his songs are being killed by the radio, never really liked empire state of mind much anyway but i liked run this town before they killed it. I think that the problem with the bpIII is not the lyrics, the problem is that the music is weak. It just seems like it was rushed to me, like even one of the better songs "already home" has sense of being a real song, no songcraft, just kind of a loop.

As good as Jay-Z is, I'll take Nas anyday. I couldn't imagine rap without either of them but Nas would be a bigger loss for me.

I think that Jay album is craxxy. If your on the come up, when you go to bed you dream of success, when you wake up in the morning you day dream success, then this is the album you want to listen to. I don't know about y'all but i'm trying to get my suit up. The Purple tape 2 was nasty as well, but that ****s more like TV to me.

Empire State of Mind is a great track.
I don't by any means think its one of his best albums, but I think its decent.
Props to Jay, considering hes been around for so long he must be runnin out of ideas now.

Jesus man, sin against god. Reasonable Doubt is one of the worst I'd think. He gets stronger as he creates.

I'm not a big rap guy so I'm sure I should be saying something hip like the young kids are but I feel like Jay-Z above all other rappers is an artist. He has an idea of where things are going musically, and especailly as it relates to the lyrics.

I don't know what to tell you other than most things I hear from him, on his own album are pretty great. If he shows up on someone elses (R. Kelly, Nas) I think he's not as good. (Black Republican especailly seemed Mailed in)

My favorite tracks are (and in the order I think you should listen to them are)

Takeover
Lucifer
99 Problems
Dirt off your shoulders
30 Something.

Try em. Let me know. Also, dig the huge David Bowie swipe in Takeover.

By getting in bed with politicians instead of taking the artists vital role of being critical of or a check on politics, jay-z sold out. kinda like bono.

Jay Z, really invokes a bias I possess, that really prevents me from enjoying anyting Jay Z makes. I cant help it that he is a tellentless *******, and somehow made a crap load of money playing of the stupidity of the main stream audience. Jay Z does not knwo the definition of word play. He could not create good lyrics if his life depeneded on it, and the sad part, is that the fan base not only accepts it, they embrace it. Hip Hop has always been a battle of intellectual wits, but recently, it has been turned into a battle off elite stupidity. Musicians like, Jay Z, and P Diddy, are the only ones we can blame for this horrible post gangsta rap that has emerged. I probably pick on Jay Z the most, but anyone who clames to be a prodigy of Biggie, and than stab him in the back by making music that lakcs any trace of lyricism or wordplay, something that jayZ stood for completely, , just fuels my hatred towards the talentless *******.




I love me some good Hip Hop, and I will never find it within the depths of Jay Z's library

"Takeover"—Musically, I probably like this more than anything I've ever heard by Jay-Z. I dig the fuzz bass and the harpsichord-sounding keyboard a lot. The lyrics were pretty weak and cliche though and the rapping is dull.

"Lucifer"—The rapping is better on this one but the music and lyrics are very middle-of-the-road. The end result doesn't really grab me.

"99 Problems"—I'm already pretty familiar with this one. It's just a generic pop rap song as far as I'm concerned. Musically bland, lyrically embarrassing.

"Dirt Off Your Shoulders"—My least favorite of the bunch. Incredibly generic on all levels.

"30 Something"—According to YouTube, this one was produced by Dr. Dre but for some reason it sounds musically like Dre-lite or something. The rapping: weak, possibly the weakest of these five songs. The lyrics: bland.

Sorry, I guess I just don't see the appeal here. Thanks for sharing though. :)

you're dead to me.

Aw. At least I gave them a listen, right?