In retrospect, "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" really ain't a bad album at all.

[pointproven214]

only track i don't like is sunshine everything else is classic to me.

 

[Niqqa You Gay]

People hate these songs but they were the precursors to Jay writing some phenomenal music. Those songs brought Jay outside of his lane, and really elevated him to even be able to do HKL and less conventional/underground music. Jay would have been the underground King. Sunshine, as much as nikkas clown it, got Jay on the radio.

Ain't No nikka got way more radio play than Sunshine.

 

[lutha]

no retrospect needed OP, that album has always been damn good....the hate it gets/got is just the bandwagon effect in rap....when the initial people shytted on it cause the lead single wasnt what they wanted, others just followed suit without even listening to the album...seriously, people didnt wanna listen to anything else on the album cause of 'sunshine' lol....

anyway, to me, it's damn good like i said.....speaking of the songs people talking about people dislike: sunshine is fiya...so is 'i know what girls like'...that beat knocks and both jay/kim kill it, but people ignore all that to just shyt on the hook.....

 

[Woodrow]

i love that fukking album. sunshine included (imo, the video is horrible, the song itself is cool). some of the hardest, slickest, and sometimes vulgar shyt of jay's career can be found on vol. I.

streets is watching
imaginary player (about 30-to-40 grand cocksucker, beat it! )
friend or foe 98
who you wit pt. II ("kinda tipsy, seeing triple... so i'm fukking u all!" )
face off ("sauce i heard you hate bytches " "love the dough " "ya flow irritate nikkas " "fukk 'em tho "
where i'm from
rap game/crack game
you must love me

 

[prince_peoples]

its in his top 3 albums for me

 

[Pinyapplesuckas]

probably my favorite of his albums after Reasonable Doubt...it still has replay value to me. i only disliked one song (Girls Like) and even that one has grown on me over the years.

 

[I love Latina women]

Am I the only 1 who always fukked with "The City Is Mine"? This has to now be Jay's most underrated single. I remember this shyt use to get a lot of play on The Box

Blackstreet on the hook and Neptunes on the beat!

 

[GeeEffKay]

There a couple duds on there but otherwise its solid

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

its in his top 3 albums for me

Don't agree but it's dope enough to make the argument,so

 

[bigbadbossup2012]

Funny thing is that alot of songs people dont fukk with on here,i do.
I fukk with sunshine heavy
Video was corny as fukk though

 

[RichForever]

Funny thing is that alot of songs people dont fukk with on here,i do.

Same. Honestly, I never thought Sunshine or I Know What Girls Like were as bad as people claim them to be. Sure they're on a lower level of quality as the really great cuts, but the way people talk about them, you'd think they're completely unlistenable songs. My least favorite song on the album is probably Real nikkas w/ Too Short. Always thought that song was boring. Can never get through it.

 

[JayBaldacci]

some of jay's best work on here. but that bad boy influence: city is mine, sunshine, lucky me, who you wit, what girls like, face off. all these songs aren't bad, but imagine a full jay album of joints like where i'm from and rap game crack game.

 

[Headcase]

It really is an overhated album. Its decent at best, but I'd much rather play it than vol 2, Vol 3 (Jay's actual worst album), Blueprint 2 & 3, Kingdom Come, or MCHG

 

[re'up]

My favorite Jay album, I don't think he made a better one since.....

 

[JMD]

I still have the cassette tape somewhere, not really a Jay fan at all but always loved the album