Jay-Z is one of the most influential artists that only scratches the surface at hip-hop alone. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has continued to stay relevant through music and lucrative business deals that made him the first rapper billionaire. As of 64th Grammy Awards, he is now the most Grammy-nominated artist with 83 nods surpassing Quincy Jones. Jay-Z continues to set the standard in hip-hop by reaching to new heights of success.
Check out 25 of his most iconic lyrics:
25. “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” ‘The Blueprint’ (2001)
Share“H to the Izz-O, V to the Izz-A"
24. “Drunk In Love” Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z ‘Beyonce’ (2013)
Share“D'USSÉ is the s--- if I do say so myself/If I do say so myself, if I do say so myself/Hold up, stumble all in the house/Time to back up all that mouth/That you had all in the car/Talkin' about you the baddest b---- thus far/Talkin' about you be reppin' that Third/I wanna see all that shit that I heard/Know I sling Clint Eastwood/Hope you can handle this curve, uh”
23. “Intro (Dynasty)” ‘The Dynasty: Roc La Familia’ (2000)
Share“The theme song to The Sopranos/Plays in the key of life on my mental piano/Got a strange way of seeing life like/I’m Stevie Wonder with beads under the doorag/Intuition is there even when my vision’s impaired, yeah.”
22. “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” ft. Mary J. Blige ‘Reasonable Doubt’ (1996)
Share“My pops knew exactly what he did when he made me/Tried to get a nut and he got a nut and what”
21. “Song Cry” ‘The Blueprint’ (2001)
Share"S---, I'm a man with pride, you don't do s--- like that/You don't just pick up and leave and leave me sick like that/You don't throw away what we had, just like that/I was just f----- them girls, I was gon' get right back/They say you can't turn a bad girl good/But once a good girl's gone bad, she's gone forever/I'll mourn forever/S---, I've got to live with the fact I did you wrong forever"
20. “Marcy Me” ‘4:44’ (2017)
Share“I'm from Marcy Houses, where the boys die by the thousand/Back when Pam was on Martin/Yeah, that's where it all started/When Denzel was blottin' carpet, I'll pack a… nine millimeter/When Slick Rick made "Mona Lisa"/When Lisa Bonet was Beyoncé of her day, I had divas, y'all/Think I just popped up in this b---- like a fetus? Nah”
19. “Crazy In Love” Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z ‘Dangerously In Love’ (2003)
Share"Jay Z in the range, crazy and deranged/They can't figure him out, they like, "Hey, is he insane?"/Yessir, I'm cut from a different cloth/My texture is the best fur, chinchilla/ I been iller than chain smokers/How you think I got the name Hova?/ I been realer, the game's over/ Fall back, young, ever since I made the change over/To platinum the game's been wrap, one"
18. What’s Free?” Meek Mill Featuring Jay-Z and Rick Ross ‘Championships’ (2018)
Share“We was praisin' Billboard, but we were young/Now I look at Billboard like, ‘Is you dumb?’/To this day, Grandma 'fraid what I might say/They gon' have to kill me, Grandmama, I'm not they slave”
17. “Can I Live” ‘Reasonable Doubt’ (1996)
Share“While I'm watchin' every n---- watchin' me closely/My s--- is butter for the bread, they wanna toast me/I keep my head, both of them, where they supposed to be/H---'ll get you sidetracked, then clapped from close feet”
16. “Moment of Clarity” ‘The Black Album’ (2003)
Share“If skills sold, truth be told, I’d probably be/Lyrically Talib Kweli/Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/But I did 5 mill' – I ain’t been rhyming like Common since”
15. “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” ‘The Blueprint’ (2001)
Share“I do this for my culture, to let them know/What a n---- look like when a n---- in a roaster/Show them how to move in a room full of vultures/Industry is shady, it needs to be taken over/Label owners hate me, I'm raising the status quo up/I'm overcharging n----- for what they did to the Cold Crush”
14. “D’Evils” ‘Reasonable Doubt’ (1996)
Share"Nine-to-five is how you survive, I ain't tryna survive/I'm tryna live it to the limit and love it a lot/Life ills poisoned my body, I used to say f--- mic skills/I never prayed to God, I prayed to Gotti/That's right, it's wicked – that's life, I live it/Ain't askin' for forgiveness for my sins, ends"
13. “99 Problems” ‘The Black Album’ (2003)
Share“The year is '94, in my trunk is raw/In my rearview mirror is the motherf-----law/Got two choices, y'all: pull over the car or/Bounce on the devil, put the pedal to the floor/And I ain't tryin' to see no highway chase with Jake/Plus I got a few dollars, I can fight the case/So I pull over to the side of the road/I heard, "Son, do you know why I'm stopping you for?"/‘Cause I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low?/Do I look like a mind reader, sir? I don't know”
12. “Hovi Baby” ‘The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse’ (2002)
Share"I'm so far ahead of my time, I'm 'bout to start another life/Look behind you, I'm 'bout to pass you twice"
11. “What More Can I Say” ‘The Black Album’ (2003)
Share"I'm not a biter, I'm a writer for myself and others/I say a B.I.G. verse, I'm only biggin' up my brother/Biggin' up my borough, I'm big enough to do it"
10. “N—– In Paris” with Kanye West ‘Watch The Throne’ (2011)
Share“So I ball so hard mothaf------ wanna fine me/But first n----- gotta find me/What's fifty grand to a mothaf---- like me?/Can you please remind me?/(Ball so hard) This s--- crazy/Y'all don't know that don't s--- faze me/The Nets could go 0 for 82/And I'd look at you like this s--- gravy”
9. “Empire State of Mind” ft. Alicia Keys ‘The Blueprint 3’ (2009)
Share"Yea, yea I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever"
8. “U Don’t Know” ‘The Blueprint’ (2001)
Share"Momma ain’t raised no fool/Put me anywhere on God’s green earth, I’ll triple my worth."
7. “Take You Home With Me a.k.a. Body” – ‘The Best Of Both Worlds’ (2002)
Share“I think I might wife her/Y'know, powder blue Rocawear suit, white Nike her”
6. “Streets Is Watching” ‘In My Lifetime, Vol. 1’ (1998)
Share"Look, if I shoot you, I'm brainless/But if you shoot me, then you're famous"
5. “Oceans” ft. Frank Ocean ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ (2013)
Share“Dope boy still smelling like cocaina/White boat, white robe, can he be more cleaner?/The oil spill that BP ain't clean up/I'm anti-Santa Maria/Only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace/I don't even like Washingtons in my pocket”
4. “U Don’t Know” ‘The Blueprint’ (2001)
Share“I sell ice in the winter, I sell fire in h---/I am a hustler, baby, I'll sell water to a whale”
3. “Most Kingz” ft. Chris Martin ‘Invasion Radio 2k10’ (2010)
Share“See Martin, see Malcolm/See Biggie, see Pac, see success and its outcome/See Jesus, see Judas/See Caesar, see Brutus/See success is like suicide/Suicide, it's a suicide/When you succeed, prepare to be crucified, uhh/Media meddles, n----- sue you, you settle/Every step you take, they remind you you ghetto/So it's tough being Bobby Brown/To be Bobby then, you gotta be Bobby now”
2. “Excuse Me Miss” ‘The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse’ (2002)
Share“Only thing missin' is a missus/You ain't even gotta do the dishes, got two dishwashers/Got one chef, one maid, all I need is a partner/To play Spades with the cards up, all trust/Who else you gon' run with? The truth is us/Only dudes movin' units - Em, Pimp Juice and us”
1. “Public Service Announcement” ‘The Black Album’ (2003)
Share"Allow me to re-introduce myself/My name is Hov, OH, H-to-the-O-V/I used to move snowflakes by the O-Z/I guess even back then you can call me/CEO of the R-O-C, Hov!/Fresh out the fryin’ pan into the fire/I be the music biz number one supplier/Flyer than a piece of paper bearin’ my name/Got the hottest chick in the game wearin’ my chain, that’s right, Hov"
