1. Interlude - Track has a relaxing beat..with somebody talking over it..talkin about how all things must end..not bad for a intro..but I would have liked to see HOV spit some fire one last time.
2/5..could have been better

2. December 4th - first of all I have to say..this beat is ill as fuck..his mom talking on it is cool..proves that he ain't afraid to try new things..Jay comes in rappin about his childhood, n growing up poor, rap, and hustling.."I went to school got good grades could behave when I wanted/ but I had deamons deep inside that were raised when confronted".."now all the teachers couldn't reach me and my momma couldn't beat me hard enough to match the pain of my pop not seeing me"..its a good song, I bet a lot of kids without fathers could relate to some of the stuff he says..deep song..beat goes perfect with the concept of the song.
5/5..love it

3. What More Can I Say - this is the first track I heard off the album (like most of you probably)..and I have to say I am impressed..the beat is once again sick as fuck..Jay comes in sayin he's back..and that he doesn't have that much left to say..a lot of this song is just him braggin "a Ceo's dream, that marketing plan was me".but hell..if I was as successful as he is I would have done the same thing...towards the end he spits sick as fuck..nice way to end the song
4.5/5..he could have spit more quotables in his first couple verses

4. Encore - beat is once again beautiful, I love the horns..Jay pretty much tells everyone to stand up for one last time..and how he can't be replaced..then he explains how he took over the game, and that he's leaving.."Young did it to death u gotta love it" so true, if anybody in the game right now can say that its him.."as fate would have it, Jay status apprears to be at an all time high/ perfect time to say good bye, when I come back like Jordan wearing the 45/ it ain't to play games with u, its to aim at u"..Jay runs through quotables with a mastered flow..u can tell he is a pro and why he is respected just by listening to this track..this track is very nice..no complains
5/5..love it

5. Change Clothes - Very bouncy beat..good for a single to get people bouncing..catchy hook with Pharell..not too many quotables in this song. "gotta keep a piece like a buddhist".."he is to the east coast what Snoop is/ to the west coast is, what 'Face is to Houston"...he's pretty much talkin about being fly and fresh throughout the whole track..which is what mainstream rap has turned into...so yeah for a single this track is aight, nothing special though
3.5/5..catchy hook, bouncy beat..a couple quotables..this is what sells today, so I can't blame him for doin it

6. Dirt Off Your Shoulder - right off the bat, the beat is up tempo and bouncy..a good club vibe, you can tell Timbaland produced it..Jay comes in basically thanking everyone for making him a huge succes..and how he woulda probably been locked up if he wouldn't have made it "I probably owe it to yall, probably be locked by the force/ tryina hustle some things, that go with the Porche"..and he talks about how a lotta people hate him cuz he made it..very catchy hook..not much to say about this track..its a good club song
4/5..nice club banger

7. Threat - I think its Cedric The Enterainter who does the voice of threat lol..well whoever it is its funny..a guy comes on threatening to kill people..then the beat drops in (dope beat) and Jay comes in spittin some gangster shit "I put that knife in ya, take a little bit of life from ya/ Am I frightenin ya, shall I continue?/ I put the gun to ya, I'll let it sing u a song/ I let it hum to ya, the other one sing along/now its a duet, and you wet, when you check out the technique/ from the two tecks..".."You can't kill me, I live forever through these bars"..hook is cool..2nd verse is packed full of quotables..3rd verse is cool...this song is sick imo..a lotta quotables for 1 song..if people spit gangsta THIS is how it should be done..not that bullshit most mainstream rappers are on.
5/5..love it..whoever does the voice of "Threat" is funny as fuck

8. Moment Of Clarity - Beat is nice..the violins are ill as fuck..hook is nice, he mentions all his albums..first verse he comes in talkin about hustling and his father...2nd verse he comes in and spits nasty.."music business hate me cuz the intustry ain't make me/ hustlers and boosters embrace me in the music I be making/ I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars/ they criticize me for it yet they all yell Holla"..he has a lotta balls to actually admit that he did that.."if skills told truth be told/ I'd probly be, lyircally, Talibe Kweli/ truthfully I wanna rhyme like common sense/ (but I did 5 mill) I ain't been rhymin like Common since"..he talks a lot of truth in this track..listen closely to what he says.
5/5..love it..Em did a nice job on the beat!

9. 99 Problems - beat is cool, has that rock feel to it..Jay comes in spittin back at his critics..how he's too smart for them "I'm like fuck critics, you can kiss my whole asshole/ if u don't like my lyrics you can press fass forward/ got beef with radio if I don't play they show/ they don't play my hits, well I don't give a shit so/ rap mags try to use my black ass/ so advertizers can give'em more money for ads"..2nd verse he has an arguement with a police officer..interesting..3rd verse is aight..hook is catchy..
3.5/5..pretty good song..Im just not a huge fan of rock-type beats

10. Public Service Announcement - beat is once again sick,..he's basically re-introducing himself to rap and talking about hustling/gangsta shit somewhat, some nice quotables.."my name is HOV, H to the O-V/ I used to move snowflakes by the oz/ I guess even back then u can call me/ Ceo of the R-O-C".."Nigga I get mine, by any means on whenever there's a drought/ get ya umbrellas out cuz that's when I brainstorm/ you can blame Shawn but I ain't invent the game/ I just rolled the dice, tryin to get some change".."flyer/flier than a piece of paper bearing my name"..not much to say, short track, good song
4/5..could have been longer

11. Justify My Thug - He talks about how he made himself successful.."foolish pride is what held me together throughout the years I wasn't felt/ which is why I ain't never played myself/ I just play the hand I'm delt/ I can't say I've never knelt before God and asked for better cards.."..hook comes in with a sample that is a lil bit annoying.. 2nd verse he says don't mess with him cuz he can still take it back to the streets..3rd verse he talks bout how rap is all there is for some people..or they hustle..then he talks about how it's is blamed for shit sometimes..when it shouldn't be "Mr. President there's drugs in our residence/ tell me what u want me to do, come break bread with us/ Mr. Govenor I swear there's a coverup/ every other corner there's a liquor store, fuck is up?"
3.5/5..the hook..I ain't really feelin it but the verses are nice

12. Lucifer - Beat is sick, sample is nice..Jay spits gangster throughout the whole track.
4/5..felt he coulda spit more quotables

13. Allure - Old school feel on the beat, nice vibe..he raps about how he feels guilty because of the drug game..and how he's gonna get out of it..
3.5/5..deep song with a "reasonable doubt" vibe

14. My 1st Song - a biggie sample in the beginning, and he's saying the way to stay on top of your game is to act like its your first project..so that's why its called his first song...and his last lol..Jay rips this track with the craziest flow throughout the whole album..all his verses are nice on this song, and the tight hook is also...I'm not gonna quote any of this one u'r just gonna have to listen to it yourself
5/5..no complains

Overall - Everysong (besides the intro) is bangin, some are nice, and some are excellent. the production on the album is top notch..Jay-Z's flow is always nice..he isn't a rapper that relies on his delivery (ex. M.O.P.) but he knows how to switch it up to match the songs nicely..This album is classic in my opinion, but everyone has different tastes. I recommend this cd to everyone..buy it if you're a Jay-Z fan.

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^agreed, fully. great album, although i doub tthis is his last, even that O-head DMX makin anotha album after he supposedly "retired"

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www.myspace.com/imthakingpsc

yeah every track was a statement on this.Except dirt off your shoulder
and changed clothes,but change clothes had dope flow,but I liked htis album.
And fade to black was amasingly inspiring.

not my fav jay album....RD... and BIO DA BEST OF...but still dope non the less

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Â-balam balam i treat yall like cans of spam

Free Time...

I Live the Lifestyle You Want to Live

Secret Society/Cut Throat

Justify my Thug is a 4.5 everything else i can agree with

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I had to get off the boat so i could walk on water

RF FOREVA EVA EVA EVA

Justify my Thug is a 4.5 everything else i can agree with

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I had to get off the boat so i could walk on water

RF FOREVA EVA EVA EVA

my 1st song was a ill song refering to B.I.G.

i liked lucifer alot more then some of the tracks u rated higher than it but every track was pretty good, so its all cool....... was one good way to go out if he stays out

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...The real Renegade before Hova...

yea thats cool thnx for ur feed on tha review.....

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Yea, Change Clothes had good flow to it. He shouldve left Dirt Off Your Shoulders and Change Clothes off. But I think he did that to add some singles to his album, to get people pumped up about it. But, he was guna make a lot of sales anyway. This album is by far, overlooking alot of other rappers albums, but not a classic. Those were some good ratings, if not higher. His lyrics are great on here, but I think this was just a statement album, he wrapped every thing up in 14 tracks, which is ight. December 4th, and PSA is my fav.

my fav song on there was ALLURE... he had this one dope ass metaphor... it was somethin like "im like a russian mafia, drinkin distilled vadka, until im under the field wit Hoffa... peel a topper like a toupe, mix tha water, wit tha soda, turn tha pot up make a soufle..."
he's talkin abput jimmy hoffa, that shit was extremely dope to me

^ peel a topper

in what world does that make sinse

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