Lyrics & Samples
50 entries in the Jay-Z compendium.
Lyrics & Samples — Era Chart
Izzo HovaThe lead single from The Blueprint, sampling The Jackson 5 and marking Jay-Z's first solo Can't Be TouchedA gritty guitar riff and a defiant hook, pulled from Ice-T, frame a story of rap critics, Dead Presidents IIA refined, more ruthless version of the same hustle, voted number 2 in Rolling Stone's TopEmpire State of MindA symphonic rap anthem celebrating the ambition and grit of New York City, where every skyTom FordA Jay-Z track named after fashion designer Tom Ford, produced by Timbaland and J-Roc, withThe Story Of O.J.A claustrophobic meditation on fame, surveillance, and the price of a black man's success Niggas In ParisA stomping, chant-along declaration of dominance, where Paris becomes a backdrop for hip-h4:44A raw confession about wealth, regret, and how much work it actually takes to save a marriBig Pimpin' (UGK sample)Jay-Z and UGK turn Egyptian gold into a Southern-fried anthem of global domination.99 Problems (Ice-T sample)A defiant anthem against systemic oppression — where every cop's flashlight is a spotlightHard Knock Life (Annie sample)Broadway meets the block: survival's anthem.Empire State of Mind (Alicia Keys)New York's anthem, born from hustle and hope, echoing through subway tunnels and stadium rDirt Off Your ShoulderBrush off the haters with a flick of the wrist.Renegade (with Eminem)Two titans trade bars over a chilling beat, each verse a different shade of defiance.December 4thA mother's voice, a hustler's origin, and the moment a legend took his first breath.Can I LiveJay-Z's rawest confession: a hustler's prayer for a life he can't yet let go.A Million and One Questions / Rhyme No MoreTwo tracks, one masterpiece of lyrical introspection.Where I'm FromJay-Z maps the Marcy Projects street by street and makes them the real protagonist of his Imaginary PlayerJay-Z's 1997 track that Cardi B sampled for her 2025 single, with his personal approval.Brooklyn's Finest (with The Notorious B.I.G.)Two kings of Brooklyn trade verses like a high-stakes chess match—every bar a move, every Ain't No Nigga (with Foxy Brown)Brooklyn royalty trade venom and velvet over a James Brown loop.22 Two'sTwo sides, one hustler's truth.Friend or FoeA tense street tale where trust is a loaded weapon.Coming of Age (with Memphis Bleek)The cold calculus of street mentorship, where every lesson costs.So GhettoFrom the school of hard knocks to the top of the charts — Jay-Z flips a Broadway showtune Streets Is WatchingEvery move you make, the streets are watching.'03 Bonnie & Clyde (with Beyoncé)The ride-or-die anthem that launched a dynasty.Excuse Me Miss (with Pharrell)A champagne-soaked pickup line, backed by Neptunes' sorcery.99 ProblemsNinety-nine troubles, zero of them on the pillow — Jay-Z's most defiant one-liner ever.Show Me What You GotThe king sets the bar, smiles, and waits for someone to reach it.Hard Knock LifeA Broadway orphan's anthem flipped into a Brooklyn projects survival anthem.Izzo (H.O.V.A.)A disco-fueled roll call that turned a simple list into a cultural landmark.Big Pimpin'One white suit, one white horse, and the unapologetic declaration that the best is the besCan't Take None of ThisThe line where the crown stops being a crown and becomes a weight you choose to carry.Excuse Me MissA quiet command in a loud room: Jay-Z walks in and the whole table turns.Money Makes Me HappyThe empire builder admits the simplest truth: the money isn't power, it's peace.Big StarA jangling 80s pop hook reborn as Jay-Z's most gleaming self-coronation.I'm the ReasonOne name, one claim: the world moved because he said it would.GloryTwo kings set the crown down and ask what's left when the applause stops.D.O.A.One acronym, a hundred dead ends, zero survivors.Run This TownThree titans, one throne: the anthem that turned ambition into a genre.I KnowA quiet, aching duet where two titans trade confessions over a piano-drenched beat.BraveheartThe warrior who speaks for the people who can't speak for themselves.The World Is OursTwo voices, one throne: the world is theirs and they say it like a fact.BreatheOne word, repeated like a prayer, is all it takes to stop the world from spinning.The Christmas SongChestnuts, smoke, and a waltz that turned a cold December into a hearth.The BlueprintA construction blueprint for an empire, laid down bar by bar in the heart of the city.The DynastyA throne built from concrete, a crown forged in the block, a name that outlives the verse.The Black AlbumFourteen tracks that turned a black cover into a cultural monument and a career into a dynKingdom ComeA throne is not inherited; it is engineered, brick by deliberate brick.
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