KevinNottingham.com » Eleven Days of Jay

Eleven Days of Jay Recap…

Kevin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:00:51 +0000

Well, we’ve come to an end of our Eleven Days of Jay… some hated it, most loved it. It was great to be able to dedicate the site to my all time favorite emcee, although exhausting at times to get all the posts going while staying on top of hip hop current events.

If you’re just finding the site or you missed a day, hit the jump for a quick recap…

Album Information

Reasonable Doubt, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life, The Life and Times of S. Carter, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse, The Black Album, Kingdom Come, American Gangster

Lists

Sample Sets

Mixtapes

Videos

Who Spit It Better?

This isn’t EVERYTHING, so….

FULL LIST OF EVERYTHING

Jay-Z: Top 15 Underrated Songs

Sean Deez — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:00:00 +0000

This last little while, Jay-Z has been the talk of the town. A town of music that he runs laps around, an industry he has by the throat, a genre he has at bay. However, Jay-Z the musician gets overlooked many times. If not for the talent he possess, then for the talent he has shown in the past, even in some of his darkest moments. Whether it was on a soundtrack, an unreleased single, a 12’’, someone else’s album, or even on his album, Jay rarely had material that was infamously slept on. The dude’s whole life is documented and praised, so why wouldn’t his music be?

Keezy from The Real Frequency fam concluded that we should take on the challenge and design a “Most Slept On Jay-Z” list. Being the list maker that I am, I had to take him up on that offer. We’ve each compiled a list of 15 songs. Which one do you roll with? More importantly, what are we missing? What on the list isn’t slept on? What concludes being slept on?

For our lists, it was a mixed bag of unreleased tracks, joints people just simply don’t appreciate enough, or songs that don’t get spins (that probably should). We came to our own conclusions of what Slept On meant. Enjoy it for what it is.

Deezy. Vs. Keezy.

Sean Deez

15. “Jigga My N***a”

Slept on because: The horrible annoying hook took away from the arrogant lyrical drop from Hova: it’s done so stylistically. The second and third verse in particular really elevate the track. It was also on the Ruff Ryders Vol 1 compilation.

14. ” Hova Song (Vol. 3 Intro)”

Slept on because: People generally skipped forward to “So Ghetto,” but truly, this introduction continued a string of strong starting moments for Hov and his albums.

13. “What’s In a Name?”

Slept on because: Not many people are familiar with the early Jay, and this shows Hov giving love to early and current (at the time) superstars in the game. He revisits something similar on Missy Elliot’s “Back In The Day.”

12. “People’s Court”

Slept on because: Even though the sample is well recognized, not enough people recognize how Jay-z bodies it. It’s up there when discussing some of Jay’s best street-law stories. Could’ve been on Volume 3, but was left off.

11. “Reach the Top”

Slept on because: It simply hasn’t gotten enough spins from daily Jay fans. This song marks his desire and drive to reach the top, and listening to it now, it’s funny how he did exactly as he said. The production is nuts too, circa 93-94.

10. “Breathe Easy (Lyrical Exercise)”

Slept on because: It’s a bonus track off of Blueprint (after “Momma Loves Me”). When discussing the acclaimed album, this track never gets discussed as one of the best, when it rightfully could be up there. Great beat from Just Bleezy

9. “Blueprint 2″

Slept on because: Once again, a cheesy chorus takes away from the appreciation of this track, and a pretty weak album loaded with filler contributes too. Fact is, this joint is and always has been dope. The beat is wicked and Jay flows over the dark keys perfectly.

8. “Dynasty Intro”

Slept on because: Once again, most people would skip to the single, “Change the Game,” without recognizing this gem from Jay (and from Just Blaze). It takes a minute for Hov to get in, but when he does, he kills it for two minutes straight.

7. “Addicted to the Game”

Slept on because: Circa 2001, most were only about The Blueprint when it came to Jay. Another Just Blaze infused banger, loaded with marvelous imagery and line after line of heat. Really well compiled joint.

6. ” Bitches & Sisters”

Slept on because: It’s a bonus track on the Blueprint 2, and frankly, getting through that album as a whole was hard enough as it was. With that said, this song is marvelous. The guidebook to a huge mystery, and a dope beat by who else? Just Blaze..

5. “Lucky Me”

Slept on because: It’s sandwiched in the middle of Volume 1 and rarely gets talked about when discussing some of Jay’s elite tracks. The man himself calls it one of his favourite joints, that alone should count for something.

4. “In My Lifetime (Original Ski Mix)”

Slept on because: His first solo single, full with a video and all, but hardly talked about. Big Jaz remixed it, and it’s nice as well, but there’s a throwback, nostalgic feel when listening to the Ski produced joint. Jay was on his quick flow every now and then too.

3. “This Life Forever”

Slept on because: It was on the Black Gangster Soundtrack, a book written by Donald Goines. A gem of a joint, simply because plenty who at first haven’t heard it, instantly consider it one of Jay’s best.

2. “Streets is Watching”

Slept on because: A horrible movie couldn’t taint this song. It’s well known, sure, but when discussing some of Jay’s best joints, this should certainly be in the discussion. It was the first track created for Volume 1 and should’ve set Jay on the right track for that album. Instead, a few Puffy-infused plans took that away. Regardless, amazing joint.

1. a.”Where I’m From”/ b.”Dear Summer”

Slept on because: It’s undoubtedly up in the top 10 of Jay-z’s best songs. In fact, it doesn’t get talked about enough. Is it too gutter? Too street? Too grimey? Who knows. But “Where I’m From” connects Jay-Z’s to not only his Marcy roots, but to his hip hop roots. It takes him and his audience back in more ways than one.

Slept on because: It was on Memphis Bleek’s album, 534, hence why this one got over looked. Regardless, Jay had the best song on someone else’s album. It’s one of Jay’s most sincere efforts and his most heartfelt “missed you” moments. It doesn’t get recognized enough, and is more or less forgotten when talking about Jigga’s best work.

Keezy

15. “NYMP”

Slept on because: Isn’t this the raw Jay that everyone claims to want on every album?

14. “American Dreamin’”

Slept on because: A very soulful joint and with an Opening verse that is so underrated. “We need it now, we need a town, we need a place to pitch, we need a mound.”

13. “Some People Hate”

Slept on because: No I.D. provides a vicious backdrop for Jay to get at the haters. Lemme find out y’all hatin’ on this pick, especially if you`ve heard the 3rd verse. I think a lot of people didn’t like this because he “borrowed” some of 2Pac’s rhymes.

12. “La-La-La”

Slept on because: A club banger with not-so-clubby lyrics. Jay’s flow over this was water. “Don’t confuse me with Marbury out this bitch, run up on me at the lights, you could lose your life/Muhfuckas must smoking they la-la-la with crack, 45 gun smoke, choke off that/Let’s get back to the music, I ain’t with all that/Plus the feds is tappin’ my phones, “did y’all get all that?”

11. “Excuse Me Miss” (Kanye West Remix)

Slept on because: Not sure if a lot of people have heard this but it’s better than the original to me. Kanye’s verse really tops it off.

10. “Trouble”

Slept on because: One of the better Dr. Dre beats in recent memory, the flow gets really silly in the 3rd verse with all the “lil” references.

9. “Kingdom Come”

Slept on because: I know a lot of people thought this was one of Jay’s weakest albums but this joint was certainly not to blame. Jay blacking out over a Just Blaze heatrock.

8. “The Bounce” feat. Kanye West

Slept on because: So underrated based on the first verse and the flow alone, Kanye also helps the cause with an entertaining verse and playful flow. Also one of the hardest beats Timbo has given to Jigga.. “Rumour has it the Blueprint’s a classic, couldn’t even be stopped by Bin Laden”

7. “Success” feat. Nas

Slept on because: I was a Nas fan first so it was very hard for me to admit that Jay got him on this, but he did.

6. “Rap Game Crack Game”

Slept on because: The concept behind this, the lyrics, the cuts, Jaz-O’s production; all underrated.

5. “Coming of Age” feat. Memphis Bleek

Slept on because: Bleek couldn’t even ruin this! That’s how good the production and concept are.

4. “Allure”

Slept on because: One of Jays most lyrical songs, period.

3. “So Ghetto”

Slept on because: All the other Jigga/Primo collaborations get mentions as some of Jay’s greatest songs, why not this one?

2. “Imaginary Player”

Slept on because: Don’t understand how this didn’t make the top 25 lists, so I have to give it its due credit. Classic Jay braggadacio raps.

1. “Never Change”

Slept on because: For some reason, this track never gets mentioned amongst the standouts on the original Blueprint, which is a little baffling to me. Top notch lyrics, plus one of Kanye’s most soulful beats of all time. “If we stay strong, we could get paper longer than (Scottie) Pippen’s arms.”

Jay-Z: A Star Is Born (The Lyrics)

Thomas — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:30:18 +0000

Last one! I have only listened to BP3 a couple of times since Tuesday. I didn’t listen to the album when it leaked on purpose…so I’m behind everyone else.

“A Star Is Born” is one of the better tracks on the album and has Jay giving props to many of his peers in the rap game (I don’t think he is dissin 50 tho). The second verse seems appropriate because of his mention of Rae, the purple tape, and Wu-Tang.

Hit the cut for the lyrics (courtesy of CD booklet and stream).

“A Star Is Born”
(Verse Two)

“Hey, Snoop Dogged it, Nelly came down
Facemob kept the ghetto for the H-Town
Luda moved digits after he moved bitches
Drake’s up next, see what he do wit it
Rule had a run, couple movie parts
T.I. literally wanted to shoot up the charts
Waddup Jeezy? What it do
Ya’ll remind me of us in early ’92
OutKast landed, 3 -thou’ was ill
Like a male version, of Lauryn Hill
Mobb Deep Shook it, but Prodigy took it
a lil’ too far, can’t fuck wit Brooklyn
Wu-Tang gangbanged it, Meth ate
Rae took on a date with the Purple Tape
Passed it on to Ason and then Ghostface
They had a helluva of a run, standing ovate- eyyy!”

Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3 [Instrumentals]

Kevin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:30 +0000

Today’s the last day of Eleven Days of Jay so looka here, looka here..when we go hard, we go hard! These Blueprint 3 Instrumentals are not official, by the way. They are homemade loops, but are really pretty decent. You know what to do.. hit it after the jump.

What We Talkin’ About
Thank You
D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)
Run This Town
Empire State Of Mind
Real As It Gets
On To The Next One
Off That
A Star Is Born
Venus vs. Mars
Already Home
Hate
Reminder
So Ambitious
Young Forever
Ghetto Techno [Bonus]
Run This Town (Hook) [Bonus]

DOWNLOAD PART 1

DOWNLOAD PART 2

Jay-Z: Tracks Not In Library of A Legend

Thomas — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:00:55 +0000

As Kev said a few days ago we didn’t compile any Jay-Z compilations because of the massive 11 Disc set call Library of A Legend. As I was looking through those 11 disc there are a few tracks missing or should I say not included. This comp is only eight tracks deep, but every Jay-Z fan should have these.

For some reason we’ve had these tracks sitting in the que since November 2008.

Hit the cut for the tracklist and link.

01. Hova the God (Hova interludes blended)
02. Feelin’ It (New Lyrics)
03. Hard Knock Life (Remix)
04. Lost Ones (Different verse)
05. I Get Money (Forbes 123 Remix)
06. Dig a Hole (Original Just Blaze Remix)
07. Can I Live II
08. Murda Marceyville (Original) Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek & Geda K

DOWNLOAD

Sample of the Day: Jay-Z Edition

Thomas — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:00:13 +0000

It wouldn’t be right for us to have a Jay-Z week without some samples. Between us, Ivan, Goon, and YN all of Jay’s albums have received the sample treatment. These are loose samples from some unreleased songs, soundtrack cuts, and songs Jay has been featurned on. A couple of dope tracks on here…see “Hogan’s Thing.”

Hit the cut for the tracklist and link.

1. “Main Theme” by Roy Budd
From the Fear Is The Key soundtrack (1973)
Sampled in “4 Da Family”
Performed by Amil feat. Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek
Produced by Ty Fife

2. “Honesty” by Billy Joel
From the album 52nd Street (1978)
Sampled in “Marcy to Hollywood”
Performed by Jay-Z feat. Sauce Money & Memphis Bleek
Produced by

3. “Heartbeat” by Gary Wright
From the album The Right Place (1981)
Sampled in “Early One Morning”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by Just Blaze (?)

4. “I’ll Be Good” by Rene & Angela
From the album Street Called Desire (1985)
Sampled in “I’ll Be”
Performed by Foxxy Brown feat. Jay-Z

5. “Peace of Mind” by Gene Harris
From the album Tone Tantrum (1977)
Sampled in “Maybe”
Produced by Sean C & L.V.
Performed by Jay-Z feat. P. Diddy

6. “Attack of the Name Game” by Stacy Lattisaw
From the album Sneakin’ Out (1982)
Sampled in “Heartbreaker”
Performed by Mariah Carey feat. Jay-Z
Produced by

7. “I Want You” by The Brothers Johnson
From the album Winners (1981)
Sampled in “Bonafied”
Performed by O.C. feat. Jay-Z
Produced by

8. “Give It Up” by The Jacksons
From the album Triumph (1980)
Sampled in “Addicted 2 Da Game”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by

9. “Dumb Girl” by Run-DMC
From the album Raising Hell (1986)
Sampled in “Jockin’ Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by Kanye West

10. “Hogan’s Thing” by Simon Haseley
From the album ?
Sampled in “Don’t You Know”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by Just Blaze

11. “The Heist” by Alan Tew
From The Hanged Man soundtrack (1975)
Sampled in “People’s Court”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by Robert “Shim” Kirkland

12. “Summer Song” by Lisa Koch
From the album ?
Sampled in “”534 Interlude”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by Just Blaze

13. “Morning Sunrise” by Weldon Irvine
From the album The Sisters (1979)
Sampled in “Dear Summer”
Performed by Jay-Z
Produced by Just Blaze

DOWNLOAD

DJ Ayres: D.O.J. When Jay-Z Was Good

J. Rizzle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:00:29 +0000

As the “Eleven Days of Jay” keeps rolling along, this mix right here is by the world famous DJ Ayres (of the Rub), some may agree or disagree with the title of the mix but it bangz. Hit it after the jump and enjoy!!!

Hova Song / Intro
Where I’m From
PSA (Just Blaze Remix)
Crew Love (ft. Memphis Bleek & Beanie Sigel)
Squeeze First
Lyrical Exercise
Watch Me
Snoopy Track
Parking Lot Pimpin’ (ft. Beanie Sigel)
Threat
D’evils
It’s Like That
Coming of Age (ft. Memphis Bleek)
Coming of Age (Da Sequel ft. Memphis Bleek)
A Week Ago (ft. Too $hort)
Calling My Name
Laser in Your Ear
22 Two’s
44 Four’s (live)
Blunts and Army
Rap Game Crack Game
South Philly Niggaz
I Am Hov
Reservoir Dogs (ft. The Lox, Beanie Sigel, Sauce money)
People’s Court
Can I Live
U Don’t Know (remix ft. M.O.P.)
Early This Morning
1-900-Hustler (ft. Beanie Sigel, Freeway & Memphis Bleek)
Young Black and Gifted
The Streets (ft. R-Kelly)
This Can’t Be Life (ft. Beanie Sigel)
Soon You’ll Understand
In My Lifetime (Big Jaz radio remix)

P.S. – This is a one track mp3 (the weay the DJ presented it to the masses)

DOWNLOAD

American Gangster: The Remixes

Kevin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:00:49 +0000

If The Black Album was the birth of the full album remix, than American Gangster was certainly the death of it. It’s not that there were so many bad remixes (though there were some), but that there were so many! HipHopDX actually had a contest for the best AG remix album (congrats to Remot). But, I can actually thank the American Gangster remixes for the successful start of this site. It was back then (starting in December 2007), that this site was slowly getting its start. We covered every single remix album that we could find… or I should say “I” as it was just me back then. Before the AG remixes we had maybe 100 people visit the site daily. Within a few months of posting AG remixes, we shot to around 3,000 daily. Now, we have close to 20,000 people visiting the site daily… but who’s counting. To this day, I still get people sending me their American Gangster remix albums… really!

Anyway, some of these remixes were so good that I put together two volumes of my favorite remixes. You can grab those after the cut, as well as go back in our archives and reminisce on some of the good and bad ones. If you have a fav or did one that we never posted, feel free to leave a link in the comments.

Best of, Volume 1

Intro
- From The Blueprint III: Holladay Gangster
- Produced by Rob Holladay
Pray
- From Beirut Gangster
- Produced by Beirut
American Dreamin’
- From American Beatmaker
- Produced by MIDIMarc
Hello Brooklyn 2.0
- From Brooklyn Soul
- Produced by Shuko & The Gunna
No Hook
- From American Clapster
- Produced by DJ SoulClap
Roc Boys (and the winner is…)
- From Canadian Gangster
- Produced by16 Bars
Sweet
- From American Samurai
- Produced by DJ Kay-Ris
I Know
- From Supierior Gangster
- Produced by KD-Supier
Party Life
- From American Angster
- Produced by Von Pea
Ignorant Shit
- From American Me
- Produced by Veterano
Say Hello
- From Gangstermen’s American Gangster Remixed
- Produced by Vertygo of The Gangstermen
Success
- From American Poison
- Produced by Poison Hertz
Fallin’
- From American Racketeer
- Produced by Beewirks
Blue Magic
- From Eye Am Gangster
- Produced by Eye Am Productions
American Gangster
- From Crooklyn Gangster
- Produced by Small Professor

Best of, Volume 2

Intro
- From The Requiem
- Produced by Reason
Pray
- From American Clapster
- Produced by DJ SoulClap
American Dreamin’
- From American Poison
- Produced by Poison Hertz
Hello Brooklyn 2.0
- From American Gangster Remixed
- Produced by DeeJay B
No Hook
- From American Beatmaker
- Produced by MIDIMarc
Roc Boys (and the winner is…)
- From American Gangster: No Fillers
- Produced by I.N.F.O. & NOVA
Sweet
- From American Bangers
- Produced by DJ Flav’Cut from Strike Team
I Know
- From The Blueprint III: Holladay Gangster
- Produced by Rob Holladay
Party Life
- From King E’s American Gangster
- Produced by King E
Ignorant Shit
- From Native American Gangster
- Produced by Chief Sneed
Say Hello
- From Gangster No. 1
- Produced by Sounds From The Compound
Success
- From The American Dream: No Gimmicks Just Raw
- Produced by Stevebelieve
Fallin’
- From Canadian Gangster: The Stevie Shorey Edition
- Produced by Stevie Shorey
Blue Magic
- From American Me
- Produced by Veterano
American Gangster
- From Real Live Gangster
- Produced by K-Def

VIEW MORE REMIXES IN OUR ARCHIVES

Jay-Z vs. Eminem vs. Royce Da 5’9″

Thomas — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:00:56 +0000

Our last Who Spit for Jay week.

“Eminem killed you on your own sh*t.” Nas spit that famous line on “Ether” as an answer record to Jay’s “Takeover.” So the question is did Eminem kill Jay on his on ish? Was Royce’s original verse better than Jay’s?

Ok…we decide today. From my understand “Renegade” was originally a track Em and Royce record under the name of Bad Meets Evil. No sure why Eminem kept the track and gave it to Jay. If I remember correctly around this time Em/D-12 and Royce were “beefin” so this may have contributed to Em giving the song to Jay.

This was originally an Em track and he owned it from day one. Royce wasn’t able to keep up with Em neither was Jay. Jay’ wasn’t “killed” on this song…his verse is super dope. Any other emcee he wins. On this track with Em…no so.

Em>Jay>Royce.

Who you got?

Eminem & Royce Da 5’9″: “Renegade (Original)” [download]
From the promo single “Renegade” (2001)

Jay-Z feat. Eminem_: “Renegade”
From the album: The Blueprint (2001)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Jay-Z: Real As It Gets… The Blueprint Remixes

J. Rizzle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:30:53 +0000

How are the follwers enjoying the “Eleven Days of Jay”? It’s bangin’ ain’t it, this sumthin’ that the hip-hop blogs and sites never seen… 11 days dedicated to one artist. Man don’t you like how the “Coach” aka Kevin Nottingham thinks? Well here’s a hot mixtape done by the homiez Urban Noize out of the M-I-A-YO (Miami, Fla). Hit it after the jump and enjoy!!!

01-Jay-Z-Interview On Real Time With Bill Maher (Intro) (Part 1)

02-Jay-Z-Ruler’s Back (Urban Noize Remix)

03-Jay-Z-Brooklyn Go Hard (featuring Santigold) (Prod. By Kanye West)

04-Jay-Z Feat. T.I., Lil Wayne, & Kanye West-Swagga Like Us (Prod. By Kanye West) (New T.I. Verse)

05-Jay-Z-Jockin’ Jay-Z (Prod. By Kanye West)

06-Jay-Z-D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (Urban Noize Remix)

07-Jay-Z Feat. Kevin Rudolf & Beanie Sigel-Ignorant Shit (Urban Noize Remix)

08-Jay-Z-No Hook (Urban Noize Remix)

09-Drake feat Jay-Z & Nas-Fear Success (Prod. By DJ Khalil)

10-Jay-Z Feat. Chris Martin-Song Cry (Urban Noize Remix)

11-Jay-Z Feat Kanye West & Adele-Never Chasing Pavements (Urban Noize Remix)

12-Jay-Z Feat. Fabolous-When The Money Goes (Prod. By Sami Wilf & Jermaine Dupri)

13-Jay-Z Feat. Pharrell-Allure (Urban Noize Remix)

14-Jay-Z Interview On Real Time With Bill Maher Part 2

15-Jay-Z-Show You How (Prod. By Just Blaze)

16-Rick Ross Feat. Jay-Z-Maybach Music (Prod. By J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)

17-Jay-Z Feat. Kid Cudi-Already Home (Prod. By Kanye West)

18-Jay-Z-History (Prod. By Kanye West)

19-Jay-Z-Talks About Timbaland Produced Songs Leaking From BP3

20-Jay-Z Feat. Mary J. Blige & Swizz Beatz-Your Welcome (Prod. By Swizz Beatz)

21-Jay-Z Feat. My Chemical Romance-December 4th’s Black Parade (Urban Noize Remix)

22-Jay-Z Feat. Timbaland-Ghetto Tech (Prod. By Timbaland)

DOWNLOAD

Jay-Z: American Gangster (The Lyrics)

Thomas — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:00:30 +0000

Jay finishes off his 10th album with this banger by Just Blaze. Verse two is where he shines. Jay has a knack for ending his albums with great songs: RD (“Regrets”), Vol. 1 (“You Must Love Me”), The Dynasty (“Where Have You Been”), The Black Album (“1st Song”).

Lyrics (OHHLA) and YouTube video after the cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cbI0afPMk8

“American Gangster” (Verse 2)

“If the sky should fall
And it all goes tomorrow, and they foreclose on the house and auction off all my cars
Don’t cry for me Argentina, I mobbed in the beamer
Took trips abroad, got mobbed in Sardina
In Ibiza I had pizza in the club
Ladies know I’m that guy, they wanna piece of my love
Now they wanna do the boy like Mike in his prime
Billie Jean, the goddamn boy ain’t mine
And the Roc break up had the people losing hope
Can’t lie, they had Muhammad Hovi on the ropes
Now I’m back in the go mode, back in the go-go
Throwing the diamond up, repping the logo
Rose gold rose flow, I’m okay though
What Don’t kill me makes stronger than before so
Here we go and I’m not domino
When it all falls down, I’m like Kanye’s jaw
I might break but I don’t fold, till I hold the sky in my hand
Yeah that’s my goal
And then I bid you Freddy Adu
Prodigal Child, y’all not ready for the fu-ture
Then I disappear in the Bermuda Triangle
My name will be viewed as such
Here’s to the man that refused to give up
I want the sky nigga, Chuuuuuuch”

DJ Mister Cee: The Best of Jay-Z Pt. 1 & 2

J. Rizzle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:30:21 +0000

Wassup people… for Throwback Thursday we gonna hit cha with a double dose of The Best of Jay-Z Pt. 1 & 2 by DJ Mister Cee. Thanks to the homies over on The Diggers Union for the hook up on these 2 classic mixtapes. Hit em both after the jump!!!

Jay-Z-Freestyle Live At Big Daddy Kane’s Album Release Party 1991
Big Jaz-Hawaiian Sophie feat. Jay-Z
Big Jaz-The Originators feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-Nigga What Nigga Who (Originator 99) feat. Big Jaz & Amil
Big Jaz-It’s That Simple feat. Jay-Z
Rude Boys-My Kinda Girl (Remix) feat. Jay-Z
Glenn Jones-Good Thang feat. Jay-Z
Hi 5 Ski-She’s Playing Hard To Get (Remix) feat. Jay-Z
Original Flavor-Can I Get Open feat. Jay-Z
Original Flavor-Many Styles feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-Freestyle Live At Big Daddy Kane’s Movie Release Party 1993
Big Daddy Kane-Show Prove feat. Big Scoob, Sauce Money, Jay-Z, Shyheim & Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Jay-Z-In My Life Time (Original)
Jay-Z-In My Lifetime (Remix)
Jay-Z-I Can’t Get Wid Dat feat. Big Jaz & Sauce Money
Jay-Z-Dead Presidents Parts 1 & 2
Jay-Z-Ain’t No Nigga feat. Foxy Brown
Jay-Z-Can’t Knock The Hustle (Original & Remix) feat. Mary J. Blige & Melisa Morgan
Lil’ Kim-Big Momma Thang feat. Jay-Z & Lil’ Cease
Foxy Brown-I’ll Be feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-Friend Or Foe ‘96
Jay-Z-Friend Or Foe ‘98
Jay-Z-Brooklyn’s Finest feat. Biggie Smalls
Jay-Z-Love Is Love (Unreleased)
SWV-You’re The One (Remix) feat. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Mr. Cheeks, Trigga The Gambler & Smoothe The Hustler
Shai-I Dont Wanna Be Alone (Remix) feat. Jay-Z
Horace Brown-Things We Do For Love (Remix) feat. Jay-Z
The Braxtons-So Many Ways (Remix) feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-Foundation feat. Big Jaz & Sauce Money (Original & Remix)
Shaquille O’Neal-No Love Lost feat. Lord Tariq & Jay-Z
The Ranjahz-Kill 2 Live feat. Jay-Z
Tone Hooker-Crew Love 97 feat. O.C & Jay-Z
Memphis Bleek & Beanie Sigel-Crew Love 98 feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-You’re Only A Customer
Jay-Z-Funkmaster Flex Freestyle
Biggie Smalls-I Love The Dough feat. Jay-Z & Angela Winbush

DOWNLOAD

Jay-Z-Hard Knock Life
Jay-Z-Can I Get A…
Jay-Z-Money Cash Hoes feat. DMX
Jay-Z-It’s Like That feat. Kid Capri
Jay-Z-Can I Live 99 feat. Memphis Bleek
Jay-Z-Paper Chase feat. Foxy Brown
Jay-Z-Peoples Court (Unreleased)
Jay-Z-Reservoir Dogs feat. The Lox Beanie Sigel & Sauce Money
Timbaland-Lobster & Scrimp feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-If I Should Die feat. The Ranjahz
Jay-Z-Ride Or Die
Jay-Z-Roc-A-Fella Shit feat. Team Roc (Unreleased)
Puff Daddy-Young Gs feat. Biggie Smalls & Jay-Z
Mase-Cheat On You feat. Lil’ Cease & Jay-Z
Jay-Z-Pre Game Skit feat. Sauce Money (Unreleased)
Christion-Bring Back Your Love (Remix) feat. Jay-Z
Rell-Love For Free feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-St. Ides Commercial
Memphis Bleek-It’s Alright feat. feat. Jay-Z
Jay-Z-Murdergram feat. Ja Rule & DMX
Jay-Z-Celebration feat. Team Roc
Jay-Z-What The Game Made Me feat. Memphis Bleek & Sauce Money
Jay-Z-Marcy To Hollywood feat. Memphis Bleek & Sauce Money
M.O.P.-4 Alarm Blaze feat. Jay-Z & Teflon
Jon B-Keep It Real feat. Coko & Jay-Z

DOWNLOAD

American Gangster: The Video’s

Thomas — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:00:59 +0000

The visual to Jay’s American Gangster. I thought all of these video’s were cool. A video for “Success” and/or “Party Life” would have been dope…but who am I?

Everything after the jump!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiuNd5SoU8E

“Blue Magic”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCDJ85DJJAs

“Roc Boys..And the Winner Is”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KhSjWZIhDQ

“I Know”

Jay-Z: American Gangster

Kevin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:00:33 +0000

American Gangster is the tenth studio album from Jay-Z, released November 6, 2007 on Roc-A-Fella Records. American Gangster is Jay-Z’s first concept album, which was inspired by the film of the same name. The album features production from Diddy & The Hitmen, Just Blaze, and The Neptunes, among others. Guest appearances include Beanie Sigel, Lil Wayne, Pharrell and Nas. Jay-Z also released an a cappella version of the album on the date of his 38th birthday, December 4, 2007, which lead to a mass amount of remix albums flooding the Internet.

Music critics praised American Gangster, and noted that Jay-Z was trying more “complex lyrics”. The album was released to moderate commercial success, despite being pulled from the iTunes Store, selling 425,861 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, tying Elvis Presley for the second most number one albums and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album received universal acclaim from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 82/100 from Metacritic. Rolling Stone magazine named American Gangster the third best album of 2007. The album has sold over 2 million copies as of 2009.

Jay-Z originally stated he recorded nine tracks for the album, but the final track listing accumulated fifteen overall cuts (two bonus tracks). He also stated that almost every song is based on a specific scene from the film. Def Jam executive Tracey Waples noted each track from the album will have its own “mini-film”. As for the direction of the album, Jay-Z used personal memories he hadn’t touched on in a while, specifically memories from his early life when he lived in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects.

On November 9, 2007, Jay-Z appeared on the Charlie Rose Show to discuss the album. When asked about how the film gave life to this album, he replied:

It’s a New York City tale, you know. So as soon as the movie came on, it was like familiar, things that my pop seen and my uncles seen and, you know, different things like that, things I’ve seen growing up. So they resonated with me in a way, the story, as well as, I mean, even though everything happens, you know, the way it turns out, you know, it’s one of those movies that where you champion the bad guy, because the bad guy, you know, he don’t seem like a bad guy, and the good guy — I mean the good guys are bad. You know, that complex — the complexity of human beings in this thing was amazing to me. I loved the complexity of the human beings.

Jay-Z would have the film—American Gangster—playing on the monitors above the recording booth to keep him inspired. In an interview with MTV producer LV from The Hitmen said:

Jay would have the beats…He’d do the record, and he’d send it back to us. We’d fill in the blanks as far as making them full records. From having live horns, live strings, live drummers. This percussion dude, he was coming in with bottles, banging on bottles, just sprinkles of shit. We went all out. We brought in musicians to bring it out. Jay probably just heard a sample and some drums. Once we got the vocals back, we brought in all the extra candy.

Beanie Sigel and Lil Wayne are two of the few featured guest spots on the album, in which Sigel appears on the new version of “Ignorant Shit”, and Lil Wayne joins Jay-Z on the Beastie Boys-sampling “Hello Brooklyn 2.0″. Jay returned the favor on “Mr. Carter” from Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III. Also, fellow New York City rapper and former rival Nas is featured on the No I.D.-produced track “Success”, while the Neo soul singer Bilal sings the hook on “Fallin’”, but is not officially credited.

Jay-Z pulled American Gangster from the popular iTunes Store. Jay-Z stated “as movies are not sold scene by scene, this collection will not be sold as individual singles.” However, the album is available for digital download, in its entirety, at Amazon.com and Rhapsody.com. Those who pre-ordered and paid for the entire album from iTunes were still able to download it.

Singles

“Blue Magic”
- Released: September 20, 2007
“Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)…”
- Released: October 10, 2007
“I Know”
- Released: November 4, 2007

U.S. Billboard Charts

#1 on Billboard 200
#1 on Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums

- The above information was taken from Wikipedia

Kingdom Come: Original Samples

Thomas — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:00:47 +0000

We didn’t complete this set, but assisted Alex (Goon) with this one in May 2008. I just wanted to link to the original post, but all of the links are dead. So I upped the set since I wasn’t able to get a hold of Alex (of course I sent an email at the last minute). I added an additional track for “Do You Wanna Ride” that wasn’t included in the OG set. Peep what Goon originally said about the album/set:

“I only started on this a few days ago but thanks to a major assist from Thomas, it’s finito. This is probably Jay’s worst recieved album even though, in my opinion, it’s faaaaaaar better than volume 2 and on par with volume 3 and Blueprint 2, but obviously below his best. Much of the album is played so only about half the tracks use samples, the obvious ones being the “Superfreak” sample on “Kingdom Come” and the “Shaft in Africa” sample on “Show Me…” So Between Kev, Ivan, and I, we’ve done sets for all of Jay’s albums (unless someone is REALLY dying to hear a sample set for “Street’s is Watching”). Hooray for us…or not.” [page]

Hit the cut for link and album information.

1. Keep The Faith” by Mel & Tim
From the album Mel & Tim (1973)
Sampled in “The Prelude”
Produced by B-Money

2. “Whipping Post” by Genya Ravan
From the album Goldie Zelkowitz (1974)
Sampled in “Oh My God”
Produced by Just Blaze

3. “Super Freak” by Rick James
From the album Street Songs (1981)
Sampled in “Kingdom Come”
Produced by Just Blaze

4. “100 Guns” by Boogie Down Productions
From the album Edutainment (1990)
Sampled in “Kingdom Come”
Produced by Just Blaze

5. “Ode to Billy Joe” by Lou Donaldson
From the album Mr. Shing a Ling (1968)
Sampled in “Kingdom Come”
Produced by Just Blaze

6. “Shaft In Africa” by Johnny Pate
From the Shaft In Africa soundtrack (1973)
Sampled in “Show Me What You Got”
Produced by Just Blaze

7. “Show Me What You Got” by Public Enemy
From the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
Sampled in “Show Me What You Got”
Produced by Just Blaze

8. “Darkest Light” by Lafayette Afro Rock Band
From the album Malik (1976)
Sampled in “Show Me What You Got”
Produced by Just Blaze

9. “Overcome” by Tricky
From the album Maxinquaye (1995)
Sampled in “Do You Wanna Ride”
Produced by Kanye West

10. “Take me To The Mardi Gras” by Bob James
From the album Two (1975)
Sampled in “Dig A Hole”
Produced by Swizz Beatz

11. “Non Ti Scordar Di Me” by Luciano Pavarotti
From the album The 3 Tenors In Concert (1994)
Sampled in “Minority Report”
Produced by Dr. Dre & Nao Sahir Kabani

12. “22 Two’s” by Jay-Z
From the album Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Sampled in “44 Four’s”
Produced by Ski

DOWNLOAD

Jay-Z: Beach Chair (The Lyrics)

Thomas — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:00:55 +0000

Kingdom Come is at the bottom of my Jay-Z discography list, but “Beach Chair” has Jay in his introspective/self-reflective mold.

The gem can be found in verse one: “I got demons in my past/ So i got daughters on the way/ If the prophecy’s correct/ Then the child should have to pay/ For the sins of a father/ So I barter my tomorrows/Against my yesterdays/ In hopes that she’ll be OK“

Dope.

Lyrics (OHHLA) and Youtube after the cut.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0DDCZJP_Oo

“Beach Chair” (Verse 1)

“Life is but a dream to me
I don’t wanna wake up
Thirty odd years without having my cake up
So I’m about my paper
24/7, 365,366 in a leap year
I don’t know why we here
Since we gotta be here
Life is but a beach chair
Went from having shabby clothes
Crossing over Abbey Road
Hear my angels singing to me
Are you happy HOV?
I just hope I’m hearing right
Karma’s got me fearing life
Colleek are you praying for me
I got demons in my past
So i got daughters on the way
If the prophecy’s correct
Then the child should have to pay
For the sins of a father
So I barter my tomorrows
Against my yesterdays
In hopes that she’ll be OK
And when I’m no longer here
The shade of face from the glare
I’ll give her my share of Carol’s Daughter
and a shiny new beach chair”

Top 10 Worst Jay-Z Songs

Kevin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:00:27 +0000

For the past 10 days, we have been celebrating Jay-Z‘s discography and the release of his latest effort, Blueprint 3. We have concentrated heavily on his best work; however, as a Jay stan I realize that Hov is not perfect. He definitely has had his share of WTF moments. So with that said, let’s countdown his Top 10 worst songs…

10. Guilty Until Proven Innocent (feat R. Kelly)
From: The Dynasty – Roc La Familia

This was the beginning of Jay & Kell’s Best of Both Worlds collaboration. Thankfully the music got better, cuz Jay was definitely guilty of this song.

09. I Did It My Way
From: The Blueprint 2 – The Gift & The Curse

A lot of people dislike Blueprint 2. I actually like most of the tracks for one reason or another. I could not find any reason to like this track. Jay, Frank Sinatra you are not!

08. Anything
From: Vol 3… Life & Times of S. Carter

A really, really bad attempt to redo “Hard Knock Life.” I may be one of the few that doesn’t even like “Hard Knock Life,” though I’ve grown an appreciation for it. “Anything” was a straight rip and Annie should NEVER be sampled again!

07. Anything (feat Usher & Pharrell)
From: Kingdom Come

A second track named “Anything.” You see a pattern here? Jay likes his bounce, I can dig that, but this should have just bounced onto the cutting room floor.

06. City Is Mine (feat Blackstreet)
From: In My Lifetime… Vol 1

Volume 1 suffered heavily because of joints like this. This was a bad attempt to go mainstream.

05. Things That U Do (feat Mariah Carey)
From: Vol 3… Life & Times of S. Carter

I actually have nothing to say about this song. It just sucks.

04. Hollywood (feat Beyonce)
From: Kingdom Come

I understand you sometimes have to do things for your girl that you don’t want to do; this should not have been one of them. This was quite possibly a leftover from B’s album.

03. Dig A Hole
From: Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come is still my least favorite Jay-Z album. Just about every song after “Lost One” could have made this list, but what fun would that be?

02. I Know What Girls Like (feat Puff Daddy & Lil Kim)
From: In My Lifetime… Vol 1

Do you know what your fans like? Puffy killed Volume 1 (which was actually not that bad of an album). Take off the Puffy tracks and add a few from Streets Is Watching and Volume 1 could have been in my Top 5 Jay-Z album. This track was just horrendous and was my number one worst Jay-Z song until…

01. Ghetto Techno
Unreleased Blueprint 3 Sessions

Jay gains points for not putting this on Blueprint 3…. however, he lost major points for recording it in the first place. A huge WTF moment for both Jay and Timbaland.

Jay-Z vs. The Notorious B.I.G.

Thomas — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:00:06 +0000

Jay and B.I.G. recorded three songs together (Biggie Duets and “A Dream” don’t count). On “Brooklyn’s Finest” B.I.G. shined bright. On “I Love the Dough” B.I.G. was masterful again with Jay keeping pace. On “Young G’s,” Jay’s verse that included lines such as: “Some say I been here before because of the way I zone/Some said, Jigga zone is like the fallin of Rome/Reoccuring, that he thinks like that cause he’s observing/Won’t be known until I’m gone and niggaz study my bones” was a notch above B.I.G.’s drugs and guns verse.

B.I.G. still leads 2 to 1 tho… Who you got?

Hit the cut for the stream/download and poll.

Oliver Sain: “Over the Hill” [download]
From the album: The Main Man (?)

Puff Daddy feat. Jay-Z & Notorious B.I.G.: “Young G’s”
From the album: Puff Daddy and the Family: No Way Out (1997)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

DJ Premier + Jay-Z Collaborations: Ranked!

Sean Deez — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:00:44 +0000

One of the most beautiful blends in 95-96 was created in the world famous D&D studios. Now known as HeadQCourterz, where the infamous DJ Premier creates his Works of (M)art, the studio in New York once held sessions between a young emcee, Sean Carter, and the aforementioned producer, while both were in their prime. The combination was scary. We saw marvelous joints on Reasonable Doubt turn into undoubted hip hop classics, but we also saw a few tracks throughout Jay-z’s discography get blessed with a Chris Martin beat. Here we are, on 11 Days of Jay and on DJ Premier Wednesdays breaking down and ranking every DJ Premier and Jay-z collaboration.

8. “Intro: Hand It Down”
From: Vol 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)

Would’ve been really, really great to hear Jay-z rap over this. Instead, he gave this chance to Memphis Bleek (while he was still hungry and capable of dropping some hot rhymes). Needless to say, it’s a dope intro, and could’ve been a marvelous album cut if Hov had stepped in and even dropped a quick 16.

7. “Friend or Foe”
From: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Once those horns kick in, you know Mr. Carter ain’t up to no good. He’s looking for blood, ain’t he? Premier sets the perfect backdrop for Jay to address his suspect and interrogate, front-to-back, and go through his train of thought. Slightly comical, slightly suspenseful, 100% dope. Still, the song is just a little too short and doesn’t hit that next level. Of course, its predecessor does in ’98.

6. “So Ghetto” by Jay-z
From: Vol 3… Life & Times of S. Carter (1999)

Sure, I may get flack for this, but this beat doesn’t resonate up there with the more impressive Jay/Preem collabs. It stands out on Volume 3 as one of the best tracks on the album, and it’s by no means a “weak track,” but I can’t help but feel that with a song of this potential and this monumental set up, it falls short.

5. “Show and Prove”
From: Daddy’s Home (1994)

If we are to simply analyze Jay-z on “Show and Prove,” we can obviously acknowledge his quick, rapid-fire flow. Hov seldom raps like this, but it’s always refreshing going back and listening to him over a simple, yet totally posse-cut-appropriate Premier beat. Even more impressive was how Jay went toe-to-toe with the likes of ODB and Big Daddy Kane. He jumps on the joint, and frankly, steals the show.

4. “Bring It On”
From: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Every emcee delivers a top notch performance over this Premier melody. The strings are fantastic, and the Fat Joe lyric proves to be right at home on the chorus. The song carries a certain avant-garde atmosphere while being quite retro, a very “black and white” effect if you will. Like walking into a pool hall, lights dim, smoke in the air, cigar ash all around. Yeah, this track gives you that “new” throwback feeling doesn’t it?

3. “Friend or Foe 98″
From: In My Lifetime, Vol 1 (1997)

Just when you thought the beat couldn’t get harder than the horns, Premier drops this gem. The beat is, as Jay states at the beginning, “motion picture shit.” To add to the cinematic experience, Jay-z recaps the original briefly, then jumps into this present story and hits a climax 20 seconds into the joint. The lyrical wordsmith proved to be able to paint a picture so vividly, so clearly, and so precisely that no questions were left unanswered and no doubts were left unaddressed. Coming in at 2 minutes and 10 second, “Friend of Foe 98” should hit any listener like a ton of bricks. It’s nearly flawless.

2. “D’evils”
From: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

While I do feel like “D’evils” is arguably Jay’s finest moment, I don’t necessarily think that it is the best Premier and Jay collaboration. It does just about everything right. The scratch-chorus is remarkably fitting, the atmosphere is set, and the tone of the song changes thoroughly, even though everything remains untouched. It contains some of Hov’s best verses and most memorable lines: “I never prayed to God, I prayed to Gotti,” or “Was thought to be a pleasant guy all my fuc*ing life/ so now I’m down for whatever, ain’t nothin’ nice.” Jay is invincible on “D’evils” alongside Premier. Funny though isn’t it? This is certainly a match made in Heaven.

1. “A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More”
From: In My Lifetime, Vol 1 (1997)

This piano loop is something out of this world. Throw on the Aaliyah voice snippet alongside some of Premier’s snares, the track’s production is unquestionably a feat in itself. Jay skates on this production, effortlessly. It could quite possibly be one of the best introduction tracks in hip hop. Add on to the fact that Jay is addressing a million and one questions about his life and career, well, that’s just the icing on the cake. And I haven’t even gotten to “Rhyme no More,” another two minutes of goodness. Jay continues to glide on the track, he doesn’t stop and Premier simply keeps feeding him hot beats to rap on. The transition is seamless and the outcome is perfection.

DJ Premier & Jay-Z Collabo EP

J. Rizzle — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:30:45 +0000

Keepin’ with the our Eleven Days of Jay theme and given that it’s Premier Wednesday, we bring you this gem right here that was released on vinyl… so u know what to do, hit it after the jump… enjoy!!!

P.S.-Thanx to HAASISHMUHZAK for the hookup on this gem

So Ghetto
Friend or Foe
Bring It On
Show and Prove (with Big Daddy Kane)
D’evils