26. snoopy track (ft. juvenile)
27. mya - best of me pt 2 (ft. jay-z)
28. hola hovito
29. lobster & scrimp (w/ timbaland)
30. guess who's back (w/ scarface & beanie sigel)
31. hard knock life
32. niggas in paris (w/ kanye west)
33. missy elliott - one minute man (remix) (ft. jay-z)
34. u don't know
35. 1-900-hustler

xxpost awesome poll overall tho

my ballot, outside top 40 bolded:

Where I’m From
Lucifer
I Just Wanna Love U
Hey Papi
U Don’t Know
Who You Wit
Streets Is Watching
Song Cry
Come And Get Me
Can I Live
Can I Get A
So Ghetto
Money Ain’t A Thang
Guess Who’s Back
Intro/A Million
My 1st Song
Rap Game/Crack Game
Imaginary Player
Hard Knock Life
This Can’t Be Life
Is That Yo Bitch
1-900-Hustler
Can’t Knock The Hustle
Encore
What We Do
Best Of Me (Remix)
All I Need
Heart of the City
Diamonds From Sierra Leone
It’s Alright
Friend Or Foe ’98 -
Change the Game
PSA
Nigga What
Dead Presidents

YAY ANOTHER "CHANGE THE GAME" AND "ENCORE" VOTE, lol.

I had Friend or Foe 98 on my orig list but I think I removed it as I didn't wanna vote for both songs in a series.

i was gonna say that i'm really surprised that "what we do" didn't place but i actually had to re-send my ballot to shiplo cuz i forgot the first time

that's one of jay's best verses though

i have a friend who hates Jay's "What We Do" verse, i wouldn't go that far, but really i'd like the song almost as much if all Jay did was tell Free "keep it flowin'"

What We Do is maybe my favorite Roc song

guess I'm the only one who loves Momma Loves Me

it's really good. just always gets outshined by its album and some slightly similar songs in the catalog i guess.

on "what we do" i don't see how jay and beanie sigel's verses can be anything but letdowns after freeway's?

dunno if this fits in the thread but my roomie was playing this over and over last week and now I'm obsessed

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XDxeugnRQLo&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXDxeugnRQLo

Fuck, this was v definitely the wrong thread haha

Sorry kinda faded

I feel like the secret to "Is That Yo Bitch" is the demo-quality vocals

My top twenty-five: https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/gotta-learn-to-live-with-regrets-best-of-jay-z/

never really understood the "can i get a" love. so many superior songs from that 5 year period

cuz it sounds great on the radio? Simple as that.

that's easily one of jay's most memorable verses ever... i think i've been able to rap it from memory since i was 12

and amil's verse is great

this list is trash

http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/all-274-jay-z-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html

Any list that puts Empire State of Mind over Takeover and Heart of the City is doing something wrong.

so much volume 3 slander

This poll was perfect

4:44 is like me least fav song off his new alb

can you imagine listening to snoopy track or come and get me and thinking, "these songs are firmly in the bottom half of the jay-z discography"

spottie otm re: this poll

yeah ilx is good

would be interested to see our results and these side by side:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/jay-z-50-greatest-songs-w510043

seems like a decent list

too bad they quote the money machining line wrong

The albums I'd preserve.