Must Listen: Jay-Z Greatest Songs

"... First I snatched the streets then I snatched the charts/First I had they ear, now I have they heart..."

These lines could summarize Jay-Z's career but it hardly covers everything that Jay-Z has accomplished. Jay-Z made history one more time when he became the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Former President Barrack Obama made a tribute towards the other inductees but made a special shootout to the hip-hop mogul. Jay-Z has accomplished so much from MC of Marcy Projects to business mogul and philanthropist and music legend.

To celebrate Jay-Z's accomplishments and his upcoming new album 4:44 (6/30/2017) we'll review some of his more timeless tracks. These tracks were picked because of their success on the charts, influence on pop culture and other factors.This list only covers solo albums, it doesn't include mixtapes, collaboration tapes or features on other artist's albums.

Reasonable Doubt is the perfect presentation card that Jay-Z could ever asked for. Jay-Z's first official album is over 20 years old and considered one of the best hip-hop albums ever. This is what makes it incredibly hard to pick only one song from this album. "Can't Knock The Hustle" has to be one of the classics of hip-hop. "Can't Knock The Hustle" really personifies Jay-Z's "Won't stop" mentality and it gave his audience an intro the ultimate hustler.

Bars: "All us blacks got is sports and entertainment, until we even/Thieving, as long as I'm breathing/Can't knock the way a ni**a eating, f**k you even"

Other Must Listen to Tracks: Brooklyn's Finest feat Notorious B.I.G., Can I Live, 22 Twos, Dead Presidents II

If someone told you that their favorite Jay-Z album is In My Lifetime Vol 1, then that someone needs an education. In My Lifetime is not the worst but it has to be bottom three. One way to put it is, In My Lifetime Vol. 1 is like that first season of Always Sunny In Philadelphia without Danny Devito. It's a great show, but you know in the future is going to be a lot better. The best example of In My Lifetime Vol 1. is the Golden State Warriors before Kevin Durant. It was a championship album (certified Platinum) but it could be so much better. In My Lifetime Vol 1. still has some memorable tracks like "Where I'm From".

Bars: I'm from the place where the church is the flakiest/And ni**as is praying to god so long that they Atheist

Jay-Z has more memorable songs in Vol 2...Hard Knock Life than some people have in their whole catalog. The album had top of the line producers like DJ Premier, Kid Capri, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Jermaine Dupri. On top of the amazing production, Jay-Z is just able to make every track a must listen. Picking one song out of this lot is complicated but "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" wins hands down. It's the hook, the video, the lyrics, everything about this song makes it timeless. Jay-Z really makes a song that everyone wants to sing along by sampling from the musical Annie. Although there are numerous tracks that you could pick as timeless from this album, "Hard Knock Life" has to be always in the conversation.

Bars: I put my money on the long shots/All my ballers that's born to clock/Now I'ma be on top whether I perform or not

Other Must Listen to Tracks: Can I Get A...feat Amil & Ja Rule, Ni**a What, Ni**a Who feat Amil & Big Jaz, Money Ain't a Thang feat Jermaine Dupri

Life & Times of S. Carter is just another big success in Hova's career. The album was tearing up the charts. It was another victory lap for a man running a marathon of success. Vol 3...Life & Times was a great album but it didn't really contain any super memorable song. The exception to this is Big Pimping feat UGK. Big Pimping became the record of that summer. It was playing everywhere and everyone was singing along to it. The song had that sound that would make everyone in the crowd go wild. The song did carry a bit of controversy. A lot of people had problems with the "message" of the song. People thought it was sexist and that it portray women as objects. The music video did not help with the controversy. In addition to the controversy what makes this sound timeless is its sounds. Jay-Z incredible flow with the combo of UGK voices makes for a track that not only transcends state lines it transcends time.

Bars: Let em play with the dick in the truck/Many chicks want to put Jigga fist in cuffs/Divorce him and split his bucks/Just because you got good head, I'm a break bread/So you can be livin' it up

Other Must Listen Tracks: Jigga, My Ni**a

This is Jay-Z's Mona Lisa, his Michelangelo, his masterpiece. The Blueprint has the most amount of memorable songs from Jay-Z catalog. Whether it's one of the greatest diss tracks on "Takeover"or the soulful "Song Cry", The Blueprint contains a song for every hip-hop fan. The Blueprint is a must listen for every hip-hop fan. Every song on this album touches on Jay-Z lifestyle and attitude. The Blueprint has to be among Jay-Z greatest album if not the greatest. It was impossible to pick ONE song from this whole album. Song Cry is just that one song that always made you think about life. Maybe think about that special person that walked away from your life. The Blueprint will always be considered among the greatest albums in hip-hop history.

Bars : They say you can't turn a bad girl good/But once a good girl's gone bad, she's gone forever/I'll mourn forever/Shit, I've got to live with the fact I did you wrong forever

Sequels rarely live up to the hype of the original. The Blueprint 2 is a clear example of that. It is extremely hard to make a great album after releasing one of the best albums ever. It would be like if the movie Training Day with Denzel Washington had a sequel Still Training. This is not to say that the album is not great. The Gift & The Curse tries to keep alive the success of The Blueprint without changing anything. Instead of improving on a classic, they just copied the formula and made a few changes. This double-disc album release had a lot good songs, but "03 Bonnie & Clyde" was memorable. One of the earliest collaborations between Hova and Beyonce was a smash. This is the song that you played with your partner in crime. "03 Bonnie & Clyde" would be the first track with the future Mrs. Carter but not the last.

Bars: The problem is, you dudes treat the one that you lovin'/With the same respect/That you treat the one that you humpin'/That ain't 'bout nothin'/ If ever you mad about somethin'

The Black Album or the "retirement" album as it would be known. This was meant to be Jay-Z last album and it was special. The hype behind it and everyone involved in it gave it 100 percent for the Jigga man. Jay-Z brought in top of the line producers like The Neptunes, Kanye West, Rick Rubin to make sure his curtain call was something out of this world. The production is amazing and Jay-Z brought some of his best lyrics for his "last" album. Jay-Z's TheBlack Album was so popular that they even created a combination of it and The Beatles White Album on theGray Album. This album had many memorable songs but the most memorable had to be "99 Problems". "99 Problems" became so popular that people would use the song references on daily conversations. We all have problems so we all could relate.

Bars: I try to ignore him, talk to the Lord/Pray for him, but some fools just love to perform/You know the type, loud as a motorbike/But wouldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight

Other Must Listen to Tracks: Moment of Clarity, My 1st Song, Dirt Off Your Shoulder

This is not your typical Jay-Z album. This is a more mature, more business savvy, more mainstream than before. This is not a Jay-Z album, this is a Sean Carter record. Jay-Z seemed to come out of "retirement" to focus on other things than just making millions. He put together an album that was very different from his other records. Although the album was a success on the charts, it is widely speculated to be one of Jay-Z worst albums. This album is not great but is not bad by a long shot. If you were expecting Jay-Z the gangster and hustler in this album, you are in for a rude awakening. This is the businessman Jay- Z album. The album has amazing songs but only a few stick inside your head. Beach Chair feat Chris Martin is the best representation of Kingdom Come. This a track that talks about the little precious things to enjoy in life. From all the other tracks, this is the one you can find yourself going back to listen to a few times.

Bars: I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of not trying/Every day hit every wave like I'm Hawaiian/I don't surf the net, no, I never been on MySpace/Too busy letting my voice vibrate

The Blueprint 3 is Jay-Z's weird comeback after a couple of questionable albums. The album had a lot of great songs, but let's get to the meat of it. "Run This Town" feat Rihanna and Kanye West became an anthem for everyone that heard it. The song just made you want to go marching and start some type of riot. Rihanna's vocals on the chorus makes the track even more dramatic and epic. Even Kanye West brought out the best of himself on this track. Even though The Blueprint 3 had a lot of memorable records, the must listen song of that album was "Run This Town".

Bars: It's crazy how you can go from bein' Joe Blow/To everybody on your dick; no homo/I bought my whole family whips; no Volvos/Next time I’m in church: please, no photos

Magna Carta Holy Grail is the latest album from the Jigga man. This album proves that no matter how much money he makes, or how many businesses he ventures into, he's a musician first of all. Jay-Z was able to make a really well-balanced album. The album had everything from the gangster themes to the mainstream hits. It was a nice way for Jay-Z to tell the younger generation of rappers that he's still got it. "FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt" feat Rick Ross is just a small example of how Jay-Z stays relatable to other generations.The intro from the legend Pimp C(RIP), the hook, and the beat make this track something that you just play really loud and annoy a few of your neighbors.

Bars: Hov keep gettin' that dinero, got it/Even if a nigga gotta rob it, get it?/Black Jack in a casino/A nigga got unlimited credit/A nigga got a lot of vendettas