The Life and Times of Shawn Carter.

I'd like to thank Dylan for saving this one for me. It's more than a little apparent that a have a bit of a Jay-Z fetish. When I bought Reasonable Doubt, I was just 14, and have keeping a close eye on Hov since. He's one of the few artists out there that has continued to stay fresh, and one of the only willing to retire before losing his game.
In Jigga's honor, here's a mix CD. It was tough to stop at 20 tracks, but let's not get excessive.

Jay-Z mix CD Disc 1:

1. Takeover (Produced by Kanye West). This is one of my favorite duos out there. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always crazy about Kanye's solo shit (that being said, he's also thrown down some amazing stuff), but when he produces pretty much anything, it's a sure thing. This was the track that started battles with both Nas and Mobb Deep.
2. 99 Problems (Produced by Rick Rubin). I didn't even like this track that much when I first heard it, but it wasn't long before it was #1 on my I-Tunes Top 25 Songs.
3. Can't Knock the Hustle (ft. Mary J. Blige). This was the track that got me hooked. I remember being in high school and putting this track on repeat in my room.
4. Friend or Foe '98 (produced by DJ Premier). It's also a well-known fact that I have a Gang Starr fetish too, so to hear these two on a track together for the first time was pretty outstanding.
5. The City is Mine (ft. Blackstreet, Produced by Teddy Riley). A lot of people criticized Hov at the point of In My Lifetime-Volume 1 for putting out too many pop-influenced tracks. I, however, am a girl, and sometimes we dig that shit.
6. Cheat on You - Ma$e (ft. Jay-Z). Ma$e is so hit-and-miss with me that when he makes a track I love, and it features Jay-Z, I get a special little feeling.
7. '03 Bonnie and Clyde (ft. Beyonce, produced by Kanye West). This track reminds me of the summer of '03, and features Hov's other girlfriend (besides me).
8. Threat (produced by 9th Wonder). I am under the impression that 9th Wonder can do no wrong. Ever.
9. Money, Cash, Hoes (ft. DMX, produced by Swizz Beatz). When In My Lifetime Volume 2: Hard Knock Life came out, I felt like everyone grabbed onto 'Hard Knock Life' so hard that they didn't really listen to the rest of the album. Don't get me wrong, 'Hard Knock Life' is a serious track, but 'Money, Cash, Hoes' is the track that really got me.
10. Big Pimpin' (produced by Timbaland). This was at a point where Timbaland was at the top of his game, before started making shitty tracks along side Nelly Furtado.
11. Heartbreaker - Mariah Carey (ft. Jay-Z). Okay, I knocked Mariah pretty good a few posts back, and I stand by my comments, but when I hear this track, it reminds me of when I lived in France and smoked vanilla cigarettes on the roof, and FunRadio played it constantly.
12. Allure (produced by The Neptunes). There is a lot of Neptunes-produced shit out there that I'm not that into, but this track, I like..... A lot.
13. Moment of Clarity (remixed by Dave Jonsen). I downloaded this a year or so ago, and it is one of the more serious remixes I've ever heard. Hard to find, well worth it.
14. Watch Me (ft. Dr. Dre). Seriously, you guys know how I feel about Dre. This is a really solid track off of In My Lifetime Volume 3: Life and Times of S. Carter, but really.... Did you expect anything else?
15. Izzo (H.O.V.A.) (Produced by Kanye West). This is in my top-3 Jay-Z tracks of all time, and that's a hard list to make.
16. I Love The Dough - Notorious B.I.G. (ft. Jay-Z)- This was one of my favorites off of Biggie's Life After Death album.
17. Renegade (ft. Eminem). The Blueprint is arguably my favorite Jay-Z album. My feelings on Eminem are pretty wishy-washy, but when he's on point, he's on point. Hov is famous for having a ton of guest appearances on his albums, but Eminem was the one and only guest on The Blueprint. Nas used this track as leverage on his track 'Ether', in response to 'Takeover', where he rhymes "Eminem murdered you on your own shit".
18. Beware (Jay-Z Remix) - Punjabi MC. I was pretty jazzed when Hov latched onto Punjabi MC. English/ Punjabi hip-hop doesn't get much love, but this track is tight.
19. 22 Two's. This was off of Reasonable Doubt as well, and was probably one of the finer examples of what he was capable of, lyrically, even in his earlier years.
20. 44 Four's (Click for audio download and YouTube video, courtesy of our friends at Palms Out Sounds). This was performed just a few weeks ago at the Nokia Theatre. Thought it was a good way to end the CD.


All Jay Z Disc 2 Bitches
1. Lucifer Produced by Kanye West
2. Lupe Fiasco ft Jay Z & Biggie Smalls- Sittin Sideways
3. Heart fo the City
4. Talib Kweli ft Mos Def, Kanye West, Jay Z, & Busta Rhymes- Get By (remix) seriously best remix eva
5. Hard Knock Life
6. Nigga What, Nigga Who ( I know on the radio it was "Jigga" instead of "Nigga")
7. My 1st Song ft Biggie smalls
8. Dead Prez ft Jay Z- Hell Ya (remix)
9. Interlude
10. Poppin Tags/ ft Big Boi, Killa Mike, & Twista

I would make it longer, But someone, used all my favourites


Pickle

p.s. My dear friend Crystal is having her debut as one of Rob Faust's go-go dancers at HiFi this evening. You are all invited. It should be fun times ten.