It's fun to argue about who is the best rapper in hip-hop history: Rakim? Ice Cube? The Notorious B.I.G.? Andre from Outkast? It's way less fun to argue about who is the greatest rapper in hip-hop history. As to that question, with its parameters expanded beyond matters of technical skill into overall body of work, cultural impact, stature and star power, it's becoming increasingly clear that there is only one answer and it is Jay-Z. He appeared on Saturday Night Live on Saturday (above if you have a life but not a DVR), performing a medley intended, surely, to whet the public appetite for the greatest hits album he's putting out June 29th. It will no doubt be a double-disc set, but the track list is not yet available. Here's what it should be, and how it should be sequenced:
Disc 1:
1) Ain't No Nigga
2) Who You Wit?
3) Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
4) Can I Get A...
5) Money Ain't a Thing
6) Big Pimpin'
7) I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
8) Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
9) Hola Hovito
10) December 4th
11) Dirt Off Your Shoulder
12) Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)
Disc 2:
1) Can't Knock the Hustle
2) Friend Or Foe
3) Streets Is Watchin'
4) Where I'm From
5) Come and Get Me
6) Takeover
7) U Don't Know
8) 99 Problems
9) Public Service Announcement
10) Pray
11) D.O.A.
12) Empire State of Mind
Sounds reasonable.
Renegade
No love for Reasonable Doubt? Hov released albums before Blueprint
oh wait. my b homie.
Three songs worth of love for Reasonable Doubt there.
Am I the only one who enjoys Volume 1 as much as Reasonable Doubt?
I must also point out that Jay is looking really good these days. Though I guess I prefer jeans/T-shirt/Tims/weird leather vest Jay to Jay in a suit, so.
I agree. The costume change Saturday kinda bummed me out, though. Kinda kills the nice casual vibe of t-shirt, jeans and Tims, when you come out in DIFFERENT t-shirt, jeans and Tims (well, maybe same Tims) 20 minutes later.
I see a little Andrew Dice Clay influence.
I just thought he got sweaty.
That's a gracious take. I like it.
Rather than Andrew Dice Clay, I was thinking Nicholas Cage in "Wild at Heart." (Also more gracious.)
I think it should be sequenced like: 180 minutes of Jay-Z eating $100 bills in a bowl of sweet cream.
I think it's important to note that a huge part of what makes this performance great is the live band. Despite Jigga's undeniable magnetism and stage presence, there's no getting around the fact that even he can't make hip-hop's standard DJ-emcee combo interesting anymore.
Let this be a lesson to every single rapper in the game today: abandon the status quo. It's going to cost a bit more, but hiring a talented bassist, keyboard player, percussionist and guitarist is going to make a world of difference in the quality of your live music.
Or take Jay and Jimmy Fallon's lead and just hire The Roots.
Oh, and a horn section. Don't fuck around and not get a real horn section.
wrt horns, I've been into Blitz the Ambassador
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGaQbZ0RSQU
All pop music should have full-on tight-as-shit horn section.
(The Roots on unplugged)*(guest appearances)+ Jay = why unplugged was so good
Put that band behind KRS-ONE and Jay'd be holding his umbrella.
Take a step back. It's just not that good.
Whoop, whoop!
I'm with Johnny on this one. J sounded weak.
Soooooo many better emcees than Jay-z
It's not technically a hit, but "So Ghetto" is top three in the tapestry. It makes me want to be a better person, which is weird because it's mostly a song about being a horrible person.
From my vantage, the biggest omissions are from the original Blueprint:
Heart of a City
Song Cry
Those were both hard to leave out. That album was the hardest one to choose from. But would you take either of those over "Izzo," "Hovito," "Takeover" or "U Don't Know"? More than four songs from one album would be excessive, I think, no?
Maybe take 'Pray' off? Hard to say really...
Also, is there a single Blueprint 2 (or 2.1) song on there? 'Excuse Me Miss'? Seems like we should go one more Neptunes song?
I defended "blueprint 2" when it came out as being not as terrible as many people thought it was. but in putting this together, i couldn't justify putting one one of those songs against any of the others on the list. i wanted to keep it a realistic 24 songs-which made for more of challenge than i would have thought. Jay's catalogue is so impressive.
I think you have to figure out what the theme is for each disc. You could go club songs and probably make one record, street records another a 12-14 songs, or do "grown up songs" and have that be a thing too. Or maybe just singles too - which is realistically what the Greatest Hits album will be?
I was thinking club/pop songs for disc 1, street/"aggressive" material (Jay's choice of term) for disc 2. Loosely-to fit in the favorites and the most important. But that's what I was thinking. But his hits could fill a triple-album.
Undying respect for "Come and Get Me" inclusion. But no "Best of Me Pt. 2" no credibility. (Aware this is actually a Mya song, but it also isn't.) "Jigga What, Jigga Who" probably deserves a look, too, for teaching the kids how to rap on Timbaland.
Since it's a Greatest Hits (and not a Best Of), it will probably be skimpy on the stuff of the pre-Vol 2, Hot 97 era. So I'd so no Best of Me but perhaps Jigga what (it's from Unplugged too! people should know it!).
"Money, Cash, Hoes"! Swizz and DMX, sex, murder, mayhem...
Where's "Girls Girls Girls"? That was pretty big, wasn't it?
"Ignorant Shit" should be on it too not because it was a hit (it wasn't) but because it's so fucking great.
I axed her "red dot or feather"
She said, "All you need to know
is I'm not a ho.
But to get with me
You gotta be Chief Lottsa Dough."
Dead Presidents has to be on this list, over Friend or Foe. Also, I'd say Can I Live over Ain't No Nigga.