That's That...: Jay-Z

Showing posts with label Jay-Z. Show all posts

Jay-Z - "Intro/A Million And One Questions/Rhyme No More" x "So Ghetto"

I realize that I haven't posted any J-Hova in a while, so I'll give you a double hitter. The first comes off Jay's sophomore release, In My Lifetime. While I didn't care for the rest of the album, this track remains one of my favorite intro tracks of all time and serves as a nice transition from where he left off on Reasonable Doubt.

The latter is the street single off Life and Times of S. Carter. While lay listeners around my age are likely familiar with the UGK-assisted hit, "Big Pimpin'" off the same album, many haven't heard this gem that I consider to be one of Jay's most lyrically intricate songs (the rugged Preemo beat doesn't hurt either). Both provide further proof of why Shawn Carter is the greatest rapper of all time. Enjoy.

Previous: Jay-Z & Coldplay - "What If We Cry?" x "Lucifer and Friends" | Jay-Z - "Regrets"

Jay-Z & Coldplay - "What If We Cry?" X "Lucifer and Friends"

We used to use umbrellas to face the bad weather,

Now we travel first class to change the forecast.

There's no getting around it. DJ Mick Boogie and sidekick Terry Urban are men of genius. While their late 2008 remixtape of Adele's 19 was superb it is Viva La Hova that will forever remain the duo's magnum opus. The 2008 mix up, which mashed-up songs from Jay-Z and Coldplay's respective discographies, still holds as my second favorite remixtape of all time, behind only Danger Mouse's legendary Grey Album. These two tracks in particular provide us with further evidence of why the mash-up, at it's best, is a truly beautiful art form with the new instrumentals providing new meanings to the songs as a whole.

If New York is indeed hip hop's Mecca, then Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt is certainly one of the movement's holy texts. From his verbal duel with Biggie on "Brooklyn's Finest" to his contemplation of the price of success on "D'Evils," the wordplay throughout Shawn Carter's debut is, well, Unreasonable. A classic from top-to-bottom, Doubt was the landmark album for Mafioso rap--the one that best paralleled Scarface's story from rise to fall. While I have a hard time picking a favorite song from the album, the last official track (before bonus tracks) certainly numbers among the best. "Regrets" marks the downfall of the anti-hero and presents us with advice that is applicable to any walk of life, while simultaneously beautifully critical of the American Dream:

You used to hold me, told me that I was the best,
Anything in this world I want I could possess.
All that made me want is all that I could get,
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets.

Peace, Love, & Hova,
WordIsBorn

Previous: Jay-Z & Coldplay - "X-Y-Z"

Jay-Z & Coldplay - "X-Y-Z"

This is probably my favorite track off of Viva La Hova, Mick Boogie and Terry Urban's 2008 mash-up of Jay-Z and Coldplay. This one mixes Hov's "No Hook" off of American Gangster and the title track off X&Y, completely changing the tone of the song. For those of you who, like me, are fans of the (good) mash-up, this project is a must download. Enjoy.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

WordIsBorn

Previous: Adele - "First Love [Remot Remix]" feat. Naledge

Jay-Z - "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" X "Bittersweet Dirt Off Your Shoulders" w/ The Verve

Had to take a minute break from studying to post these surefire songs. The prior is one of my favorite Jay tracks, showcasing his ability to produce lyrically potent, popular songs. I may not like Kanye the rapper as much, but this song proves that Kanye the producer is simply untouchable. Despite J-Hova's lyricism, it is the soulful sample of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" that makes the song. "Heart of the City" is one of the best tracks on one of the outstanding albums of hip hop history. Despite being on The Blueprint (2001), it took the ad campaign for American Gangster to really make this song popular in a wider audience.

This song has been around for a while. To give you an idea of just how long it's been, I originally copped this when I was still using Limewire. It's off of DJ Mello & DJ Cinema's Talk of NY mixtape that dropped back in '06 (not that old, but in terms of internet time that's an eternia). One of the best (of many) mash-ups of the three greatest New York emcees of all time.

Jay-Z, Nas, & The Notorious B.I.G. - "Who's The Best?"

Snoop Dog - "I Wanna Rock (Kings G-Mix)" feat. Jay-Z

Hova drops by for the remix of one of the better instrumentals of last year. Thanks to Miss Info on the drop.

Snoop Dog - "I Wanna Rock (Kings G-Mix)" feat. Jay-Z

Previous: Jay-Z - "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)" • Snoop - "Gangsta's Love" X "Gin & Juice"

Jay-Z - "Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)"

I just realized that it's been far too long since I posted a Jay song. This is one of my favorites. It's maaad slept on (mostly a result of it being a hidden track that follows twenty-five seconds of silence after the final official track on The Blueprint), but Hov simply demolishes the Just Blaze sample of Stanley Clarke's "Got To Find My Own Place." G.O.A.T.

Previous: Happy Borndate Shawn Carter

Wale - "The Meeting" X "Thank You Freestyle"

Wale recently graced us with these two tracks. The first (one of the best songs I've heard from him) is from waaaay back in 2007 and was considered for the intro track of Attention: Deficit (my favorite album of the year). After hearing this, I don't know why he didn't begin his debut album with this song (the only real problem I had with the album was that I had a rough time getting into the first couple tracks). The second is a freestyle off of Jay-Z's "Thank You" (which may very well be my favorite instrumental of the year).

Peace, Love, & Wale,
Neoteric Noah

"The Meeting"
"Thank You Freestyle"

Previous: Daniel Merriweather - "Change" feat. Wale

Jay-Z Caused 9/11 (and Enjoys Drowning Puppies)

It all makes sense now...smh. I can't take this dude seriously, not because of his massive logical jumps and ridiculous viewpoint, but because he is incapable of speaking English and his "knowledge" of hip hop as well as history and religion in general (Umm, Lucifer isn't actually the devil. Our modern connotation of the word only comes from Paradise Lost...but I digress). Props to 206Proof for thoroughly entertaining me with this. Hit the jump for a few more of this idiot's videos.

Fourty years ago today, Gloria Carter gave birth to Shawn, the last of her four children. From the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn hustling to the heights of hip hop, Shawn Carter's story has become a modern day vision of the American Dream. No other rapper has been as popular for as long as Jay-Z. He's the only rapper who's been able to remain relevant this late in his career, something remarkable in a genre quick to push people out the door. The man has cast his shadow on the game following the deaths of Biggie and Pac and few would dare argue his place amoung the greatest of all time. To celebrate the big 4-0, I've linked two of my Jay favorite songs, "December 4th," the first song off of The Black Album (the only person I've heard come close to Hov on this beat has been Bobby Creekwater) and "Can I Live," one of the best tracks off of one of the greatest albums of all time.

I'd rather die enormous than live dormant, that's how we on it.

Peace, Love, & Hip Hop,

Notorious Noah

Jay-Z - "Can't Knock The Hustle" X "What More Can I Say"

It’s unfair how good Jay-Z is. The man is so good, that he can make classic albums without penning another verse (as evidenced by DJ Dangermouse’s 2004 mash-up of Hov and the Beatles on The Grey Album and Mick Boogie’s recent mash-up of Jay-Z and Coldplay on Viva La Hova). Shawn Carter’s power and presence is undeniable. He exemplifies the three traits you need to make as a rapper. His lyrics are potent, he has limitless swagger, and to top it off, the man’s possesses a nearly unmatched wit.

Beanie Sigel - "How I Can Kill Jigga Man"

(Haha at the Bleek comment)
This situation is starting to get out of hand. Beanie manages to do everything from dishonor Cypress Hill by rhyming over their "How I Could Just Kill a Man" to embarrassing himself (smh). Consensus is that Jay wins by default by not responding. As for my thoughts on the situation Beans:

Beanie Sigel - "How I Can Kill Jigga Man"

Beanie Sigel - "What You Talkin' Bout" (Jay-Z Diss)

Beanie Sigel becomes the latest former Roc-A-Fella artist to go at the former boss (I'm still waiting for Memphis Bleek to grow a pair and stop being Hov's hype man...not that there's anything else there for him). I'm not entirely sure what to think about the situation, but as a bonus, I've included his very dope guest appearance on OB4CLII.

Beanie Sigel - "What You Talkin' Bout" (Jay-Z Diss)
Bonus - Raekwon feat. Beanie Sigel & Blue Rasberry - "Have Mercy"

Jay-Z - "Empire State Of Mind" feat. Alicia Keys (Video)

The visuals for Hov's latest single. I don't know about BP3 as a whole, but this is definitely one of the songs I love off the album.

Bonus - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys - "Empire State of Mind"

Drake, Jay-Z, & Nas - Successful (DJ Noodles Remix)

I'm not the biggest fan of Drake, but this is an interesting mash-up of his "Successful" and the Nas-assisted "Success" off of Jay's American Gangster. Personally, I view it as a downgrade from the latter, but I know some of you will appreciate it.

Drake, Jay-Z, & Nas - Successful (DJ Noodles Remix)

Hip Hop Love Songs

(Kyle Lucas' Vonnegutt)

I apologize to the male contingency of my readership, but my better half is coming into town this weekend and I thought it would be applicable to drop some hip hop love songs for the LAAADIES (don't worry, I'll drop some songs at the end of the post to redeem my street rep). On another note, be sure to comment and tell me what your favorite hip hop love songs of all time are...

For those of you that missed Jay-Z at Madison Square Garden (of which, I sadly include myself), you can check out the entire show courtesy of xcluxiveszone.net. On another note, how much do you think Memphis Bleek gets paid to be Jay's hypeman? And could someone please tell me why Diddy brought his bum-ass on stage of "Encore?"

Peace, Love, and Hov,
WordIsBorn

Jay-Z - "99 Problems" x "Allure"

So I started streaming the Jay-Z concert at MSG right at the end of this song and it probably broke my heart not to see it in it's entirety. This song is simply an anthem that, even if you don't like hip hop (in which case, what are you doing on this site?), it's nearly impossible for you not to have heard. As a young wigga from North Seattle, I fulfill my job description by knowing each and every word by heart. I may or may not be reciting the second verse (the best one) to myself right now. One of the standout tracks on The Black Album, an album which, to be completely honest, is impossible to stand out on because each and every song is classic (first album I memorized each and every lyric to). God, I'm pissed I missed this song...okay, now I feel better, because he's playing "Allure," another of my favorite songs of the album.

Peace, Love, & Hova,
Nostalgic Noah

J. Cole Speaks on "A Star Is Born"

MTV Shows

J. Cole humbly speaks about the makings of one of the highlight tracks of B3. I may not have gotten tickets to the Jay-Z show at MSG tonight, but a particular slam piece I know who's flying into the city for the weekend hooked me up with some J. Cole tickets for his show at NYU tomorrow (a worthy replacement). As a bonus, I've attached the version of "Lights Please" that appears on his superb mixtape The Warm Up (the final version will appear as the title track for his proper debut album, due out in the next couple years). It's a classic track in which Cole starts out rapping about the ills of the world, only to be blinded by...well, I'll let you listen to the song for yourself. It's also the track that got him signed as a relatively unknown artist as the cornerstone of Jay-Z's Roc Nation. Keep your eyes (and ears) out for this NC emcee, he's going places (also, for those of you who haven't peeped it, I recommend reading his interview in the latest issue of XXL).

J. Cole - "Lights Please"
Previous: Jay-Z - "A Star Is Born" feat. J. Cole