Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (Island Def Jam, 2005) by Young Jeezy

This is a solid debut album.  It depicted street life with catchy hooks, aggressive lyrics, solid beats, and commanding flows.  And even though Jeezy isn't necessarily a top tier lyricist, the emotion that he he puts into his delivery makes up for it.  The production is great (especially Mannie Fresh's "And Then What") and the collaborations with Jay-Z and Akon helped cross the album over and get it on the radar of the mainstream.

Unfinished Business (Roc-A-Fella/Jive, 2004) by Jay-Z and R. Kelly

Put simply, this is a bad album.  It clearly seems like it was an attempt to sell records along with their tour (which also flopped).  The fact that this album's material is sometimes referred to as leftover stuff from the Best of Both Worlds sessions from 2002 is bad enough.  Considering that album's best records were mediocre at the very best though, it seems foolish to release stuff from the cutting room floor from those sessions.  However, that logic still didn't stop this release from happening.

First Family 4 Life (Relativity, 1998) by M.O.P.

"Yeah, uh-huh, what the fuck/Two asked quick for bastards to step to/Leave wounds too drastic for rescue/When I rock jewels it ain't to impress you/What the fuck niggas commentin on my shit fo'/I'm real - how you think I got rich ho?/Pack steel - ain't afraid to let a clip go/I got enough paper to get low/Come back when the shit blow over get the dough over/Huh wit the Rover snatch the gat from the clip holder/Rip through ya shoulder bitch it's Jay-hovah/I'm too right wit it, too tight wit it/You light witted but if you're feel ya nice nigga spit i/tWho am I? JAY-Z  motherfucker/Do or die IN  BROWNSVILLE  motherfucker/Blocka, rocka, M.O.P collabo/Front on us and gats blow ya know?"

Jay-Z, "4 Alarm Blaze"

Street Wars: Roc-A-Fella is an Army (N/A, 2005) by DJ P. Cutta

DJ P. Cutta put together a solid collection of Roc-A-Fella battle records.  It starts strong with Jay-Z rhyming his "Dear Summer" rap over Black Rob's "Can I Live" instrumental and his classic "Takeover" record.  Not long after, the "Drop It Like It's Hot (Remix)" comes in and Jay gets the last word on R. Kelly.  Other Roc-A-Fella artists make notable contributions (especially Beanie Sigel).  However, as far as straight rhymes, no one tops Hov.  The last strong point on the tape is the infamous "Superugly."  It's good, but not great- especially when compared to Nas' "Ether."  Overall, this is a good compilation of diss songs courtesy of the house that Dame, Biggs, and Jay built.

Space Jam Soundtrack (Warner Bros., 1996) by various

"Who got bugs bunny money?/I've give you some time,to give more carrots every time I rhyme/Can a mouse write this?/Does he have long furry ears like this?/Can he make hits like this? (ha ha ha ha)/Nope, it's like Jordan at the plate,you're likely to miss/Warner Brothers ain't got bank cheap countin', rule from here to The Moron Mountain/Here's the game plan,listen up Toon squad/Number one objective, beat the Monstars/Shouldn't be hard, them guys ain't too smart/But to be sure snatched Jordan playin' Golf/Even though he tends to be a ball hog/Hey Michael, over here superstar/Who says the bunny can't play above the rim?/Wait till they get a load of me, that's buggin'"

-Bugs Bunny, "Buggin'"

The S. Carter Collection (N/A, 2003) by Jay-Z

“Hey nobody dumpin' on hove/You ain’t in sanitation or sanitarium/What are you crazy Jay-Z’ll bury em/I'll get you drug out the club they have to carry em/Your head bug out I'll raid niggas scared of em/Worry I'm not Mike Jordan/Of the mic recording/Hovi’ baby you Kobe, maybe Tracy McGrady/Matter fact you Harold Miner, J.R. Rider/Washed up on marijuana/Even worse you a Purvis Ellis/You worthless fella/You ain't no athlete you Shawn Bradley/I ain’t talkin' to nobody in particular/My flow just vehicular homicide when I’m kitchen em/Yes, anybody in my path Is a car crash waiting to happen/Nigga what?/I got my foot on the throat of the pulse of this rap game and I ain’t letting up/Yea who’s the nicest life of lifeless mic devices?/And I don't write this I just mic this/I will it to happen/One take hove I’m real in this rapping/My new name is just the facts/While the rest of y'all just adjust the facts/Put words together, just to match/I say what I feel y’all adjust to that/I do the opposite of y’all so I just attract/The realer audience usually unjustly black/Know my flow and the shit they go just match/Like the sound of my voice and a choice just track/I just tackle the something the flack of the public/Nothing, I know real niggas happen to love it/If you don’t like it or look in the mirror/Most likely you ain’t living so you don’t get it/You ain’t did it so you can envision it/The picture I’m painting ain't vivid/The language I’m spitting is so foreign to ya/She was starving a dude to ya/Growin up hard in a little apartment allude to ya/I’m just talkin’ to ya/ I’m just talkin’ through ya”

-Jay-Z, "Pump It Up Freestyle"

Tha Carter III (Cash Money, 2008) by Lil Wayne

"Shyea/I'm right here, in my chair/With my crown and my dear/Queen B, as I share/Mic time with my heir/Young Carter, go farther/Go further, go harder/Is that not why we came?/And if not, then why bother?/Show no mercy ta Murciélagos/Far from being the bastard that Marcy had fathered/Now my name's been mentioned with the Martyrs/The Biggie's and the Pac's, and the Marley's and the Marcus'/Garvey, got me a molotov cocktail/Flow, even if you box well, can't stop the blows/Kaboom! The Roc Boy in the room/The Dopeboy just came off the spoon/Also, I'm so fly I'm on auto-/Pilot, where guys just, stare at my wardrobe/I see Euros, that's right, plural/I took so much change from this Rap game it's your go/Young!"

-Jay-Z, "Mr. Carter"

Duets: The Final Chapter (Bad Boy, 2005) by The Notorious B.I.G.

On paper, this isn't a terrible idea.  However, in reality, it is.  Remixing a lot Biggie of verses from his two classics over "current" beats with "current" rappers contributing new verses just doesn't work.  It sounds fake and forced.  The only saving graces to the album are the songs with unreleased material.  "Whatchu Want" with Jay-Z and "Living in Pain" (produced by Just Blaze) with 2Pac, Mary J. Blige, and Nas are both descent records.  But they still come nowhere near making up for the rest of the project.

Kingdom Come (Roc-A-Fella, 2006) by Jay-Z

Jay-Z's comeback disc after a three-year absence is a bit of a let down.  One of the biggest things for me was that none of his collaborations with Dr. Dre resulted in classic material.  Although that shouldn't come as a surprise (Dre had mediocre results with Nas too), it was still something to get really excited for.  The content in Jay-Z's rhymes also speak to his experiences, but so few listeners have those too and so a lot of the music is not something people can relate to.  However, the album does have some very strong points: "Trouble," "30 Something, "Minority Report," and "Kingdom Come."  Four good songs can't save a set of fourteen though, especially when the artist is capable of making excellent ones.

The Blueprint 3 (Roc Nation, 2009) by Jay-Z

Sonically, this album is very intriguing.  The beats are diverse and that gives Jay-Z the space to do whatever he wants.  Where the first Blueprint album addressed past sounds and the second one attempted to tap into sounds of the future, the third installment in the trilogy splits the difference.  There are hard beats ("D.O.A. [Death of Auto-Tune]"), experimental ("On to the Next One") and crossover records ("Empire State of Mind").  And in this case, they all work and the same can't be said for The Blueprint 2.  Lyrically, Jay-Z is incredible as always.  However, the album feels a little guest heavy.  But make no mistake, this is still Jay-Z's album and all the guests bring their A-game, especially Kanye West on "Run This Town".  And for as commercially successful as the album was, it was also very artistic.  And judging by the album cover, perhaps that may be a bit of what he was going for.  Mission accomplished.

Streets Is Watching (Roc-A-Fella, 1998) by various

"I was raised to live, Lord I pray you forgive/If not, I just handle it like Jason Kidd/What you're facin' is official (it's official)/Most cases when I'm blazin' won't miss you (won't miss you)/Case and point mad bullshitted issue/I see it to the end, my writing is so personal/My heart bleedin' out my pen, make no mistake about me/It's only one nigga livin', I got a half a cake about me/I got love, to make a nigga die bleedin' is nothin'/You make a motherfucker die breathin' then you sayin' somthing, beeotch"

-Jay-Z, "You're Only a Customer"

The Best of Both Worlds (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Jive, 2002) by Jay-Z & R.Kelly

This album certainly didn't live up to the hype.  The controversy surrounding R. Kelly at the time didn't help either.  The album still has its strong points though- Jay-Z delivers solid raps and The R brings catchy hooks.  The production suited both of these guys' strengths well too.  The problem is that the songs are very cookie cutter and generic both musically and lyrically.  And for two artists who forever changed their respective genres with their innovative styles and amazing talents, a lot more was expected from this project.  Some of this was redeemed though at Jay-Z's Madison Square Garden show when the two of them came out and performed the title track and "Take You Home With Me" while all of NY sang along.

T.I. Vs. T.I.P. (Grand Hustle, 2007) by T.I.

Conceptually, this album is very ambitious.  It's like Trap Muzik combined with King.  Over the course of 18 tracks, the LP is broken into three acts.  As a result of this though, the project becomes a bit cluttered as a whole.  Nevertheless, there are still some great songs.  "Big Shit Poppin'", with the guitar riff from the "Top Gun Anthem," has some of Mannie Fresh's best board work since Cash Money's reign in the late 90s and Busta Rhymes steals the show as usual with his guest work on "Hurt."  The bluesy vibe of "Watch What You Say" gives Jay-Z space to deliver a solid verse and "Respect My Hustle" finds T.I. and his alter-ego T.I.P. challenging each other.  T.I.'s Paper Trail, released a year later, is a way better album.  But T.I. Vs. T.I.P. shows a young person dealing with his past in the streets, coming to terms with fame and realizing who he is now all at once.  Even if it isn't done really well, the fact that T.I. even attempts to do so still counts for something.

Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella, 2005) by Kanye West

"Yep, I got it from here 'ye damn!/The chain remains, the game is in tact/The name is mine, I'll take blame for that/The pressure's on, but guess who ain't gon' crack? [laughs]/Pardon me, I had to laugh at that/How could you falter when you're the rock of Gibraltar/I had to get of the boat so I could walk on water/This ain't no tall order, this is nothin' to me/Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week/I do this in my sleep, I sold Kilos of coke, so I'm guessin' I can sell CD's/I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man/Let me handle my buisness, damn!/Kanyeez you got me, Freeway and Foxy/YG, Teairra Mari, Petey watch me/Bleek could be one hit away his whole career/As long as I'm alive, he's a millionaire/And even if I die, he's in my will somewhere/So he can just kick back and chill somewhere, oh yeah/He don't even have to write rhymes/The Dynasty like my money last three lifetimes/Shirley Bassey was in the rear sayin' exactly/What I was sayin' practically me whole career/The diamond is forever, I been minin' this forever/Now the Louis Vuitton Don's timin' couldn't be better/People lined up to see the Titanic sinkin', instead we rose from the ashes like a phoenix/If you waitin' for the end of the dynasty sign, it'll seem like forever is a mighty long time/I'm young bitches [laughs]/Goodnight!" 

-Jay-Z, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone [Remix]"

Vol.2... Hard Knock Life (Roc-A-Fella, 1998) by Jay-Z

Jay-Z's third LP is the crossover album that didn't sell out. "Hard Knock Life," in my opinion, is one of the best singles in hip hop history.  Not only was the use of the Annie sample brilliant, but it also put a light back of the legendary Mark The 45 King.  "Nigga What, Nigga Who" and "Money Cash Hoes" are two spectacular beats with raps worthy of the instrumentals.  "A Week Ago" is a classic that demonstrates Jay-Z's descriptive writing ability and features Short Dog on the hook.  "Can I Get A..." got some attention.  "Reservoir Dogs" introduced the world to Beanie Sigel.  And "Money Ain't A Thang" was two emcees living large who weren't lying about it.  In conclusion, this is one of the greatest albums from arguably rap's last classic year.

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (Roc-A-Fella, 2002) by Jay-Z

This album does have too much filler, and could easily be cut down from a double album to a single one.  And there's "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" where Jay-Z and Beyonce take a Tupac classic [where his girlfriend is a metaphor for a gun] and make it a pop/rap record that, because of such a stretch, comes off as cheesy.  However, I can't fault the album for its approach.  Where the first Blueprint, sonically, focused on the past (i.e. where hip hop came from), this one wants to show where the genre can go.  The remix to "U Don't Know" featuring M.O.P. and "Show You How" are prime examples of refreshing and outstanding sounds, both courtesy of Just Blaze.  Jay-Z also demonstrates how hip hop can gel with other genres of music (i.e. rock- "Guns and Roses" featuring Lenny Kravitz and oldies pop which samples "My Way" by Paul Anka for the chorus).  Lyrically, the album also has some very strong points too.  Most notably, "Meet the Parents" where Jay-Z tells one of his most detailed stories ever and "A Dream" where he converses with the late, great Biggie Smalls.  Considering that this album is widely considered one of Jay-Z's weaker efforts, it is also worth noting that it is superior to most emcees greatest material.  Therefore, in addition to his best albums, Jay-Z is so good that even his "bad" ones can be used as evidence that he is one of the best emcees of all-time.  

The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001) by Jay-Z

"I know you missin all the - FAAAAAAAME!/But along with celebrity comes bout seventy shots to your frame/Nigga; you a - LAAAAAAAME!/You's the fag model for Karl Kani/Esco ads/Went from, Nasty Nas to Esco's trash/Had a spark when you started but now you're just garbage/Fell from top ten to not mentioned at all/To your bodyguard's "Oochie Wally" verse better than yours/Matter fact you had the worst flow on the whole fuckin' song/But I know - the sun don't shine, then son don't shine/That's why your - LAAAAAAAME! - career come to a end/There's only so long fake thugs can pretend/Nigga; you ain't live it you witnessed it from your folks pad/You scribbled in your notepad and created your life/I showed you your first tec on tour with Large Professor/(Me, that's who!) Then I heard your album bout your tec on the dresser/So yeah I sampled your voice, you was usin it wrong/You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song/And you ain't get a coin nigga you was gettin fucked and I know who I paid God, Serchlite Publishing/Use your - BRAAAAAAAIN!  You said you been in this ten/I've been in it five - smarten up Nas/Four albums in ten years nigga?  I can divide/That's one every let's say two, two of them shits was due/One was - NAHHH, the other was "Illmatic"/That's a one hot album every ten year average/And that's so - LAAAAAAAME!  Nigga switch up your flow/Your shit is garbage, but you try and kick knowledge?/(Get the fuck outta here) You niggas gon' learn to respect the king/Don't be the next contestant on that Summer Jam screen/Because you know who (who) did you know what (what)/with you know who (yeah) but just keep that between me and you for now"

-Jay-Z, "Takeover"

Hip Hop is Dead (Def Jam, 2006) by Nas

This is Nas' fourth classic album (following Illmatic, It Was Written, and Stillmatic).  The title makes a bold statement, but what I like about the content is that it doesn't attack current music as much as it recognizes and pays homage to what came before ("Carry on Tradition" and "Where Are They Now").  The collaboration with Jay-Z is solid [but I wish they both spit more than 1 verse].  The sample of music from The Godfather Pt. II for the beat to that song made it epic which is of course very fitting.  Other highlights on the album include "Let There Be Light," Blunt Ashes," and "Hustlers."  The final part of the album's final cut, "Hope," is Nas rhyming accappella.  It is very powerful how Nas brought hip hop back to the essence with that.  Hip Hop is Dead reaffirms that Nas is one of the most brilliant minds music has ever seen.  And his skills on the mic prove that hip hop is something worth saving.

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (Roc-A-Fella, 2000) by Jay-Z

If I'm not mistaken, this album was originally supposed to be a compilation album in order to continue to showcase Roc-A-Fella's roster beyond just Jay-Z.  However, by making it a Jay-Z release, it probably helped it sell at least an additional million copies.  There are a few standout songs- "The Intro", "This Can't Be Life", "Soon You'll Understand", and "Squeeze 1st".  However, the highlight of the album, in my opinion is the production.  It was the first time I became aware of Just Blaze and Kanye stole the show with just his single contribution, "This Can't Be Life."  As far as the actual sound, in retrospect, it was like a blueprint to The Blueprint as far the beats beginning to dabble in the soulful sound that would help shape one of the best albums in hip-hop history less than a year later.

Vol.3...Life and Times of S. Carter (Roc-A-Fella, 1999) by Jay-Z

This album was a guaranteed multi-platinum seller, and I think that's great because this album was a little bit harder than Vol. 2.  Therefore, Jay-Z was eventually able to get a mainstream audience with pop-appeal (but still good) songs like "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" and "Can I Get A…".  However, once he had them, he he went back to some harder hip-hop on this album with cuts like "So Ghetto" and "Come and Get Me."  Production-wise, Timbaland had already proven himself and then some with Aaliyah and Ginuwine.  Tracks like "Snoopy Track" and "Big Pimpin'" on this album then established he could conquer rap the same way that he did R&B.  It was simply foreshadowing that Vol. 3 was the first number one album of the new millennium because Jay-Z would run rap for the next decade, even with a 3-year break from '03-'06.