Jay-Z's top 20 verses, via XXL (audio included)

[I LastWish I]

99 problems and a bitch aint one


/thread

 

[Sharkweather]

The year's '94 and my trunk is raw
In my rear view mirror is the mother fuckin' law
I got two choices y'all pull over the car or (hmmm)
Bounce on the double put the pedal to the floor
Now I ain't tryin' to see no highway chase with Jay.
Plus i got a few dollars i can fight the case
So I...pull over to the side of the road
I heard "Son do you know why I'm stoppin' you for?"
Cause I'm young and I'm black and my hats real low?
Do I look like a mind reader sir, I don't know
Am I under arrest or should I guess some mo'?
"Well you was doin fifty-five in a fifty-fo' "
"Liscense and registration and step out of the car"
"Are you carryin' a weapon on you I know a lot of you are"
I ain't steppin out of shit all my paper's legit
"Well, do you mind if I look round the car a little bit?"
Well my glove compartment is locked so are the trunk in the back
And I know my rights so you gon' need a warrant for that
"Aren't you sharp as a tack, you some type of lawyer or something'?"
"Or somebody important or somethin'?"
Nah, I ain't pass the bar but i know a little bit
Enough that you won't illegally search my shit
"We'll see how smart you are when the K9 come"
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one
Hit me

'Ey Guru, put a lil' T-Pain on my shit too
Know what I mean? Uh
I put on... (Oh you bout to put on Hov?) G Mix
I don't need no T-Pain, I got this one, yes

I put Marcy on the map, I put Brooklyn on my back
I put Fab back on the charts, I put Biggie in my raps
I put Nas with Def Jam, I let Diddy do my tracks
I put on for my city that's a motherfucking fact
I put Mike Jack on stage at Summer Jam Billie Jean
I put Prodigy in his place on that Summer Jam screen
I put Preme in my truck told him leave them streets alone
I predicted jail would happen shit I tried to put him on
All these *****z taking credit for the work that I put in
If you really put me on put yourself on then
I put miles on that hoopdie
I put hours in that kitchen
Put that on my dick mama this is fact not fiction
Feds were tryina build a case I was headed for conviction
Til the greatest flow in the world put me on television
I put on for my city so when I'm dead gone
I got one last wish put my Yankee hat on

 

[Woy]

Lots of Reasonable Doubt in this list. I like.

 

[Len B]

Lots of Reasonable Doubt in this list. I like.

That's because he fell off after that CD.

 

[Len B]

Sidenote, Imaginary Player is an outstanding song. They probably included it though cause of:

"I got bail money, XXL money"

lulz.

 

[dell71]

For all of you that say Jay "fell off" after Reasonable Doubt, check his 2nd verse from Moment of Clarity:

The music business hate me
Cause the industry ain't make me
Hustlers and boosters embrace me
And the music i be makin
I dumb down for my audience and double my dollars
They criticize me for it yet they all yell "Holla"
If skills sold truth be told I'd probably be
Lyricly Talib Kweli
Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
(But i did five Mil) I ain't been rhymin like Common since
When your sense got that much in common and you been hustlin since
Your inception fuck perception, go with what makes sense
Since I know what i'm up against
We as rappers must decide what's most impor-tant
And i can't help the poor if i'm one of them
So i got rich and gave back, to me that's the win-win
The next time you see the homie and his rims spin
Just know my mind is workin just like them
(The rims that is)

And for all the Reasonable Doubt on that list, even another verse from this song was on the list, I don't understand how they left off the opening verse of Can't Knock the Hustle

Yo, I'm makin short term goals, when the weather folds
just put away the leathers and put ice on the gold
Chilly with enough bail money to free a big willie
High stakes, I got more at stake than Philly
Shoppin sprees, copin three
Deuce fever IS's fully loaded, ah yes
bouncin in the lex luger, tires smoke like buddha
50 G's to the crap shooter, *****z can't fade me
Chrome socks beamin
Through my perephreal I see ya schemin
Stop dreamin, I leave your body steamin
*****z is fiendin, what's the meanin?
I'm leanin on any ***** intervenin
with the sound of my money machine-in {*brrrr*}
My cup runneth, over with hundreds
I'm one of the best *****s that done it, six digits and runnin
Y'all *****s don't want it, I got the Godfather flow
The Don Juan DeMarco; swear to God, don't get it fucked up

There's a couple others, maybe I'll post them later.

 

[Coked Up Elmo]

reasonable doubt and the blueprint are his best albums in my opinion, can i live is my favorite jay song ever

 

[Len B]

For all of you that say Jay "fell off" after Reasonable Doubt, check his 2nd verse from Moment of Clarity:

There's a couple others, maybe I'll post them later.

One great song out of how many?

Jay-Z's entire catalog is full of bullshit, but he gets away with it because he used the "I dumbed it down for my audience" line. Jay-Z is THE most overrated rapper of modern day. He had all the talent in the world and did not produce GOAT material after Reasonable Doubt.

 

[IamMedellin]

One great song out of how many?

Jay-Z's entire catalog is full of bullshit, but he gets away with it because he used the "I dumbed it down for my audience" line. Jay-Z is THE most overrated rapper of modern day. He had all the talent in the world and did not produce GOAT material after Reasonable Doubt.

true...but he did it to make that paper...Jay-z dumbed it down for the masses b/c going the commercial route gave him crossover mainstream success that now has him billed as one of the greatest..

why be another KRS, Talib Kweli, or Immortal technique and adored by true hip hop heads/struggle to go gold when you can be accepted by the masses and go platunum with every record and be able to perform on stage with coldplay at the grammys...

CREAM ... and there's nothing wrong with that...

 

[dell71]

He dumbed down his HITS. Not every single track after Reasonable Doubt was "dumbed down". He's not a moron. He wouldn't risk losing his core audience of true hip hop fans. Besides, he prides himself on his lyrical abilities... you really think he'd keep himself entertained for 10 years by making all "dumbed down" tracks?

To say his entire catalog is full of BS is an uneducated comment to make, because it's far from the truth.

This.

 

[red33]

not the biggest Jay fan but Black album was one of the best albums ive ever heard.

 

[I LastWish I]

Hovito is the greatest alive

 

[dell71]

The entire song, I Know. I happen to think this is brilliant.

She wants that old thing back
Uh- uh- uh-
She want those Heroin tracks
She likes me
She fiends for me nightly
She leans for me
Morning she rush for my touch
This is about LUST
Cold sweats occur when I'm not with her
My presence is a must- must- must-
Bonita Applebum, i gotta put you on
If i didn't when we cuttin' the feeling would be too strong
In any form, i'm giving you sweet dreams
That Sugar Hill, she call me her sweet thing
That Black Rain that take away your pain
Just for one night, baby, take me in vein
Now that feelin' got you trippin'
You no wanna feel no differently
Said lust has got you itchin'
All wide open and its' drippin' -eh -eh -eh -eh
I know what you like, i am your prescription
I'm your physician, i'm your addiction

And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
I know what you like
Everything you love
I know what you like
Everything you love
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
I know what you like ....HOV
Baby you love ....HOV
Baby you love ....HOV
Baby you like ....HOV

I am so DOPE
Like Louboutins with the red bottoms
You gotta have 'em, you glad you got 'em
Like every color Giuseppe's, your guilty pleasure is me
Its so much fun, you shun therapy
Although it never be, the feeling is fleeting
Shopping's like coppin', you constantly need it
I'm never around, you constantly seek it
You'll never be down, i know where your peak is
9 1/2 weeks is better than 12-steps
I keep tryin' to remind you to keep tellin' yourself
Now your conscience is interfering, like "Better yourself!"
Like you better get help
But when that medicine's felt?
We're back together
Don't ever leave me
Don't ever let 'em tell you that you'll never need me
My China White, 'til we D.O.A.
Its Montego forever, baby, lets get away....

And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
I know what you like
Everything you love
I know what you like
Everything you love
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
I know what you like ....HOV
Baby you love ....HOV
Baby you love ....HOV
Baby you like ....HOV

How could you leave me?
I thought that you needed me!
When the world got too much and you pleaded with me--
Who helped you immediately?
How speedy of me!
How could you deny me so vehemently?
Now your body is shakin' trying to free it of me
And your soul is in control, trying to lead it from me
And your heart no longer pledge allegiance to me
Damn, i'm missing the days when you needed the D

And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
I know what you like
Everything you love
I know what you like
Everything you love
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
And I Know And I Know
I know what you like ....HOV
Baby you love ....HOV
Baby you love ....HOV
Baby you like ....HOV

 

[Len B]

He dumbed down his HITS. Not every single track after Reasonable Doubt was "dumbed down". He's not a moron. He wouldn't risk losing his core audience of true hip hop fans. Besides, he prides himself on his lyrical abilities... you really think he'd keep himself entertained for 10 years by making all "dumbed down" tracks?

To say his entire catalog is full of BS is an uneducated comment to make, because it's far from the truth.

Sorry, I just expect the "GOAT" rapper to have a catalog that isn't full of fillers and weak songs.

Kingdom Come = average
Blueprint 3 = below average
Dynasty roc la familia = average
The Blueprint 2 = average

I'm not saying Jay-Z sucks, but in order for him to be GOAT he needs to step his game up. There's nothing different between Jay-Z and Nas (both have released multiple average albums), yet Jay-Z gets the GOAT tag while Nas has "fallen off". Not buying it.

For whatever reason Jay-Z is put on a pedestal, so if he releases something garbage it's ok because he's the best.

 

[IamMedellin]

Sorry, I just expect the "GOAT" rapper to have a catalog that isn't full of fillers and weak songs.

Kingdom Come = average
Blueprint 3 = below average
Dynasty roc la familia = average
The Blueprint 2 = average

I'm not saying Jay-Z sucks, but in order for him to be GOAT he needs to step his game up. There's nothing different between Jay-Z and Nas (both have released multiple average albums), yet Jay-Z gets the GOAT tag while Nas has "fallen off". Not buying it.

For whatever reason Jay-Z is put on a pedestal, so if he releases something garbage it's ok because he's the best.

well the major difference is that Jay-z has crossover mainstream appeal....Jay makes music for the masses...[hip hop radio]hot 97 and [top 40]Z100 play his singles...
Nas doesnt share the stage with coldplay on the grammys.....Nas doesnt close the VMA's

Jay-z is considered the GOAT b/c he sells records,
Nas is geared more to true hip hop heads....not everyone knows about Illmatic...but every1 knows when Jay-Z's got a new album out...

 

[dell71]

Sorry, I just expect the "GOAT" rapper to have a catalog that isn't full of fillers and weak songs.

Kingdom Come = average
Blueprint 3 = below average
Dynasty roc la familia = average
The Blueprint 2 = average

I'm not saying Jay-Z sucks, but in order for him to be GOAT he needs to step his game up. There's nothing different between Jay-Z and Nas (both have released multiple average albums), yet Jay-Z gets the GOAT tag while Nas has "fallen off". Not buying it.

For whatever reason Jay-Z is put on a pedestal, so if he releases something garbage it's ok because he's the best.

You "forgot" that he also has a number of phenomenal albums:

Reasonable Doubt
Hard Knock LIfe
Life and Times of S. Carter
The Blueprint
The Black Album
American Gangster

So it's not like his catalog is just a bunch of crap with a few hit songs. I don't think he is the GOAT, but he's in the discussion and I won't begrudge anyone who thinks he is.

On the other hand, Nas might be my GOAT (I go back & forth between him, Rakim & KRS). The trouble is, just like Medellin said, he just isn't accessible to kids who've been led to believe that Lil' Wayne constantly drops deep shit. Since Nas failed at catering to the party crowd long ago, he just doesn't even try to go that route and rarely has a single in heavy rotation. The appearance to them, who's tastes essentially make artists popular, is that he fell off. Especially since a large number of them are actually younger than Illmatic.

EDIT: All that said, I will admit I just finished listening to The Blueprint 3 for the first time, and yup its pretty shitty. That doesn't change how I feel, I just wanted to put that out there.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Last verse of 99 Problems definitely gotta be on there.