Jay-Z's Legacy

I've always liked Jay-Z. He is truly one of the best rappers of our generation. His humble attitude about growing up in Brooklyn and selling crack translated to him becoming one of the richest rap moguls of all time. He's gonna make that Forbes list soon. His most recent album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne, is a 46 minute commercial for how great the two rappers are. I think it's a little over-the-top and the rapping does not match their claims. The production is amazing; Kanye is a genius, but he's such a dick. He's not good at rapping at all and Jay-Z can barely rap these days. Still the production doesn't hide that Kanye and Jay are a little over the hill. They're both hugely successful and incredibly talented and it's a great matchup, but it was way too hyped up. It's still a badass album, though, I listen to it all the time. I like the dubstep Flux Pavilion beat in "Who Gon Stop Me" and the heartfelt lyrics in "Why I Love You." It's definitely one of the best albums of the year, but it's not the best album of all time like you might think.

Two of my favorite Jay-Z albums are The Blueprint and The Dynasty, which came out in 2001 and 2000 respectively. The Blueprint 2 and The Black Album are also great, but the original Blueprint is amazing. It came out on September 11, 2001 and the Source just wrote about how it was the album that got our country through one of the most horrific events in US history. I have to agree. It's the voice of the urban youth that lived through 9/11. "Girls Girls Girls" gives me chills every single time. It's so basically good. This was one of the first times Kanye worked with Jay. He produced "This Can't Be Life" on The Dynasty which is one of my favorite rap songs of all times.

If you listen to any of the albums before The Blueprint 3 (what a disgrace, it shouldn't even be called The Blueprint. Terrible album.), you'll realize that Hova used to be an amazing rapper. He still is, but he's too caught up in being famous and being Kanye's partner in crime. I can't wait to Beyonce gives birth to the most amazing human being ever.