Why doesn't this new generation seem to understand or grasp why Jay-Z was considered a top draw?

[BK The Great]

If Big was alive he’s probably have an album with Jay, then we wouldn’t have these discussions.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Like, the mind baffles at some of this babble

I almost regret negging @CrimsonTider all these years, he had some great points. This place is a dusty echo chamber

People that say something didn’t age well didnt like the music when it was relevant

A lot of the current anti jay z stuff is just a backlash to a bunch of UNCs that think Jay z was the goat. It’s just a part of the human life cycle

 

[Neuromancer]

He doesn't really love rap.

 

[Guru]

Because Hip Hop is dead

 

[Switch]

He’s hasn’t dropped in album in however long and long and isn’t visible like that.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Worst thing Jay-Z ever did was keep his music off of Youtube all streaming platforms except for Tidal for years. Tidal failed, he got paid and a whole generation had little to no access to his music.

Now he's mainly known as Beyonce's husband musically. Add in the fact that most of his music didn't "age" well as far as being easily accessible or even casual.

This is definitely one of the reasons. We're in an era where older media gets consumed like crazy and younger generations have a much easier way of being exposed to it. Some of Jay's best work was hidden from the people who needed to listen to it the most. Even now, if you go on YouTube Music, there's no explicit version of Vol. 2 and Dynasty still isn't on there. You have to go to user playlists to find those albums. Vol. 3 wasn't on there for a long time until it got added recently.

I remember someone saying that Jay shined the most with his B-sides, not his singles, and that's true. If you listen to something like BP3, the best songs aren't "Empire State of Mind" or "Run This Town," they're "Thank You," "So Ambitious," "Already Home." Songs that were ignored for the most part and overshadowed by the monster hits that got overplayed and were never that good to begin with.

Prime Jay and post-retirement Jay are two different entities, and a lot of the younger generation doesn't know about the first one because they weren't exposed to him. It would be like if Eminem's earlier albums weren't on streaming, but his later ones were. You would be listening to MMLP2 and Revival wondering why anyone puts him in the GOAT conversation.

There’s no denying that in the 2020s Jay z music sounds old and some of that is because its not being sampled or reference and Tidal stuff has a lot to do with that.

 

[Easy-E]

U see it on YouTube, TikTok, FB, and IG all the time. Young people who've listened to Jay and don't really understand what the hype was about him. Were we bamboozled into believing Jay was that guy musically 20 years ago?

If I'm being 100 none of his songs have aged well. They dont hit at all today. But we have artists that were considered a notch below Jay who have songs that could still be hits if they dropped today.

Juvenile for example. He could drop the entire 400 Degreez album today just the way it is and still receive critical acclaim and love these YNs and Young Women. I watched some young dudes on TikTok listen to Notorious Thugs and they were mesmerized about how crafty and skilled Big was at blending in with Bone.

I was gonna seriously engage in this topic.

This is the reason I'm rarely on The Booth.

 

[winb83]

Imagine listening to the reasonable doubt or the blueprint and saying "this didn't age well".

Those albums are pretty divorced from frequent co-collaborators The Neptunes and Timbaland. Jay got a lot of hot at the time producers to give him beats many now consider throwaway. They were hit singles at the time but people don't revisit them. I mean when was the last time you had the urge to listen to Change Clothes?

 

[FlyRy]

Those albums are pretty divorced from frequent co-collaborators The Neptunes and Timbaland. Jay got a lot of hot at the time producers to give him beats many now consider throwaway. They were hit singles at the time but people don't revisit them. I mean when was the last time you had the urge to listen to Change Clothes?

I wasn't talking about them. Timbo hasn't had a good rap beat in 20 years. maybe some of his and swizz stuff hasn't ged well.

I think the blaze and kanye stuff has aged beautifully as well as bink and all of AG.

 

[PHamm]

And I'm not sure where this narrative Jay was this big wave rider came from either

you must be new to rap then. Jay been called a dikk riding fekket who loves the attention for decades.

 

[MajesticLion]

 

[KillKenny]

Why’d you lead with this corny shyt?

So Appalled amazing song, Jay with this reference really addresses this

 

[I'm Blackman]

"I dumbed myself down to double my dollars"

Jay literally admitted his style of rapping is dumb. He didn't even have to write. That alone tells you how shallow his raps were. Jay could never memorize something as complex as "I gave you power"....those are the type of raps that require a profound pen.

William Shakespeare couldn't memorize Romeo and Juliet.


Nas= Shakespeare

Jay= Dr. Seuss

Jay is in my top 5 but this post is real.

Jay via wave riding made a LOT of trendy microwavable music. Whoever was """hot" production wise was who he worked with versus who was artistically best. You hear those decisions all over vol 2 for example. His rhymes are dope but those beats today sound horrible.

Also because he was about "money over art" he aint really talk about shyt. And again he top 5 to me. But if I was rank rappers on content....he wouldnt make the top 30. His music can be summed up "as im better and richer than you bum ass nikkas" . I love that when im in a zone for that because nobody does that better.

But he wants to mentioned with the Pacs, Marleys, and yes the Nas of the world and he wont be...because they generally rapped about timeless topics. Jay rapped about Jay and admittedly dumbed it down.

So when a young cat hears Brenda Got a baby or I gave you power or fukk the police or i never seen a man cry.....its something real there that cant be mimicked. Then they listen to It was all good just a week ago (which i love) but that shyt is fast food amongst the previously mentioned soul food. You cant trick them because they never looked up to these dudes like we did.

Jay made his choice music and content wise and got filthy rich...but it is what it is.

 

[DaHNIC82]

JayZ Triple Hed the Rap Hame

Wasn't never really the guy on any era but aligned himself with talent to keep him relevant (Triple H / Evolution / Shawn Michaels JayZ/ Kanye/ Rihanna/

Got with a powerful woman in the industry that kept his place (Triple H / Stephanie JayZ /Beyonce)

 

[Iverson_64]

Nigg it didn't. That shyt is not playable in today's landscape, especially RD.

Now 400 Degreez, Chopper City in the Ghetto, and Life After Death still hit and resonate with today's time. Play Notorious Thugs and then play Can't No Nigg and you'll see how weak Jays shyt really hits

Hip hop card revoked......