Hello, everybody! My name is Mr. Diamond of the 6-10 website and welcome to another edition of “Diamond’s Discog Review.” After talking about Kanye West’s discography and ranking it, I feel it’s only fair to rank his on-and-off big brother.

It’s honestly fascinating talking about Jay-Z musically, especially in the current stan-style music climate. I know people who hate his songs, his albums, his looks and, probably most of all, that he’s with Beyoncé. On the other hand, I know people who’d consider him the greatest rapper of all time. Like, for example, this is my mother’s favorite rapper. But, with a solid and stacked discography like HOV’s, we are here to find the worst, and we’re here to find a first.

Note: Before we start, I would just like to say that like with the Kanye ranking, we’re only ranking the mainline studio albums. So no collab albums are allowed (again, apologies to Watch the Throne). With that being said, let’s begin.

#13: The Blueprint²: The Gift and the Curse (2002)

I have a problem with double albums.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Double albums can be good, when done well. 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me is one of the most acclaimed albums of the 1990s. But there was a certain time in the late 90s to the early 2000s that seemed like every rapper had to have a double album. The problem is that more likely than not, there is going to be an abundance of filler on the project. So for every Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, we get a Street’s Disciple. For every Life After Death, there’s an MP da Last Don. And for every Wu-Tang Forever, we get a Blueprint².

After making the claim for the hip-hop throne in 2001, this was a mostly disappointing follow-up with a bloated track list. There are some gems in the track list, like the first of many songs with Beyoncé in ’03 Bonnie and Clyde and the Neptunes-produced Excuse Me Miss. We also hear Kanye for the first time on a HOV album with The Bounce, and you can tell that it is very early Kanye. If you want to check out this album, I recommend that you try the streamlined version, The Blueprint 2.1, so you get less bloat and can still fish out the best tracks.

#12: Kingdom Come (2006)

As a wrestling fan, allow me to make this comparison. Jay-Z is like Shawn Michaels. People love him, people hate him, but you can’t deny the quality of their work in their professions. Also, they broke perfect retirements for less than stellar results.

Of course, HOV didn’t come out of retirement for a Saudi Arabia show, but after the swan-song known as The Black Album, there was only one word to describe this album: disappointing. The main single, Show Me What You Got, has an excellent beat by Just Blaze, but the bars are mostly just OK. The production overall is a highlight, because Jay has one of the best ear for beats in rap. The problem is the lackluster bars in the songs. Songs like Lost One have pretty iffy bars when everything else works well. Maybe it’s ring rust, but I’m glad he got back in his groove for the rest of his albums. Well, most of them.

#11: Magna Carta… Holy Grail (2013)

I feel like nobody really talks about this album in Jay’s catalog.

We all know about the high highs of a Blueprint or a Reasonable Doubt, but I think this might be the most overlooked Jay-Z album. Maybe it’s because there isn’t something here that makes it stick out like an American Gangster or a Vol. 2. Remember it was in that Grammy line-up? Yeah, the Macklemore one. I feel like Born Sinner from Roc Nation labelmate J. Cole would’ve made more sense, since that album was more notable and gets talked about more than this one. That’s no disrespect to this album, by the way. This album isn’t bad, it’s just… whatever.

There are some highlights, though. Oceans with Frank Ocean (fitting) is a nice addition to the “Jay-Z and Frank Ocean make good songs together” pile, F-ckwithmeyouknowigotit and Tom Ford are both good too. But songs like the half-title track Holy Grail aren’t going to be in any Jay-Z highlight package, and Beach is Better is too short for its own good. Again, the album isn’t bad. It’s just I would recommend this being one of the last ones you listen to.

#10: The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)

After the critically and commercially successful In My Lifetime trilogy (sure, let’s call it that), it was time for HOV to go into the 21st century. And with albums like The Marshall Mathers LP, Stankonia and Supreme Clientele releasing in the same year, does Jay-Z’s efforts compare? Short answer: Nah, not really.

I cannot deny the importance of this album, though. This is the first album where Jay works with some of his best producers: Just Blaze, Kanye West and the Neptunes. It’s the first album appearance of labelmate Freeway on 1-900-Hustler. It also has the worst aging track of his discography, Guilty Until Proven Innocent with of all people… R. Kelly. It was still commercially positive, though, with I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mainly, this album’s crime is being one of the weaker albums in a stacked discography like HOV’s.

It’s other crime was that R. Kelly song. Like, Jesus Christ.

#9: Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life (1998)

Fun fact: This is Jay-Z’s highest selling album of all time. Yes, even more than the Blueprint. It’s the one that broke him into the mainstream. It’s the one that got him his Grammy for Rap Album of the Year. Is it a good record? Yes, it is. Is it that good? Well…

Let’s start with the positives. Money, Cash, H—s is one of HOV’s best songs. If there’s anyone who knows how to carry a Swizz Beatz beat, it’s DMX. N-gga What, N-gga Who with mentor The Jaz is a nice track, and Reservoir Dogs with The LOX and Beanie Sigel has great rapping from great rappers. Now… on to the cons.

I am in the opinion that most of Ja Rule’s screaming raps do not age well in the modern day, but even a fan can probably admit Can I Get A… isn’t anywhere close to being in the “best Jay-Z song list” The Memphis Bleek songs aren’t anything notable because, well, Memphis Bleek isn’t a notable rapper. And I’m sorry, but the mostly simple flow of the title track Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) with the children’s hook doesn’t age the best. Overall, Vol. 2 is still good, but it is a product of its time, like a good percentage of the albums made in the late 90s.

#8: In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997)

One of my least favorite eras in rap is the shiny suit era. Y’know, the era of extravagant music videos, shiny suits, lazily used samples. The era of Diddy, Ma$e and especially Will Smith. Hearing this album, you can definitely hear the shiny suit era influence. But unlike Big Willie Style or Harlem World, this one is… actually good.

This was also around the time when HOV’s friend The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in California, and you can hear his influence here too. The most famous track here is Imaginary Players, which honestly sounds like a song scrapped from Reasonable Doubt. It was probably scrapped for a reason because it’s kind of a boring song and a boring use of the sample. The City is Mine featuring R&B group Blackstreet (for the younger readers, the No Diggity guys) is a definite highlight of the track list with a more fun track and good singing from the R&B group. Surprisingly, this is an early Jay-Z album, this has no Memphis Bleek. Thankfully, the “mediocre rapper on an early Jay-Z album” hole is filled by Oakland’s Too $hort. The Jaz brings the 2nd Nas-sampled Jay track with Rap Game/Crack Game, which gave me a DJ Premier feel in production. It’s ok, though, because the actual Preemo is here on Friend or Foe ‘98. This is in no way a bad album, but it has to be kept in mind that this a product of its shiny-suited time.

#7: Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)

Ok, time to get this out the way. Big Pimpin’ is a fantastic song. Stellar verses from everyone involved. Great work from HOV and both members of UGK. Now… how many songs besides Big Pimpin’ do you come back to on this album?

Again, this album isn’t bad. Like the previous volume, it’s a product of its time. Even Nas, my favorite rapper, wasn’t safe from an album aging badly from this period. We only get 1 Memphis Bleek feature on here, but as a consequence of the monkey’s paw, we get 3 Amil tracks. Basically, that’s more Amil than anyone needs to consume in 2023. Noted Nas diss Is That Your B-tch is a highlight of the track list, as is It’s Hot (Some Like it Hot). There are probably other tracks in here that you may like here. I would recommend checking it out before the rest of the Trilogy.

#6: The Blueprint 3 (2009)

This is Jay-Z’s most pop-sounding album. Even the poppy, shiny suit era sound of In My Lifetime doesn’t compare to how much this sounds more like a pop-rap album. But remember, it’s still Jay-Z. He’s able to make this concept work really well and make great music.

The biggest song on this album is Empire State of Mind. If you are a New Yorker, you probably hate this song. But the commercial success can not be denied as this is a diamond song while also being HOV’s first #1 hit. There is also some quality rapping from him in songs like Run This Town, Death of Autotune and A Star is Born. HOV also put some up-and-comers on this album as well, like Drake, Kid Cudi and recent Roc Nation signee J. Cole, all getting a big opportunity to be on one of the biggest rapper’s albums. Cole especially raps like he has something to prove on A Star is Born.

Overall, the project is strong and a good way to cap the trilogy after the lackluster 2nd part.

#5: American Gangster

After the disappointment that was Kingdom Come, Jay had to come with something big to prove that he is not washed. Did he succeed? Well, you see the distance between the two albums?

We get one of HOV’s best celebratory tracks in Roc Boys (And the Winner Is…), an important cultural moment with the Wayne-featured Hello Brooklyn 2.0, the first Nas collab on a Jay album with Success, and some great production from Just Blaze, the Neptunes and surprisingly, Diddy. It took 4 years to get that HOV-like feeling, and while it isn’t to the level of his retirement album, it is a quality record.

#4: Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Fun fact: this is my mom’s favorite HOV album. I’d like to apologize in advance, mom.

If I ever do album lists about certain years, expect this one to be in the 1996 variant, because this is one of those special debut records. During the era of gangster and mafioso rap, Jay fit in like a glove on Reasonable Doubt. Friendly rival The Notorious B.I.G. trades verses back and forth with HOV masterfully on Brooklyn’s Finest. The Nas sample in Dead Presidents II is woven perfectly. Ain’t No N-gga with Foxy Brown is a fun track to go back to. D’evils has great production by DJ Premier. Jay fires from all cylinders on this record. The weaker Memphis Bleek tracks don’t even bring down the album’s quality. For many rappers, this would be their best album. For Jay-Z, it’s only number 4.

#3: 4:44 (2017)

Jay-Z was a marked man in 2016-2017.

After being exposed for cheating on wife Beyoncé in the critically acclaimed Lemonade, Jay responded in the only way he knew how: going into the booth and spitting one of the best tracks of his whole career, the title track 4:44. Rarely will you see such emotion and honesty being put on a Jay-Z track. But, this isn’t an album all about his marital struggles. There’s a reason this album is revered while a Paula by Robin Thicke is reviled.

He’s also more socially conscious than on most of his previous records. He talks about the racial issues and investing your money instead of throwing it away at the club in the most famous song on the record, The Story of O.J. He discusses his mother coming out as homosexual in Smile. He talks about the hip-hop community coming together on Family Feud. He talks about and puts an end to the ego he built on the opener Kill Jay-Z. And all of it is added to by the perfect production by No I.D. Unfortunately, this is the last solo Jay-Z project he’s released. He did an album with Beyoncé the year after called Everything is Love, but that doesn’t count for the ranking.

This is my personal favorite Jay album, but even I can admit that these next 2 are the peaks in his discography.

#2: The Black Album (2003)

Here we are, Jay-Z’s… ahem… “Retirement album,” The Black Album. Honestly, if he did actually retire in 2003 with this album, this would be a great way to bow out from rapping.

Of course, the most famous song here is; 99 Problems, which is such a great track produced by Rick Rubin. The production here is such a highlight, due to its stacked nature. Kanye West, Just Blaze, Eminem, 9th Wonder, the Neptunes, Timbaland, just wow. Everyone (besides DJ Quik on Justify my Thug) blends with HOV really well. In my opinion, the production high is in songs like Lucifer (Kanye) and Dirt off Your Shoulder (Timbaland), which Jay floats over. December 4Th tells a great story about Jay’s childhood with assistance from his mother. What More Can I Say has such a triumphant feel with the beat by the Buchanans (this was their first credit; they would later have production credits for people like Lupe Fiasco and Amerie). Moment of Clarity has one of the better 2000s Eminem tracks that age well. Finally, the track My First Song, which would be a perfect send-off to his career. Of course, the retirement wasn’t permanent (he dropped a collab album with notable stand-up guy R. Kelly), but that doesn’t decrease the quality of the record.

#1: The Blueprint (2001)

As Jay-Z said on The Bounce, “Rumor has it The Blueprint classic/Couldn’t even be stopped by Bin Laden/So September 11th marks the era forever.” When not even the most devastating terrorist act in US history can stop you from being as successful as it is, you know you dropped a classic.

After rising to mainstream status in the late 90s with his first trilogy, Jay-Z was on fire. He was so big that he even had the ire of rappers like Jadakiss and Fat Joe. But nobody can deny how The Blueprint became one of, if not the biggest rap albums of 2001. Takeover is one of the best diss tracks of the 2000s, where he takes shots at both Prodigy and Nas. Izzo (H.O.V.A.) is a fun, poppy sounding rap track that samples the classic Jackson 5 song, I Want You Back. Renegade has a great back-and-forth between HOV and Eminem (the only feature on the album.) Heart of the City and Never Change are great highlights of old Kanye’s production, while Song Cry and Girls, Girls, Girls are great highlights of Just Blaze’s. This also has a great Timbaland beat with Hola Hovito. When it comes to the lyrics, Jay is at his peak with clever lines and wordplay. There are so many classic lines on the track list, so many quotable lines from the songs on this album. Everything just comes together perfectly.

This is a lyrical masterpiece, a gem when it comes to production, and one of the most classic albums of the 2000s, and this is why I consider this the best Jay-Z album of all time.

And there we go, that was every Jay-Z album ranked from worst to first. Do you disagree? Let me know your rankings on Twitter. Of course, there are no wrong answers. I’ve been Mr. Diamond… and I will see you next time.