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Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, is a titan in the music industry in his own right, and he's got the feats to prove it. In March 2023, Billboard named him the greatest rapper of all time. Some of his other feats are as follows: the record for the most number-one albums of any solo artist on the chart, the first hip-hop billionaire, and according to CNBC, he's the wealthiest musical artist in the world.
As if it weren't enough, he is one of the world's best-selling music artists with a growing list of accolades. This, coupled with the record for tenth-highest Grammy Award holder, with an astounding 24, makes Jay-Z one of the most celebrated artists of our times. He was also the first rapper to make it to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Below is a list of his best songs, ranked based on Spotify streams, to keep you company.
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Here's looking at the best of Jay-Z
1) Umbrella
Total Streams: 1,611,584,895
Daily Streams: 1,006,287
It's one thing for Rihanna to produce a hit on her own, but when she and Jay-Z club together, the world stops for a minute. This song came out in March 2007 and was an instant success. It sat atop the charts in over 15 countries, became one of the UK's most-played songs on the radio, topped the UK Singles Chart for 10 weeks straight, and back home, it fared just as well on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"You have my heart / And we'll never be worlds apart / Maybe in magazines / But you'll still be my star / Baby, 'cause in the dark / You can't see shiny cars / And that's when you need me there / With you I'll always share"
2) Ni**as In Paris
Total Streams: 1,481,782,837
Daily Streams: 656,266
Music giants Jay-Z and Ye gave birth to this song that would earn them the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. This track debuted at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed its way up to No. 5. Far away in the UK, the song boded well, where it became the 17th most-streamed song of 2012, and by April 2017, the song went on to become the 18th most-sold hip-hop song of all time.
"So I ball so hard, m***********s wanna fine me / But first ni***s gotta find me / What's fifty grand to a m***********s like me? Can you please remind me? / (Ball so hard) This sh*t crazy / Y'all don't know that don't sh*t faze me / The Nets could go 0 for 82 / And I'd look at you like this sh*t gravy"
3) Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z)
Total Streams: 1,273,291,951
Daily Streams: 1,099,417
Power couple Jay-Z and Queen B, a.k.a. Beyoncé, wrote and composed this song, and it's one for the books. This blend of pop, hip-hop, and R&B dominated charts worldwide. VH1 declared it the greatest song of the decade in the 2000s while it clocked in at No. 16 on Rolling Stone's 500 greatest songs of all time in 2021. It also garnered the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
"I look and stare so deep in your eyes / I touch on you more and more every time / When you leave, I'm begging you not to go / Call your name two, three times in a row / Such a funny thing for me to try to explain / How I'm feeling and my pride is the one to blame / (Yeah, yeah) 'cause I know I don't understand"
4) Empire State Of Mind ft. Alicia Keys
Total Streams: 1,073,733,139
Daily Streams: 659,264
Arguably the song that granted Jay-Z his fame, this song was such a massive hit, that both Rolling Stone and The New York Times included it in their top 10 list of the best songs of 200. It nabbed 3 Grammy Award nominations, held the topmost position on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks straight, and stayed within the top 10 in at least 6 other countries. Most notably, the song has been certified 9x platinum.
"Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca / Right next to De Niro,but I'll be hood forever / I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here / I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere / I used to cop in Harlem, hola, my Dominicanos (Dímelo)"
5) Numb / Encore
Total Streams: 1,038,902,670
Daily Streams: 401,547
This Linkin Park cum Jay-Z track came out in July 2004, and climbed its way up the Billboard Hot 100 to No. 20. It also clocked in at No. 93 on the Billboard Year-End Hot Singles of 2005, and by June 2024, the song surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, New Fury Media reported. The song has also been certified 3x platinum and has won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2006.
"Get 'em, Jay / Who you know fresher than Hov? Riddle me that / The rest of y'all know where I'm lyrically at / Can't none of y'all mirror me back / Yeah, hearin' me rap is like hearin' G rap in his prime / I'm Young H.O., rap's Grateful Dead / Back to take over the globe, now break bread / I'm in Boeing jets, Global Express"
6) Drunk in Love (feat. Jay-Z)
Total Streams: 619,801,556
Daily Streams: 168,294
Yet another massive hit by the power couple, Queen B and Jay-Z debuted Drunk In Love in December 2013. The song is a concoction of hip-hop, trap, and R&B, and alludes to female sexuality. At its highest, it hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. The song was also certified platinum by the RIAA.
"I've been drinking, I've been drinking / I get filthy when that liquor get into me / I've been thinking, I've been thinking / Why can't I keep my fingers off you, baby? / I want you, na na / Why can't I keep my fingers off you, baby? / I want you, na na / Cigars on ice, cigars on ice / Feeling like an animal with these cameras all in my grill / Flashing lights, flashing lights / You got me faded, faded, faded"
7) Run This Town
Total Streams: 538,817,106
Daily Streams: 397,703
RiRi, Ye, and Jay-Z got together to gift fans with another token of their musical prowess in this next song, Run This Town. It came out in July 2009 and was a huge commercial success. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made it to the top 10 on charts in over 10 other countries. The song also won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
"Feel it comin' in the air (Yeah) / Hear the screams from everywhere (Yeah) / I'm addicted to the thrill (I'm ready) / It's a dangerous love affair (What's up? Come on) / Can't be scared when it goes down / Got a problem, tell me now (What's up?) / Only thing that's on my mind"
8) No Church In The Wild
Total Streams: 410,040,947
Daily Streams: 224,707
Jay-Z and Kanye West collaborated to gift the world with this track, which also featured artists Frank Ocean and The-Dream. It came out in March 2012, and the song garnered several nominations, hit No. 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaked at No. 10 on the UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC), and bode well in several other countries.
"Human beings in a mob / What's a mob to a king? / What's a king to a god? / What's a god to a non-believer / Who don't believe in anything? / Will he make it out alive? / Alright, alright / No church in the wild / / Tears on the mausoleum floor / Blood stains the Colosseum doors / Lies on the lips of a priest / Thanksgiving disguised as a feast"
9. Monster
Total Streams: 369,726,283
Daily Streams: 121,837
For this Ye song, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and Bon Iver banded together to deliver vocals that would take the world by storm. Right off the bat, upon its debut, the song clocked in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Rolling Stone, it was No. 10 on the list of Best Singles of 2010, and among its plethora of feats, the song was certified platinum by the RIAA.
"You put me on a pedestal and tell me I'm the best / Raise me up into the sky until I'm short of breath (yeah) / Fill me up with confidence, I say what's in my chest / Spill my words and tear me down until there's nothing left / Rearrange the pieces just to fit me with the rest, yeah / But what if I, what if I trip? / What if I, what if I fall? / Then am I the monster? / Just let me know"
10) Holy Grail
Total Streams: 334,647,904
Daily Streams: 85,699
This song features Justin Timberlake and sat at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and in March 2014, it made it to No. 25 on Billboard's Top 100 Hot Rap Songs of all time. In December 2013, it made No. 22 as the most popular song of the year on the Billboard Hot 100.
"You'd take the clothes off my back, and I'd let you / You'd steal the food right out my mouth / And I'd watch you eat it, I still don't know why / Why I love you so much, oh / You curse my name / In spite, to put me to shame / Hang my laundry in the streets / Dirty or clean / Give it up for fame / But I still don't know why (don't know why) / Why I love it so much, yeah"
Jay-Z also has his fingers in many pies, and music is only one of them. He's the founder of the 40/40 club, the clothing retailer Rocawear, and Roc Nation. He's also a part-owner of Tidal, a music-streaming service. In his personal life, he and Bey share 3 children, Blue Ivy, and twins Rumi and Sir.
