Jay-Z's 10 Greatest Verses

10. "Interlude," second verse (The Black Album)
This is Jay in full introspective mode, with him declaring, "I'm like Che Guevara with bling on, I'm complex" before confessing "I never claimed to have wings on." Throughout this verse, Jay-Z seems almost repentant as he raps, "I ain't invent the game/ I just rolled the dice, trying to get some change." But, this being Jay-Z, self-examination inevitably results in self-affirmation and a refutation of Rakim's maxim that "it's not where you're from, it's where you're at": "Check out my swag' yo, I walk like a ballplayer/ No matter where you go, you are what you are player/ And you can try to change but that's just the top layer/ Man, you was who you was 'fore you got here/ Only God can judge me, so I'm gone/ Either love me, or leave me alone."

9. "Dead Presidents II," first verse (Reasonable Doubt)
Jay-Z has always had a preternatural grasp of vocal rhythm and wordplay, but on this key track from his eponymous debut, Jay is able to marry metaphor, wordplay and flow. He not only borrowed Nas' lyrics from "One Love" for the hook, but he also took Nas' casual flow and knack for off-rhymes, pairing "leathers" with "et ceteras" and "ambiance" (pronounced om-bi-ance) with "confidants." He also manages to thread in a fairly compelling micro-narrative about sitting with a dying street soldier in the hospital: "I saw his life slippin ... still in all we livin', just dream about the get back/ That made him smile though his eyes said, 'Pray for me.'" He ends the verse with the classic boast, "I'm still spendin' money from eighty-eight."


8. "There's Been a Murder," third verse (Vol. 3 ... Life and Times of S. Carter)
Vol. 3 contained some of Jay-Z's strongest productions, from the mind-blowing space funk of "Snoopy Track" to Premier's thumping street anthem "So Ghetto." Unfortunately, "There's Been a Murder" isn't one of these bangers. The production is tepid, the hook easily forgettable. But this isn't a "best productions" list, and, lyrically, "Been a Murder" is on point. Jay-Z develops a character (Shawn Carter) and builds a fairly compelling narrative that spans the track's three verses. Jay has always been great at alternately portraying himself as a bad-ass and as emotionally vulnerable (it's the old adage: only I can defeat me), and when he raps, "Lord help me, all I ever wanted to be was wealthy or/ Somebody to tell me that they felt me," it's one of those small, revealing moments that make Jay-Z's lyrics so great.

7. "Flip Flop Rock" (Speakerboxxx)
After Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z really changed as an emcee. He became less of a lyricist and more of a rapper. That's not to say that there weren't some amazing flows on R.D., or that there weren't incredible lyrics. But Jay-Z had evolved from street-corner hustler to international rap sensation, and he became thematically more accessible and stylistically focused on paring back syllables per line and having the most pliable delivery possible. It enabled him to change the game with his collaborations with Timbaland, broadening the type of beat an emcee could rap over. "Flip Flop Rock" is lyrically slight, but it really shows off just how flexible Jigga's flow is, and for that, it deserves a mention.

6. "Takeover," third verse (The Blueprint)
It’s the eternal question for hip-hop fans: who won, Nas or Jay-Z? It’s been argued and analyzed on message boards and street corners, in dormitories and penthouses. If people spent as much time on their personal hygiene, my morning subway commute wouldn't be so painful. But, still, there's a reason why people fixate on it so much: it was, bar none, the best hip-hop beef in history, and this is either the best or second-best dis song ever recorded.

5. "Renegade," first verse (The Blueprint)
This is what every hip-hop fan dreams of: two legendary emcees at the top of their game, going back and forth, verse for verse. The beat is muted, minor-chord goth and is unobtrusive but not spectacular -- the lyrical firepower on here is spectacular. Though this is on Jay-Z's album, thematically both Jay-Z and Em's verses adhere closer to the latter's focus. Jay examines his role in pop culture, declaring that "I penetrate pop culture, bring 'em a lot closer to the block where they pop toasters." He takes on his biological father for the first time, declaring him a clown. And after spending years cultivating the image of hip-hop's preeminent baller, Jay-Z chides his fans and critics in the first line for thinking that "I only talk about jewels (bling bling)," asking, "Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?"

4."This Can't Be Life," first verse (The Dynasty)
Jay-Z has always been a cipher for his influences and inspirations: it's why there's so many of Big's rhymes sprinkled in his own raps, and, according to him, why he retired following the Black Album (there just wasn't enough good rap out there for him to channel). So when you throw Hova on a track with heavyweights such as Beanie Sigel and Scarface, you know magic is going to happen. Over a weepy beat, Jay-Z confides that he was "born in sewage" and offers that, at any given time, "Shawn could lose it." And the bleakness continues, with crying mothers, stillborn babies and crooked cops. At one point, Jay-Z scratches his head and wonders if "Imma be a failure."

3. "'95 Freestyle," fourth verse (Harlem's Greatest)
Yeah, it's not an obvious pick. In fact, other than die-hard Jay-Z and Big L fans, few people have ever heard the track, but this is a classic. This is pre-Reasonable Doubt time, when Jay was still on the come-up and still hungry. Back then, Jay-Z was known as a freestyle emcee, and this battle track really shows off his chops. Pitted against Big L, one of finest to ever rock the mic, Jay holds his own. Though Big L's verses are wittier and his flow feels a little more compact, Jay (arguably) wins because though L is essentially rearranging pre-written rhymes on the spot (itself a difficult enough task), Jay's verses are completely improvised. Check the last verse, when words begin to fail Jay and he trails off, and he begins scat singing. It provides a link between hip-hop and jazz, and also informs Jay-Z's strategy throughout his career of never writing down his rhymes before entering the booth.

2. "22 Two's," first verse (Reasonable Doubt)
For this list, it's tempting to pick the top 10 tracks from Reasonable Doubt and call it a day, but that would be kind of boring. "22 Two's" serves little purpose other than displaying what a bad-ass Jay-Z is on the mic, and for most hip-hop fans, that is more than enough. The concept here is that in one verse Jay-Z uses 22 words that contain "two" (to, two, too and, in a twist, to-gether). This was a holdover from a time in Jay-Z's carer when meaning was secondary to sound, but the various boasts ("rock too many rhymes, cocked too many nines") point to subsequent styles when Jay-Z would refine the art of braggadocio.

1. "Can I Live" (Reasonable Doubt)
Really, there are about a half-dozen songs on this list that could've easily occupied the top spot (and it's all subjective, of course), but "Can I Live" is an incredible, artist-defining song. Its opening line is classic ("I'm watchin' every n*gga watchin' me closely") and foretells the track's themes of paranoia and surveillance. Jay-Z also does a great trick with his flow, where he has the rhyme in the middle of the line, then pauses, and provides what amounts to an addendum: "My pain wish it was quick to see, from sellin' 'caine/ 'Til brains was fried to a fricassee, can't lie/ At the time it never bothered me, at the bar/ Gettin’ my thug on properly, my squad and me." It's a beautiful and incredibly evocative song, and it set the tone for not only Reasonable Doubt, but really the rest of Jay's career.