T.he I.nformant
1st Ballot HOF Teller
Ain't a label/crew that can match the greatest hits by Roc-A-Fella. Not Death Row*. Not Bad Boy*. Not Wu-Tang*. Not Rawkus. Not No Limit. Not Ruff Ryders. Not Slip-N-Slide. Not YMCB. Not G-Unit. Not MMG. NOBODY. The Roc is unfukkwitable if you just looking at a compilation of their greatest hits.
This shyt is an appreciation thread. So, just dap the OP; throw on some Jay, Beans, Bleek, Ye, Cam, etc; and lettuce discuss how GOAT Roc-A-Fella was.
Only controversy should be brehs disputing a selection or two I've made for the Roc's "greatest hits."
Ain't one of you muthafukkas gon have the audacity to suggest that there was or is another label or crew that can put together a "greatest hits" that compares or surpasses Roc-A-Fella's.
But just in case one of you brehs is feeling brave, here's some rules to guide you in coming up with your own list (this is what I used):
Simple and easy. Scary thing is I could do a double-disc for Roc-A-Fella and there wouldn't be any fukking drop off.
Now, we all know Roc-A-Fella ended on December 18, 2001 even though its formal death was a bit of a slow burn with the corpse arriving around 2004/2005. So, we're just gonna focus on that first 10 years or so: the formation of the Roc phase...Cheesesteak phase...And hostile takeover phase. The rebirth of the Roc with the reign of Kanye would be the subject of another thread.
Without further ado, I present to you what I think are the 25 greatest hits from Roc-A-Fella, in chronological order...
1. "In My Lifetime Remix," (1994) Jay-Z: Yes, "that skinny nikka on the boat" who would go on to tell all these rappin nikkas that they can't get no mo rap money. It was all on display from the beginning: the flow, the charisma, the arrogance.
2. "Dead Presidents II," (1996) Jay-Z: Quite simply, he made it a hot song.
3. "D'Evils," (1996) Jay-Z: Track dedicated to life's ills: "We used to fight for building blocks/Now we fight for blocks with buildings that make a killing/The closest of friends when we first started/But grew apart as the money grew, and soon grew black-hearted...Come test me, I never cower/For the love of money, son, I'm giving lead showers/Stop screaming, you know the demon said it's best to die/And even if Jehovah witness, bet he'll never testify, D'Evils." Btw, DJ Premier on the track. 
4. "Where I'm From," (1997) Jay-Z: Marcy...all of Brooklyn should be damn proud of one of its brightest sons.
5. "Imaginary Player," (1997) Jay-Z: Jay at his most braggadocious. "You beer money, I'm all year money/I'm popping, you ain't got to count it, it's all there money...You got show dough, little to no dough/Sell a bunch of records and you still owe dough /I got 900 and 96 plus 4 more dough...Your single was 99 cents, mines was 4 bucks...It's funny how one verse can fukk up the game/You bought a 4.0 you better get your change."
6. "Hand it Down," (1998) Bleek: Memph never fulfilled the promise to become "the new and improved Jay-Z" but he gave the Big Homie a mean lead off on what would be Jay-Z's highest selling album with Volume II. "Screw Gooden/ I pitch in the PJ’s.”
7. "Hard Knock Life," (1998) Jay-Z: Little Annie-sampled track that took Jay from lukewarm to hot--elevated him from Sean Carter to Hova status.
8. "The Truth," (2000) Beanie: Track that announced Beanie Sigel's arrival. And Kanye's too. That fukking organ loop.
9. "What Ya Life Like," (2000) Beanie: Wouldn't be mad at all if someone went with "Ride 4 My nikkas" or "Die." Even though I don't know what most of the shyt Sieg's talking about is like I just close my eyes and I can't tell the nikka I don't feel him.
10. "My Mind Right," (2000) Bleek: Little did Bleek know that he would spark one of the greatest rap battles ever and it was all from some shyt his mans told him that ended up not being true.
What a mistake. 
Dope track nonetheless.
11. "4 Da Fam," Bleek, Beanie, Amil, & Jay: They just floated on this muthafukka. The unity was at its apex. shyt felt like a family. shyt looked like a dynasty.
12. "You, Me, Him, & Her," (2000) Bleek, Beanie, Amil, & Jay: They rushed this frantic Bink-produced track. Messed up how they be doing Amil on the live performance. Get to her part and just yell, "Gone!"
13. "Nothing Like It," (2001) Beanie: Beans was ten steps ahead of nikkas. shyt was frightening.
"Can't explain it when I pick up my son & look at my face/I'm like a black rose growin' in the concrete crack in the pavement/There that voice go again 'Mac practice for greatness, get paid for them immaculate statements'/Keep thinkin of them hotlines, like a physic, I can't explain it/There's no pen when I write it, there's nothing like it...I'm like the Sun shining at night/Imagine it dog, I know you wanna see me gradually fall/But I'm walkin on air, braking every gravity law." Beans gritty street musings over that soul--there's nothing like it. 
14. "Get Down," (2001) Beanie: Just more of that grit and grime from Siegel.
15. "Takeover," (2001) Jay-Z: This was the figure four leg lock. I don't know anyone could come back from this. (But somehow, someway son did.
)
16. "Roc The Mic," (2001) Beanie & Freeway: One of the best State Property singles.
17. "What We Do," (2002) Freeway, Beanie, Jay-Z: This one's undeniable. Everyone came off. The definitive Roc-A-Fella crew anthem. Arguably the greatest posse track ever. Gatmuthafukkindamn! So damn legendary.
18. "Oh Boy," (2002) Cam & Juelz: Lawd, thank you for not giving this track to Bleek.
19. "Through the Wire," (2003) Kanye: This is the song that made me a Ye fan and is also one of the songs that introduced that signature sped-up soul sound that would dominate rap and define the era. My nikka was rapping through a wired jaw, too!
20. "Jesus Walks," (2004) Kanye: "So here go my single, dog, radio needs this/They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus/That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes/But if I talk about God my record won't get played, huh." Miss this Kanye.
21. "I Really Mean It" (2003) Cam & Jimmy: This is what victory sounds like. You have to include this. I know Dipset had its own movement but you can't pretend they weren't rocking with the Roc during this time. Even though it was a short-lived affiliation, this song was a fukkin monster that absolutely must be on this list.
22. "Dipset Anthem," (2003) Cam & Juelz: "Now I see death around the corner, gotta stay high/Will I survive in the city where the skinny nikkas die?/Nope, it's the city where the skinny nikkas ride, yeah/Four five semi on the side, yeah, twisting when they drive, yeah/Lick a shot for Big Pop and 'Pac, yeah/One more for Shyne locked inside, yeah/Two more for Cam for taking over the Roc." Last bar was so damn disrespectful to Jay, it's no wonder...
23. "Down & Out," (2004) Cam: My favorite solo song from Cam's time on the Roc and one of Kanye's best beats during the era.
24. "Feel It In The Air," (2005) Beanie: My nikka's spider senses tingled all over the track.
25. "Look at Me Now," (2005) Beanie: The rawness and realness of Beanie when he first came out lasted long enough for my nikka to reflect how far he came.
* Maybe Death Row, Bad Boy, & Wu-Tang can compare
This shyt is an appreciation thread. So, just dap the OP; throw on some Jay, Beans, Bleek, Ye, Cam, etc; and lettuce discuss how GOAT Roc-A-Fella was.
Only controversy should be brehs disputing a selection or two I've made for the Roc's "greatest hits."
Ain't one of you muthafukkas gon have the audacity to suggest that there was or is another label or crew that can put together a "greatest hits" that compares or surpasses Roc-A-Fella's.
But just in case one of you brehs is feeling brave, here's some rules to guide you in coming up with your own list (this is what I used):
- 25 songs--no more, no less
- The Superstar Rule: no more than 7 solo songs from any artist because this ain't about one artist
- The Classic Album Rule: No more than 2 songs from any one album because this ain't about one or two albums
- No collaborations outside the camp
Simple and easy. Scary thing is I could do a double-disc for Roc-A-Fella and there wouldn't be any fukking drop off.
Now, we all know Roc-A-Fella ended on December 18, 2001 even though its formal death was a bit of a slow burn with the corpse arriving around 2004/2005. So, we're just gonna focus on that first 10 years or so: the formation of the Roc phase...Cheesesteak phase...And hostile takeover phase. The rebirth of the Roc with the reign of Kanye would be the subject of another thread.Without further ado, I present to you what I think are the 25 greatest hits from Roc-A-Fella, in chronological order...
1. "In My Lifetime Remix," (1994) Jay-Z: Yes, "that skinny nikka on the boat" who would go on to tell all these rappin nikkas that they can't get no mo rap money. It was all on display from the beginning: the flow, the charisma, the arrogance.
2. "Dead Presidents II," (1996) Jay-Z: Quite simply, he made it a hot song.
3. "D'Evils," (1996) Jay-Z: Track dedicated to life's ills: "We used to fight for building blocks/Now we fight for blocks with buildings that make a killing/The closest of friends when we first started/But grew apart as the money grew, and soon grew black-hearted...Come test me, I never cower/For the love of money, son, I'm giving lead showers/Stop screaming, you know the demon said it's best to die/And even if Jehovah witness, bet he'll never testify, D'Evils."
Btw, DJ Premier on the track. 4. "Where I'm From," (1997) Jay-Z: Marcy...all of Brooklyn should be damn proud of one of its brightest sons.
5. "Imaginary Player," (1997) Jay-Z: Jay at his most braggadocious. "You beer money, I'm all year money/I'm popping, you ain't got to count it, it's all there money...You got show dough, little to no dough/Sell a bunch of records and you still owe dough /I got 900 and 96 plus 4 more dough...Your single was 99 cents, mines was 4 bucks...It's funny how one verse can fukk up the game/You bought a 4.0 you better get your change."
6. "Hand it Down," (1998) Bleek: Memph never fulfilled the promise to become "the new and improved Jay-Z" but he gave the Big Homie a mean lead off on what would be Jay-Z's highest selling album with Volume II. "Screw Gooden/ I pitch in the PJ’s.”
7. "Hard Knock Life," (1998) Jay-Z: Little Annie-sampled track that took Jay from lukewarm to hot--elevated him from Sean Carter to Hova status.
8. "The Truth," (2000) Beanie: Track that announced Beanie Sigel's arrival. And Kanye's too. That fukking organ loop.
9. "What Ya Life Like," (2000) Beanie: Wouldn't be mad at all if someone went with "Ride 4 My nikkas" or "Die." Even though I don't know what most of the shyt Sieg's talking about is like I just close my eyes and I can't tell the nikka I don't feel him.
10. "My Mind Right," (2000) Bleek: Little did Bleek know that he would spark one of the greatest rap battles ever and it was all from some shyt his mans told him that ended up not being true.
What a mistake. Dope track nonetheless.11. "4 Da Fam," Bleek, Beanie, Amil, & Jay: They just floated on this muthafukka. The unity was at its apex. shyt felt like a family. shyt looked like a dynasty.
12. "You, Me, Him, & Her," (2000) Bleek, Beanie, Amil, & Jay: They rushed this frantic Bink-produced track. Messed up how they be doing Amil on the live performance. Get to her part and just yell, "Gone!"
13. "Nothing Like It," (2001) Beanie: Beans was ten steps ahead of nikkas. shyt was frightening.
"Can't explain it when I pick up my son & look at my face/I'm like a black rose growin' in the concrete crack in the pavement/There that voice go again 'Mac practice for greatness, get paid for them immaculate statements'/Keep thinkin of them hotlines, like a physic, I can't explain it/There's no pen when I write it, there's nothing like it...I'm like the Sun shining at night/Imagine it dog, I know you wanna see me gradually fall/But I'm walkin on air, braking every gravity law." Beans gritty street musings over that soul--there's nothing like it. 14. "Get Down," (2001) Beanie: Just more of that grit and grime from Siegel.
15. "Takeover," (2001) Jay-Z: This was the figure four leg lock. I don't know anyone could come back from this. (But somehow, someway son did.
)16. "Roc The Mic," (2001) Beanie & Freeway: One of the best State Property singles.
17. "What We Do," (2002) Freeway, Beanie, Jay-Z: This one's undeniable. Everyone came off. The definitive Roc-A-Fella crew anthem. Arguably the greatest posse track ever. Gatmuthafukkindamn! So damn legendary.
18. "Oh Boy," (2002) Cam & Juelz: Lawd, thank you for not giving this track to Bleek.
19. "Through the Wire," (2003) Kanye: This is the song that made me a Ye fan and is also one of the songs that introduced that signature sped-up soul sound that would dominate rap and define the era. My nikka was rapping through a wired jaw, too!
20. "Jesus Walks," (2004) Kanye: "So here go my single, dog, radio needs this/They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus/That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes/But if I talk about God my record won't get played, huh." Miss this Kanye.
21. "I Really Mean It" (2003) Cam & Jimmy: This is what victory sounds like. You have to include this. I know Dipset had its own movement but you can't pretend they weren't rocking with the Roc during this time. Even though it was a short-lived affiliation, this song was a fukkin monster that absolutely must be on this list.
22. "Dipset Anthem," (2003) Cam & Juelz: "Now I see death around the corner, gotta stay high/Will I survive in the city where the skinny nikkas die?/Nope, it's the city where the skinny nikkas ride, yeah/Four five semi on the side, yeah, twisting when they drive, yeah/Lick a shot for Big Pop and 'Pac, yeah/One more for Shyne locked inside, yeah/Two more for Cam for taking over the Roc." Last bar was so damn disrespectful to Jay, it's no wonder...
23. "Down & Out," (2004) Cam: My favorite solo song from Cam's time on the Roc and one of Kanye's best beats during the era.
24. "Feel It In The Air," (2005) Beanie: My nikka's spider senses tingled all over the track.
25. "Look at Me Now," (2005) Beanie: The rawness and realness of Beanie when he first came out lasted long enough for my nikka to reflect how far he came.
* Maybe Death Row, Bad Boy, & Wu-Tang can compare
)
