Jay-Z album poll - Vols. 1-3

man i'm stuck between 2 and 3

is this a "remind ilm that jay-z used to be an a+ rapper" poll?

3 > 2 > 1

1 > 3 > 2

how sad is it that da rajahz might be my tiebreaker?

From Amazon.co.uk
In an earlier age, when the likes of Public Enemy and Gang Starr ruled the roost, Jay-Z would have garnered the same kind of serious attention and respect as, say, the Fresh Prince. But in the devalued hip-hop universe of the late 1990s--where political activism is irrelevant, and entrepreneurial mediocrities like Puff Daddy and Master P hold sway--it's tempting to hail him as a conquering hero. Tempting, but mistaken. For one thing, he lacks the pipes to be considered among the truly great MCs (Chuck D, Guru, Ice Cube, Method Man). For another, his rhymes--both structurally and in terms of subject-matter--are way too simplistic. Rather than draw any conclusions from his world, or postulate any form of action, Jay simply calls 'em like he sees 'em--a post-Biggie dialectic of thinly-veiled threats ("Friend or Foe '98", "Face Off") and dreary self-aggrandisment ("I Know What Girls Like", "City Is Mine"). Hang on, didn't this used to be known as whack? --Andrew McGuire

lol

it's true, noone has pipes quite like Guru

vol 2

haha that review is awesome. guru has a terrible voice.

gonna have to vote with 'reservoir dogs,' RIP isaac!!

oh dip i forgot about that song.

is the ppl's court song on vol 3 too?

yes! with serena altschul!

honestly i could pick any of these three at a push

Pain in Da Azz nvr frgt

"Bleek's gonna be a good rapper."

3

2, but I've never heard 1 and don't get what all the ILM love of 3 is about

its about this and wtf are you doing not having heard vol 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLiEP8izaDI

vol 3 - the best kind of bloated post-stardom statement of dominance but still kind of bloated and at times boring
vol 2 - the closest thing a singles/filler album Jay ever made, some great tracks but still maybe my least favorite pre-Kingdom Come
vol 1 - the reverse of vol 2, wack singles but also some of the hardest songs and most amazing verses of his whole career

still maybe my least favorite pre-Kingdom Come

what

oh wait i read that as "my favorite pre-kingdom come" and was deeply deeply confused

i'd be very interesteed in the vol. 3 vs. blueprint discussioin

nolo contendere, "so ghetto" puts end to debate

"whack"

Also 2 is the winner, hands down.

no way is the album w/ 'reservoir dogs,' 'hard knock life,' 'can i get a,' 'money cash hoes,' 'a week ago' or 'jigga what jigga who' a weaker jay album than black album, never mind blueprint 2

Black Album has the benefit of the best songs not being singles, and Blueprint 2 has the usual filler ratio of most double albums but still has a lot of total jams. Vol 2 just doesn't have a lot to keep me coming back to that I don't still hear on the radio, besides "A Week Ago" and "Reservoir Dogs."

2 has the best singles but i voted for 3.

haha I haven't heard these I don't think

haha thanks for posting

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Blueprint 2 is a black hole that I prefer to pretend doesn't count.

blueprint 2 and roc la familia are the most unfamous jay records

bp2 isnt THAT bad HOOS

its better than his last two

I probably like it more than The Black Album even, though The Black Album has more good songs than any one disc of BP2.

hov division

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

kinda surprised, Vol 3 always seemed to have a pretty strong following on this board.

or deej and ethan, the most vocal/visible

and obv we can't account for lurker votes, which is probably what pushed vol 2 to the top

From Amazon.co.uk
In an earlier age, when the likes of Public Enemy and Gang Starr ruled the roost, Jay-Z would have garnered the same kind of serious attention and respect as, say, the Fresh Prince. But in the devalued hip-hop universe of the late 1990s--where political activism is irrelevant, and entrepreneurial mediocrities like Puff Daddy and Master P hold sway--it's tempting to hail him as a conquering hero. Tempting, but mistaken. For one thing, he lacks the pipes to be considered among the truly great MCs (Chuck D, Guru, Ice Cube, Method Man). For another, his rhymes--both structurally and in terms of subject-matter--are way too simplistic. Rather than draw any conclusions from his world, or postulate any form of action, Jay simply calls 'em like he sees 'em--a post-Biggie dialectic of thinly-veiled threats ("Friend or Foe '98", "Face Off") and dreary self-aggrandisment ("I Know What Girls Like", "City Is Mine"). Hang on, didn't this used to be known as whack? --Andrew McGuire

― mizzell, Tuesday, August 12, 2008 11:39 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

smh

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh well, hindsight, right?

vol 1 shldve done better imo

3 >1 > 2, also gabbneb otm

"a million and one questions" verse is prob my fav non-blueprint jay verse ever

there's more swagger in "ice... spinnin on my sleeve" than 98% of rappers' whole careers

the flow be ipendito
for the mamis i hable espanol pequito

beat is proto-"empire state of mind" come to think of it