In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (Roc-A-Fella, 1997) by Jay-Z

Jay-Z's sophomore album is better than  it is given credit for.  The pop sounds of " (Always Be My) Sunshine", "I Know What Girls Like", and "The City is Mine" overshadowed the rest of the project.  To be fair, those three songs are the weakest on this release.  However, considering how Puffy's sound was dominating the charts at the time, the pop tunes on this set was just a way for Jay to bait listeners with the current trend and then really be able to show people what he was doing with the rest of the album.  For instance: Premier delivered a banger with the opening cut, "You Must Love Me" is as emotional and revealing as rap songs get, and "Where I'm From" is lyrically incredible.  {Writer's note: Because of a busy schedule, I was unable to post for multiple days and so I am posting multiple times now to make up for it.  I apologize for any confusion and/or inconvenience.}