Jay-Z is the Greatest Rapper of this Generation
By Ruben Ayala III
Debating who exactly is the greatest rapper of all time is a conversation that many Hip-Hop fans throughout the years have had, answers might differ from Rakim to Eminem to Kendrick Lamar depending on who you ask, but one man has been able to do something that no other rapper has been able to do and that man is Jay-Z. Jay-Z has made a case for himself to widely be thought of the greatest rapper of his generation and even a top an all time list. Jay-Z is currently 50 years old and has been in the music game since 1986 and while he didn’t make his name known to the masses until 1996 with his debut album Reasonable Doubt it’s still incredible to be as relevant as he’s been. He’s surely breaking ground for today’s generation and showing what can be done as you continue to get older in what many say is a young person’s genre. Jay-Z is currently doing something that no other artist in the genre has been able to and that’s simply not running out of that spark that many artists around his age have already let burn out years ago.
Jay-Z has changed majorly since his initial introduction to music back in 1986 and his sound is honestly unrecognizable compared to how fans would come to expect him to flow and sound like. This is another reason why Jay-Z has been able to stay around so long in a genre that doesn’t allow many to get up their in age and continue to have the same type of success throughout. In the beginning Jay-Z adopted the typical flow and sound of Hip-Hop artists of the mid 80s and while the sound was current for the time nowadays his early work would just sound like the typical music of the day. By the time his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, came out he had already come up with the flow and smooth lyrics that people still associate him with today. From 1996 on Jay-Z has consistently been one of the best lyricists and has made some of the best projects in the genre of Hip Hop.
Jay-Z has been a staple of Hip-Hop since his debut album in 1996 and has made some classics of the genre and has been behind some of the smoothest delivered lyrics ever. Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint are some of the greatest of the genre and not only do they have some of the greatest production on them, but some of Jay’s most classic lines were spit on those records. While every Jay-Z album doesn’t have a “classic” status he’s still been an incredibly consistent artist throughout his musical career and that’s something that not many can say in any genre let alone one as competitive as the Hip-Hop genre. He has been able to adapt with the times and that’s something that a lot of artists from his era have not been able to do successfully. Jay has been able to stay relevant throughout the decades and despite being the same age as most of the first generation of Hip Hop listeners he never has fallen into the category of that old rapper. His latest album 4:44 was proof that he can make an album that pertains to his current situation in life and he can make it to where it’s not a boring listen to a demographic that is far from experiencing the same things that a 50 year old person has to deal with whether it is a huge star like Jay-Z.
Jay-Z’s greatness extends beyond music and he’s become a mogul. Becoming the second Hip-Hop figure to become a billionaire. Jay-Z built his own legacy every step of the way and it started with creating his own label with Dame Dash after major companies wouldn’t publish his debut album. Jay has also dabbled in clothing with his own line and also has recently created his own streaming service Tidal. Along with other investments like flipping old paintings and his own alcohol and a share in the Brooklyn Nets, Jay has continued to make his brand better and has made it possible for others to possibly follow down the road. That’s probably the biggest reason why he’s the greatest in the genre cause not only is he still able to make quality Hip Hop music in the current state, but he’s also building his brand and opening multiple doors for multiple artists to try and do the same for themselves. Jay-Z is doing something that no current artist or artist of his era is able to do and that’s being able to reinvent himself with every coming year and decade. There are others that have similar paths as him, but nobody has done it quite like Jay.
Most Hip Hop artists that have come from the 90s and early 2000s are obviously not as popular as they once were in the year 2020, but few artists from that era can still be as relevant as Jay Z. It’s very hard to do especially in this climate when trends and popularity goes by so quick. Obviously he has slowed down with his production of music and of course he’s one of the greatest to grab a mic, but what makes him the greatest of all time is not only keeping his rapping skills at a high level throughout all this time, but also venturing into a multitude of other areas and growing more successful. Jay Z is one of the few Hip Hop personalities that don’t 100% have that label on him as just an insanely good rapper, he has helped shaped the genre into one that needs to be respected and he’s broken ground for the current generation to follow his footsteps and grow their own success. He’s not only the greatest of his generation on the mic, but the empire that he’s built for himself has made him the greatest all around.
