There aren’t a lot of artists that deserve the right to be called the greatest of all time, but JAY-Z is very much one of them. Over a 30 year career, Jigga has put out multiple classics that have stood the test of time – albums and singles alike. So, since I already am writing a post on two of his albums (The Black Album & 4:44) – I thought I should cover the good, the bad and the ugly of his singles. (Note: I got this list from Wikipedia. So if there are more songs to include, get mad at Wikki.)
Some rules to lay the groundwork: I will only be ranking singles in which HOVA was listed as the main artist. So no features – or else this list becomes way longer than it already is. And second, no R. Kelly songs (I don’t think I need to explain. But, I will be listing songs with Diddy & Kanye, since they were on everything throughout Jay’s career as artists and as producers).
The Bad/Forgetable Ones
Not every single an artist releases will be good, or even remembered. And, for someone who has a career as long as JAY-Z, that is very true. So, here is a list of the duds, before we get into the bangers
#63 – “Wishing On A Star” – Just god awful. Bad hook & bad verses
#62 – “Things That You Do (feat. Mariah Carry)” – The verses are ok, but I know Mariah could do a better job on the hook, especially with her vocal tone. Also, the song should’ve been more of an R&B/Pop crossover then a full on Rap joint.
#61 – “Always Be My Sunshine” – Worst song on In My Lifetime not named “I Know What Girls Like” (“IKWGL” is JAY’s worst song ever in my opinion).
#60 – “Young Forever” – I hate this song with a passion. “Forever Young” is an 80s synth-pop classic that talks about the dangers of nuclear war. On the other hand, “Young Forever” seems like a cop-out sample in order to get the song played on as many radio stations as possible. And, IT WORKED – the song peaked at #10 on Billboard. It’s honestly sad that people fell for this nostalgia bait garbage.
#59 – “Girl’s Best Friend” – Solid song. JAY’s rapping is mediocre and the hook is fine. The real MVP here is Swizz Beatz, who created an instrumental that sounds like if Timbaland and The Neptunes created a beat tape together.
#58 – “Why I Love You” – Good track, just very forgettable compared to the rest of Watch The Throne’s singles.
The Solid/Good Ones
These next few tracks can range from solid to good, but it is insane that a good song could rank so low on this list.
#57 – “Tom Ford” – Absolute motherf**king banger. The Bassline goes crazy, as JAY’s verses are hype. I just don’t like the chorus or bridge and the song gets repetitive after a while. I still have no idea on why he didn’t release “F*ckwithmeuknowigotit” as a single instead though.
#56 – “Hey Papi” – It is crazy that Timbaland wasted this fire beat on the Nutty Professor 2 soundtrack.
#55 – “Jigga That N***a” – the worst song on The Blueprint. But, it is still a song on the Blueprint, so it’s good.
#54 – “The City Is Mine” – This song just sounds so arrogant. To profess that you are the king of New York on this slumpfest of a track with a s**ty chorus makes this song so much worse.
#53 – “Hollywood (feat. Beyonce)” – Solid track, but Bey performed amazingly on the hook, especially compared to HOV’s lackluster verses.
#52 – “In My Lifetime” – This was JAY-Z’s first single, and it was a nice start to his career. My only gripe is that the track has no flavor, it just sounds like a plain early 90s commercial rap song.
#51 – “Hovi Baby” – A classic track with a beat that could only be rapped on by J-HOVA.
#50 – “H.A.M.” – I love the energy that both Ye & JAY bring to their verses, and the beat backs that energy up perfectly.
#49 – “Part II (On The Run)” – This song is a continuation of JAY & Bey’s collaboration “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde”, and I love how much of a lighthearted and triumphant feel it has with the synths and drums. But, I think HOV ruins the song. His screaming voice tone doesn’t match Beyonce’s lower register hook at all. And, instead of this being a showcase of how well Bey and JAY are together, it seems more like a highlight of their contrasts.
#48 – “Money, Cash H*es (feat. DMX)” – I am a sucker over both JAY & DMX over Swizz production, so I probably love this song more than others but, I have a question. Did this version (the original with DMX’s verse) release as a single or did the remix with Benie Segel? Because the obvious answer would be the original version (since it features DMX in 1998), but the remix got a video – so I don’t know (my guess is they couldn’t get X for the videoshoot so they just shot the video for the remix instead).
#47 – “Gotta Have It” – This is what you should expect from a Kanye and Jay collab,a s both artists give Run-DMC levels of chemistry on the track, as they finish each other’s lines and go bar for bar over this amazing Pharrell beat.
#46 – “Blue Magic” – I love the work The Neptune’s did on the boards for this song, as the song builds up throughout the verse until you get to the hook section, with Pharrell’s haunting vocals.
#45 – “30 Something” – This song introduces what is by far my favorite topic that JAY writes about in his music: maturity. HOV talks about not wearing some clothes or acting the same way he did when he was in his 20s, and how he had to grow up with the game. And, I almost forgot to mention Dr. Dre’s amazing beat with the orchestral elements.
#44 – “Change The Game” – Even though the verses that JAY, Memphis, and Beans spit are fire, the true best part of the song is the beat, for the sheer fact that I don’t think any of the Roc-A-Fella camp has ever rapped on anything like it before. The drums and bass are so bouncy that it makes you wanna go in your imaginary low-rider and blast it – it is so good.
The Great Ones
Now, we get into the higher tier of JAY-Z’s singles. All of these songs are at least an 8.5/10, and have more than one amazing quality to them.
#43 -“Jockin JAY-Z (Dopeboy Fresh)” – I love how much this song sounds like Run-DMC. From the hook, which I thought was Rev. Run on first listen, to the beat, which is very drum and guitar based. Overall, a great homage to the legends of rap with some great one-liners from Jigga.
#42 – “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)” – Beanie Sigel goes absolutely insane on this beat. He sounds so passionate with every line he delivers that I almost always forget that it isn’t his song. And, JAY-Z verse is great too, as i love his cadence towards the middle of the verse – and his talk about rappers jackin’ R.O.C.’s style and slang. Also, I just now made the connection that Kanye sampled the last lines of HOV’s verse for “Two Words”.
#41 – “On To The Next One” – JAY’s whole first verse is amazing, with quotable line after quotable line: “N***as want my old s**t, buy my old albums”, “N***as make the same s**t, me I make the Blueprint”, “Traded in the gold for the platinum Rolexes/Now a N***a wrist match the status of my records”, and of course, “No I’m not a Jonas Brother I’m a grown up/No I’m not a virgin, I use my cojones”. Just pure heat – not to mention Swizz Beatz catchy chorus and great instrumental (Funny enough, the sample doesn’t actually say “On To The Next One”, so here’s Navie D with the explanation).
#40 – “I Know” – The best part of “I Know” is the third verse. On the first two verses, JAY leans into his player persona, not accepting the fact that his partner moved on, thinking that she still wants him back. But, on the 3rd verse, HOV shows humility, saying that he knows he messed up, but he still misses being her boyfriend. Great stuff.
#39 – “A Star Is Born” – I love the storytelling of this track. JAY’s first two verses are applauding all the stars that have taken the rap game to new heights (he literally says “clap for ’em”), while applauding some coming up. His last verse is all bragging — as JAY says that he is the star that burned the brightest out of the, all. Meanwhile, J. Cole’s verse is him hoping he can be a successful star in the music industry like all of his idols before him. Also, when Cole performed “cLOUDs” over this beat at Dreamville Fest, it was absolutely amazing.
#38 – “Girls, Girls, Girls” – I love “Girls, Girls, Girls” so much; it is just so fun. From the great sample chops brought to you by Just Blaze, to the myriad of Rap icons singing the hook, and to HOVA’s witty bars, which definitely did not age well but are still kinda funny.
#37 – “Who You Wit” – Even though Jigga does a great job spitting some fly rhymes, the beat is easily the show-stopper. It reminds me of Lil’ Kim’s “Crush On You’, but with a grittier edge. Also, please check out the mashup with this song and Tay-K’s “Lemonade”, it is really good.
#36 – “It’s Alright” – One of my favorite songs from Hard Knock Life. JAY’s flow is smooth as butter, as he doesn’t give the beat any space to breathe on his first verse. And, I really love the hook; it gives the song a more pop-rap edge. And, as another bonus, Memphis Bleak sounds listenable.
#35 – “Anything” – While not having as much of a fruitful result as the first time JAY went in the well of sampling broadway (we’ll get to that later) – “Anything” is still a great track. And, the part in the first verse where he lists off his friends that made it out of the projects against the odds is really powerful (“They thought we’d never progress. But look at us now, we young execs”). I also love the second verse, dedicated to his mom, who had to fight through the struggle to raise him. Overall, this song really demonstrates what I love about JAY-Z, and it’s crazy that he has made better.
#34 – “Holy Grail (feat. Justin Timberlake)” – I’ve never heard a man carry a song in the same way that Justin Timberlake did on “Holy Grail”. His voice is so somber but so powerful at the same time, and how he describes fame as a relationship is beautiful. In my opinion, the song just should’ve been an interlude sung by Justin that transitioned into “Tom Ford” – as it would make the two songs even better.
#33 – “Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kanye West)” – This song is just iconic. Rihanna’s vocals are golden, JAY’s verses are clean, as they talk about his place as one of the top dogs in the rap game. But, shockingly Kanye delivers the most sentimental verse of the two (with an amazing beat build up). Ye talks about going from a random in-house producer that no one cares about to a full on celebrity almost overnight and the overall change in lifestyle. Also, “Next time I’m in church please no photos” & “What do you think I rap for, to push a f**king RAV4” is one of the most iconic lines in hip-hop history, and you can fight me about that.
#32 – “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde” – While not as good as the original (“Me and My Girlfriend” by 2Pac) this take on the classic track is great, as it is a jam and a half. This song was made for slow dancing, and it has a catchy hook to go with it.
#31 – “Empire State of Mind” – The quintessential JAY-Z track (barley edging out “Public Service Announcment”). This song gets played everywhere in New York: the Brooklyn Bridge, sports games, random bike cabs around Times Square and Bryant Park, etc. And even though I’m sick of the song, I can’t deny that it is the New York anthem (besides Sinatra’s “New York, New York” of course – also the mashup between them is so good that the official MLB account used it as the music to promote the subway series).
#30 – “LaLa-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)” – If anyone ever tells me that the Neptunes are overrated, I will gladly play them this beat. That and Jigga’s funny bars on top make this an overlooked classic that should have more speciation among listeners.
#29 – “Lost One” – This is by far Dr. Dre’s most underrated beat. I love the somber piano and how it works with the banging drums. I also love HOV’s performance on the track, as he recounts stories of losing Dame Dash as a business partner, his girlfriend (Beyonce), and lastly, his nephew, who died in the car he bought. Overall, a reflective song that provides insight into JAY’s personal life.
#28 – “Show Me What You Got” – Not much to say here, just a great song with a hype beat and a great flow from JAY.
#27 – “Jigga My N***a” – I swear to god HOV was on a run in the late 90s. Between this, and all of the previous singles we talked about, he was everywhere. Anyways, “Jigga My N****a” is great; it has some iconic lines to it (“Jigga been dope since Slick Rick’s first chain” and “I don’t give a f**k if I sold one million, but I think you should.”) and a great beat with a catchy hook.
#26 – “Ain’t No N***a” – For anyone that says that nostalgia sampling was a new thing, just look at this song. It has the same sample as EPMD’s “It’s My Thing”, it also interpolates the Four Tops’s “Ain’t No Woman”. But, even with the nostalgia bait, “Ain’t no N***a” is a fun track with a hilarious hook (with some bad singing from Jaz-O) and a great verse from Foxy Brown)
#25 – “Hard Knock Life” – Like “Empire…” before it, this is another song from JAY’s catalog that is easy to get sick of, but theres a reason why it’s overplayed – it’s f**king good. Almost everyone can rap the first verse of “Hard Knock Life”, not because it’s overplayed – but because it’s iconic.
#24 – “Can I Get A…” – I could say a lot for this song – how stupid but funny the intro and the chorus are, the great beat, the simple but effective music video, or the fact that it is a part of the soundtrack for one of the greatest comedies ever. But I only need to say one thing – it makes Ja Rule sound good.
The Amazing Ones
These next few tracks are absolutely amazing – as they have little to no flaws.
#23 – “Glory” – A song made by a larger than life celebrity usually doesn’t get me in the feels, but the way that HOV talks about the birth of his daughter on this beautiful Neptunes beat does something to me. This song is a great example of why JAY is one of the greatest writers of all time.
#22 – “Excuse Me Miss” – I’ve always loved what beats the Neptunes give JAY, it could either be loud and aggressive, or chill and relaxing. In this case, Pharrell and Chad went for the ladder, with a beat that is so fancy, that you can’t even smoke a blunt to it, “you gotta puff a J”. That random keyboard/guitar line that plays throughout the song is so infectious and I will always love Pharell’s singing. JAY’s verses are great too – talking about how love at first sight is good, but usually it moves way too fast than it should; he’s already fantasizing about a girl whose name he doesn’t even know.
#21 – “I Just Wanna Love You” – I still have no idea how the Thai beat was made. It sounds so futuristic – so futuristic that we haven’t even gotten to the time period where beats like this are commonplace (Pharrell & Chad were seriously ahead of their time). But, even though the beat is fantastic, the real MVP here is J. HOVA himself. For three verses straight, he delivers some of the wittiest and iconic one liners of his career. He flows absolutely effortlessly over this Neptunes beat, and I think if he wanted to, he could’ve rapped on it for 10 minutes straight.
#20 – “Swagga Like Us (feat. T.I., Lil Wayne & Kanye West)” – I hate to say it, but if I was only ranking songs based on JAY’s performance, “Swagga Like Us” would not be that high up. I wouldn’t say that Jigga’s verse is bad, it is just lackluster compared to Kanye, T.I.P., and especially Lil Wayne’s verses (“and my jewels, blue and yellow/the type of s**t that make them call you Carmelo” goes so hard). But, because we are ranking it as a full song, this is really high up.
#19 – “Jigga What, Jigga Who” – One of the only songs ever where I would willingly listen to the radio version over the explicit one. Also, literally everyone calls it “Jigga What…”, so the hook sounds better (at least to me). And, I really love Jaz-O’s verse – as he goes bar for bar with HOVA in the best way possible.
#18 – “Numb/Encore” – I love this song way more than I should. The fact that two random artists from two random genres decided to make a mashup EP that sold over a million copies is crazy. And from that EP, this song is its magnum opus. My only issue with it is that they didn’t keep JAY’s last verse from “Encore” (in my opinion, after the chorus from “Numb” I would’ve had HOV’s third verse come in as the instrumental fades out), but it is such a small nitpick that it doesn’t even matter in the grand scheme of the song.
#17 – “Change Clothes” – Just to prove to you how good The Black Album Is, this is its lowest ranking single out of the three – that’s crazy. JAY really did go all out for his “last” album. Anyways, I love what the Neptunes did with this beat – they took a simple piano line and built on it as the foundation for this exciting instrumental. And, JAY has one of my favorite bars of his, as he calls himself the king of the East Coast, like Snoop is the king of the West and how Scarface is the king of Houston. A simple – but effective line that shouts out other legends of the rap game.
#16 – “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” – “D.O.A.” might have won the elusive prize for the most hype beat that Jigga has ever rapped on. The guitar line layered on top of those banging drums makes whatever JAY is saying feel impactful. But, here’s the problem, what JAY is saying isn’t that impactful. At the time, for sure (that’s the reason why it’s still ranked so high. It was such a banger it sent T-Pain into depression). But, now all that hate for autotune has been used for A.I. – which makes the song feel outdated. But, the best line of the song is towards the end “I don’t be in the Project’s hallway, talking about how I be in the Projects all day…If you a gangsta [just] prove it to me.” GET ‘EM YOUNG. (Please check out the version with John Mayer as well)
#15 – “Roc Boys” – The quintessential rap celebration song. When those horns kick into high gear, it feels like you are in a Grammy afterparty after you won album of the year (By the way, Puffy made this beat – not Kanye). Also, “Pink rozay, think O.J./I get away with murder when I sling ye” is f***ing hilarious. And, If you haven’t already, check out the Letterman performance, it’s better than the studio version.
#14 – “Big Pimpin (feat. UGK)” – *ahem*…Smoking out, pouring up, keep that liter in my cup. All my cars got leather and wood, in my hood we call it buck. Everybody wanna ball, holla at broads at the mall. If he up, watch him fall. N***a i can’t f**k with y’all. If I wasn’t rappin, baby, I would still be ridin’ Mercedes. Chromin’ shinin’ sippin’ daily, no rest until whitey pay me. Uhh, now what ya’ll know about them Texas boys, coming down in candied toys, smoking weed and making noise.
Timbaland was on the finest weed when he made this beat. He pulled the most random Egyptian sample known to man and turned it into a dirty south radio hit to kick in the new millenia. Also, just because I highlighted Pimp C’s verse does not mean the rest of the collaborators didn’t do a great job. I love JAY’s verse, and Bun B. kills it on the chorus.
#13 – “Clique (with Kanye West & Big Sean)” – even though throughout this article I’ve been highlighting JAY-Z’s work with the Neptunes, his real best collaborator, was, is, and will always be Kanye West (RIP 1977-2021 – sadly died in a car crash after the Larry Hoover concert). This was clear even when Ye was an in-house producer for roc-a-fella, as they made classics like “Lucifer” & “Heart of The City”, but was put in 20/20 vision when Ye started his solo career. Even though they have many great collabs, “Clique” will always be one of my favorites. The beat starts off so simple, but then has this menacing crescendo right at the end of the chorus. Big Sean’s verse is great, as he uses his unparalleled delivery for some corny (but still funny) lines. Kanye also goes hard, as his verse ramps up the more he goes on. But, really the best verse here is easily HOVA’s. Every single bar he drops could be framed on a wall and the flow doesn’t slow down for a second.
#12 – “No Church In The Wild” – Obviously, we all know about Frank Ocean’s hook and The-Dream’s bridge, but no one ever talks about the Throne’s rapping performance. JAY is solid – as he sets the scene of a torn up democracy, with a rebellion fighting back (*ahem*). But, Kanye goes insane. His flow cannot be contained, as he effortlessly flows on the kick-drum-based production.
#11 – “N****s in Paris” – There are not a lot of songs, especially in hip-hop, that become a cultural phenomenon in the way “Paris” is. This song was and is everywhere. Hit-Boy’s beat is nothing short of iconic, from the Blades of Glory samples to the drum pattern that keeps switching up, keeping the beat fresh and interesting. But, by far the best part is that beat switch; it feels like the whole song has been building up to it.
The Top 10
#10 – “Can’t Knock The Hustle (feat. Mary J. Blige)” – Even though HOV had a few singles before this, for the majority of people, this was their introduction to Jigga, and what an introduction it was. I love the two samples, the “Much to Much” sample that is the main part of the instrumental (shout out to those drums btw) and the “Fool’s Paradise” interpolation, courtesy of Mary J. Blige – who kills it throughout the whole song. This whole song has me wanting to scream “money ain’t a thang” out the sunroof every time I wanna hear it.
#9 – “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” – This isn’t the first beat Kanye made for Roc-A-Fella, and, it’s not even the first beat Kanye made for JAY, but it is for sure the one that put him on the map. The way Kan’ beautifully flips The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” into this amazing beat always blows my mind. Funny enough, Cam’ron was supposed to have this beat, but HOV bought it from KanYe last second. And, thank God he did. I don’t think anyone besides Jigga could’ve come up with that hook. The whole track is quotible after quobible, making it not only a fun listen, but a great song to rap along to.
#8 – “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” – In a career full of amazing instrumentals, this one might be Timbaland’s magnum opus. I love the electronic sound that the melody makes, and the outro is even better. JAY sounds so cocky and confident over the beat, like he knows he’s the best rapper alive and he celebrates it with every fiber of his being.
#7 – “99 Problems” – “99 Problems” is basically a more complicated way for HOV to say “f**k you”. The first verse is about his hate towards the music industry, and how they don’t play his songs and use him for image and not for his talent. The second verse is toward the police, and he recalls an incident in 1994 where a cop pulled him over and was shocked that a black man like Jigga could speak so intelligently and know his rights. Then, the last verse is about an altercation he had, where he had to pay half a million dollars for bail, pretty much just because of the color of his skin. All of these lyrics over a hard Rick Rubin beat makes this track an all-timer in JAY’s discography. Oh, and I almost forgot – his performance at Glastonbury makes this track even better.
#6 – “Bam (feat. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley)” – What happens when Jigga mixes his Brooklyn flavor with the Marley family’s Jamaican roots? The answer is, you get “Bam”, a track that is a flat out banger, incorporating samples from all over Sister Nancy’s “Bam Bam” and Jacob Miller’s “Tenement Yard”. Then, No I.D. adds trap drums on top, to make it sound more hip-hop. Meanwhile, JAY raps it’s still 1998. Even though 4:44 is a deeply introspective album, this is the one song where JAY has fun and talks his s**t – and it’s great. And, I had to mention Daiman Marly’s amazing outro. “Spinach and dumpling season” gets stuck in my head all the time.
#5 – “Otis” – This is exactly what I wanted from Watch the Throne. The back and forth rapping between JAY-Z and Kanye is so good – especially over this luxurious Otis Redding sample. The “Top Billin’” reference is great – as well as Kanye’s play off of “I got two passports I’m never going to jail” into “I made “Jesus Walks” I’m never going to hell.” The whole song is filled with quotables – it’s amazing. And, even though they aren’t really a part of the song, the music video where they transform the Maybach and Funk Flex’s 24 minute debut of the song on Hot 97 make the song more iconic.
#4 – “Dead Presidents” – When we talk about the most iconic beat in hip-hop, this usually comes up, along with classics like “Grindin’”, “Shook Ones Pt. II” & “Still D.R.E.”. There is a reason that J. Cole spit on this twice. But even though Cole’s renditions (especially the second one) are fire, this beat will still forever be HOV’s. That first verse is insane, with his crazy rhyme scheme. JAY just flexes his lyrical capabilities on the track – and it is excellent.
#3 – “Feelin It” – Just like “Can’t Knock The Hustle” before it, this song gives me so much energy. The piano line works perfectly with Mecca’s chorus and the drums. And, JAY sounds like he has so much fun when he raps his verses. “Feelin’ It” feels like a nice summer day while driving your car on an island and you feel on top of the world.
#2 – “Song Cry” – Most people love when Jigga talks his s**t, but I love when he gets emotional – i.e., when he shows cracks in the armor. Like what I said in “Lost One” – it feels important when JAY shows his flaws, as he is built up and builds himself up as this figure larger than life. Anyways, “Song Cry” is about JAY cheating on his girl and doing her wrong, as he thought they would always be together and didn’t think about the consequences of cheating on her. HOv’s performance is emotional, especially over this amazing Just Blaze instrumental.
#1 – “4:44” – “4:44” isn’t just the best JAY-Z single of all time, or one of the best rap songs of all time – it is without a doubt a top 100 song ever made. The amount of vulnerability that JAY brings to this song is unseen from him. If you somehow don’t know, this song is about JAY-Z cheating on Beyoncé with another woman (Bey calls her “Becky with the good hair”). This whole scandal was brought to the public on Queen Bey’s Lemonade album (“Don’t Hurt Yourself” is another top 100 song in my opinion). After the public reception to the album, HOV woke up at 4:44 am to record this track, which was JAY’s public apology about the scandal. Jigga pours his heart and soul all over this track, spilling everything out over one of the greatest beats I’ve ever heard. The beat feels like opening the window on a fast car and sticking your head out on a windy day. It is insane that Hannah Williams actually held the notes like that. No I.D. didn’t really chop anything up – that is all an actual part of “Late Nights & Heartbreaks”. And the “I’m never gonna treat you. I’m never gonna treat you like I should” part is perfect – it sums up the entire song amazingly. The 3rd verse is amazing as well: “‘You did what with WHO?’ What good is a menage-a-twa if you have a soul mate? You risk that for Blue [Ivy]?” I can’t describe the song any more – just go listen to greatness.
And that is the list. Did I forget any singles? Did I mess up the ranking? Let me know in the comments below.
The Music In My Mind 
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