REASONABLE DOUBT: 82%

IN MY LIFETIME, VOL. 1: 69%

VOL. 2… HARD KNOCK LIFE: 68%

VOL. 3… LIFE & TIMES OF S. CARTER: 65%

THE DYNASTY: ROC LA FAMILIA: 71%

THE BLUEPRINT: 78%

THE BLUEPRINT²: THE GIFT & THE CURSE: 65%

THE BLACK ALBUM: 85%

KINGDOM COME: 52%

AMERICAN GANGSTER: 82%

THE BLUEPRINT 3: 52%

THE THRONE | WATCH THE THRONE: 80%

MAGNA CARTA… HOLY GRAIL: 58%

4:44: 90%

THE CARTERS | EVERYTHING IS LOVE: 52%

This marathon has turned me into a fan of JAY-Z. I don’t remember which one it was, but in an episode of the Dubl D’s podcast, Dom asked D if he really thinks that JAY-Z is as good as everyone says he is. I can’t remember his exact words, but he responded by saying something like this… “Yes. Kids these days aren’t gonna understand all the praise Jay gets, but if you grew up in my generation you know why he’s so great. It was like there was nothing he couldn’t do. It was amazing.” I think I can kinda understand that. Just think about it; this man dropped an album every single year from 1996 to 2003, and he managed to stay relevant the entire time. He didn’t have any bad albums. Obviously there are some that aren’t very good, but I don’t think any of them are actually bad. Not even Kingdom Come or The Blueprint 3. They’re just really not good. What other artist has that kind of consistency? When you take that into account, as well as everything else he’s accomplished with Roc-A-Fella and artists like Kanye West & J. Cole, the way he’s venerated makes a lot more sense. I still believe he’s one of the most overrated artists of all time. I don’t believe the quality of his discography justifies his fame. He’s not bad tho. He’s really fuckin’ good. He’s definitely a lot better than I thought he was. So yeah. This was a successful marathon. A lot of these albums were a chore to get through, but as a whole his discography is good. JAY-Z is dope.

Favorite Song: Smile

Least Favorite Song: As One

Verdict: 70%

B-