We need to have a conversation about streaming numbers for Hov's classics

[Street Knowledge]

Ye and just blaze were the front runners of the sound of that time; and they dropped that sound for multiple artists at the same time. Blueprint wasn't unique.


Ye and blaze were on smash and all the big albums from that time frame had their sauce.


Jay was already done by the time 4:44 and AG dropped.

1.)They had literally no hits before working Jay Z. He took two nobodies at the time and made a classic rap album. Of the biggest rap albums of 2001, how many had the blueprint sound? What about singles how many sounded like the BP singles?

2.)How was he done when they were two of the most well received albums of those years? It kinda debunks your wave riding talking point which is why you don’t count them

 

[Mike Wins]

As you all know, I'm from the south

So I aint met too many jay z fans irl. I think the coli is predominantly a certain demographic, so they have image in their head about jay that's out of touch with the average listener

Plus, jay z never has been the top dog in the game at any point of his career. He's been able to ride wave after wave to siphon more life into his career while his more talented peers burned out creatively or ventured off into different lanes (i.e. acting or business)

It also has to be said that a lot of jay z's music doesn't have the timeless quality as a result of all that wave hopping. It's some songs a lot of coli posters love from jay that my generation wouldn't react to at all

Compared to pac or big who have music that will always connect based on the production, subject matter, and songwriting

Nobody my age tryna hear hard knock life

It took jay z to be deep into his career before he really started talking about stuff with substance. And even then, it's still coming off as riding a wave. Jay z just always feels like he's playing catch up to me. Which I can't fault him for. Nobody believed in him when he came in the game, so he had to find what works. It made him successful, but he lacks the innovation his peers brought to the game.

I can't be a jay z fan cause I really don't know who he is. Just what style he took to keep his foot in the door

I wonder if drake will have a similar trajectory in another decade or so. Cause I don't think kids would enjoy songs like forever, started from the bottom, or best I ever had due to how much different tastes will have changed

Excellent post

 

[Westbama Heartthrob]

I listen to Jay old shyt all the time. I don’t even have Spotify.

Let me guess, you still got a cd case?

 

[Westbama Heartthrob]

Excellent post

Appreciate that breh

 

[maxamusa]

1.)They had literally no hits before working Jay Z. He took two nobodies at the time and made a classic rap album. Of the biggest rap albums of 2001, how many had the blueprint sound? What about singles how many sounded like the BP singles?

2.)How was he done when they were two of the most well received albums of those years? It kinda debunks your wave riding talking point which is why you don’t count them

See now you're going industry with it. Thats a whole other conversation. You know how many examples I could drop on you of established artists having an ear and a good eye? They stay looking for that and swoop in for the rape n pillage.

Favio got scooped by ma$e for 5 bands. Drake has been on top doing it forever.

If you really think Jay-Z was still that guy with 4:44 and AG you on your own. Cause my age range wasn't hearing it. That shyt was gassed up by old heads and industry dikk eaters.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Nah, people cherry pick what they consider dated and what sounds fresh. When people are saying Reasonable Doubt sounds the freshest of all of his albums, it speaks volumes (no pun). Reasonable Doubt sounds like 1996.

And everybody else is posting the same Jay songs that people were saying were wack from day one.

Nah, it doesn’t. The samples on there are from some classic songs, his flow definitely sounds like 95-98 jay, but the production sounds more timeless

 

[Street Knowledge]

See now you're going industry with it. Thats a whole other conversation. You know how many examples I could drop on you of established artists having an ear and a good eye? They stay looking for that and swoop in for the rape n pillage.

Favio got scooped by ma$e for 5 bands. Drake has been on top doing it forever.

If you really think Jay-Z was still that guy with 4:44 and AG you on your own. Cause my age range wasn't hearing it. That shyt was gassed up by old heads and industry dikk eaters.

1.)So can you admit Kanye and Just Blaze were nobodies with zero hits prior to working with Jay Z and he put them on the map? This is very important to this convo

2.)2 of the most critically acclaimed albums of his career where with sound and producers that were not the hottest of that time. That debunks your wave riding talking point.

 

[JustCKing]

This is true. Anything you want to hear from Jay you can hear a purer version of it. RD is a great album, but you have Ready to Die and Do or Die doing similar stuff. He just merged them together.

You can listen to Harlem World for Vol 1

Vol 2 is basically a It’s Dark…meets No Way Out

Blueprint is Supreme Clientele with a mainstream coating on it

Edit @Mike Wins we posted the same stuff

Ya'll way off for Vol. 2.

A Week Ago
Paper Chaser
nikka What nikka Who
Money Ain't A Thang
Hand It Down
Hard Knock Life
It's Alright
Can I Get A...
It's Like That

^^^ none of these sound like anything from IDAHIH or No Way Out.

RD sounds nothing like RTD. RTD is far darker and isn't as mafiosos leaning.

 

[Mandarin Duck]

I'm from California and a fan of Jay-Z, but I've noticed his music doesn't resonate with a lot of California people.

50 Cent is way more likely to get played by the kids and people my age where I'm from.

I still here cars playing Many Men right now.

Edit: I just thought about this. You're more likely to hear Biggie's Juicy or Hypnotize at a party playing throwback music than you would any Jay song too.

 

[JustCKing]

Nah, it doesn’t. The samples on there are from some classic songs, his flow definitely sounds like 95-98 jay, but the production sounds more timeless

Timeless can still be dated. Nobody is listening to that album and thinking it sounds like now. Samples especially can date a song. Sampling doesn't necessarily help the case.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Timeless can still be dated. Nobody is listening to that album and thinking it sounds like now. Samples especially can date a song. Sampling doesn't necessarily help the case.

It ain’t dated to 96 a lot of early to mid 90’s stuff aged better because of the heavy samples that kept it from locking into one current hot sound a la Timbaland, Neptunes, 00’s Dre, Kanye’s sped up samples, etc

 

[BronxFleeZ]

It’s beautiful watching the coli change over periods of time you nikkas is the most flippidy flopping mf I ever interacted with

 

[Street Knowledge]

Yeah I’m still trying to find out how Rd sound like RTD at all

Ya'll way off for Vol. 2.

A Week Ago
Paper Chaser
nikka What nikka Who
Money Ain't A Thang
Hand It Down
Hard Knock Life
It's Alright
Can I Get A...
It's Like That

^^^ none of these sound like anything from IDAHIH or No Way Out.

RD sounds nothing like RTD. RTD is far darker and isn't as mafiosos leaning.

 

[PHamm]

Because Jay's album ain't game changer albums. They were great for the time they were recorded but they ain't hip hop go to albums or regional classics.

Regional East Coast classics at best

 

[maxamusa]

1.)So can you admit Kanye and Just Blaze were nobodies with zero hits prior to working with Jay Z and he put them on the map? This is very important to this convo

2.)2 of the most critically acclaimed albums of his career where with sound and producers that were not the hottest of that time. That debunks your wave riding talking point.

If you a jay-z super Stan just say it.

Every other legendary group/rapper has a sound.

Jay-Z doesn't.

I'm a jay-z fan big time 2.

Why is this so hard for you 2 understand