LAAAAAAAME! Jay-Z’s 5 Worst Songs Ever6:06 pm | Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Let’s just get this out the way: Jay-Z is the greatest. Say what you want, but no other rapper, past or present, has accomplished what Shawn Carter has in the booth as well as the business room. Show us your favorite rapper and we’ll show you a Jay-Z fan. Even Jim Jones, who was embroiled in beef Hov, has caught himself quoting Jay on Twitter. So, yeah, dude is nice.
But if you’ve been following the stream of leaked Timbaland produced tracks from his upcoming Blueprint 3, we’re sure you’ve noticed two things. 1. Someone in Timbaland’s camp needs to catch a beatdown and 2. The three tracks are far from what we expected from the third Blueprint installment. Don’t worry, it’s OK, you can admit it, the rap gods are a forgiving bunch. That said, how bad are these songs, really? Are they among some of Jay’s worst? Take a look at our picks for his top 5 worst songs ever and then see if “Reminder” is really all that horrible.
#5.
SONG: “Justify My Thug”
ALBUM: The Black Album
Announcing he was going to get Madonna on track on his farewell album was the first mistake. Having her drop out only to have DJ Quick sample her “Justify My Love” instead to proclaim his gangster was, well, LAAAAAAME!
LISTEN:
————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
#4.
SONG: “As One” (feat. Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Gunz, Peedi Crakk, Omillio Sparks & Rell)
ALBUM: Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse
What do you do if you have a roster full of artists you have no intentions of ever putting out again? Take one of your in-house producers’ throwaway beats and let ‘em scuffle for a couple bars each. Who said Hov didn’t care about his artists?
LISTEN:
————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
#3.
SONG: “30 Something”
ALBUM: Kingdom Come
In the rap kingdom, whatever Hova says becomes law, right? We thought so to until he tried disrupt the laws of physics and convince the youth that 30 is the new 20 and that therefore he’s still cool. Come on Hov, R. Kelly and Woody Allen were the only dudes riding with you on that one.
LISTEN:
————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
#2.
SONG: “‘03 Bonnie & Clyde”, “Hollywood” (TIE)
ALBUM: Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse, Kingdom Come
We didn’t think Jay-Z could make a worse song with Beyonce than the “Bonnie & Clyde” remake. Until we heard the horribly laughable “Hollywood.” Why is it that every time Hov appeared on a Beyonce album, the song was good, but when it was the other way around, it sounded like a track Memph Bleek would turn down?
LISTEN:
“‘03 Bonnie & Clyde”
“Hollywood”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
#1.
SONG: “I Know What Girls Like” (Feat. Puff Daddy & Lil Kim)
ALBUM: In My Lifetime Vol. 1
Puffy and the Hitmen blessed Hov with some gems on Vol. 1—”Imaginary Player”, “Where I’m From”, “You Must Love Me”—but they just couldn’t leave the jiggy alone! Without the camel face inducing visual, “Sunshine” was aiiight, but “I Know What Girls Like” was garbage. No wonder it took a decade for the two of them to link back up. Time heals all, apparently.
LISTEN:
rob August 28, 2009 at 7:05 am
i agree with most ppl here: anything feat. usher and pharrell was the worst jay-z record ever
what about ugly btw? he apologized for it and he lost the nas battle with that abortion…
CassavaLeaf.com September 20, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I’m not gonna front… I was bumping “I know what girls like”
JAY Z S LOVEE January 7, 2010 at 5:26 pm
listen. jay z is the best rapper ever. he has never done a bad song, and that fucker rob, dont talk about his lose of a child. you guys are haters and are just mad cause jay z is a better rapper and person then any of you will ever be. I love you shawn carter
geico lizard August 28, 2009 at 7:47 am
I am the only man in america who liked “I know what girls like.” I play that entire album from beginning to end it is good but even Jay-z admits he wasnt focused on it. So that means I like that album more than Jay-z does,wtf?
Pittbull August 28, 2009 at 8:00 am
Justify my thug was crazy dope. Sometimes i question if theses dudes know shit about hip-hop. Change clothes was prolly his worst track ever
harry balls August 28, 2009 at 11:27 pm
look whos talking about not knowing hip hop. change clothes was super duper awesome you homo
Killa August 29, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Justify My Thug was Dope, but Change Clothes was whack? Were you high when you wrote that?
300C September 2, 2009 at 4:18 pm
change clothes sucked balls
sharpy August 28, 2009 at 9:14 am
i agree dat ‘hollywood’ is garbage and so is ‘i know what girls like’, dunno bout blueprint 3 NO JUSTIN BLAZE,
anyways PEACE!
bkannon26 August 28, 2009 at 9:33 am
Yo, I don’t know about “As One” being one of his worst. the set-up of the song was BonKers! AND they all went hard on it. Can’t ride with y’all on that one. Plus he flowed on “30 Something”
zonebx1160 August 28, 2009 at 10:00 am
30 something was ight it was cool, anything & hollywood was catchy, i wasnt diggin that whole make it rain concept on anything tho, justify my thug was dope the 1st couple times then it got wack. sunshine was pure trash except da beat. i dont give a fuck what any1 says 03 bonnie & clyde was ok & so was as one. i know what girls like is okkkkkkkkkkkk. shit matter of fact i dont know how many hov tracks i can say is wack, well maybe who you wit, i wasnt diggin that song & still not
Jos-Boogie August 28, 2009 at 10:01 am
justify my thug and 30s the new 20 are not 2 of jay-z’s worst songs, i would put change clothes on there ana pop 4 roc
jojo August 28, 2009 at 10:03 am
DOA
Show me what you got
hustlin remix <– his verse was so wack
Run this town
and many more, pretty much anything after black album sucked
zonebx1160 August 28, 2009 at 10:14 am
wtf?????? what kinda shit u smokin?????
doa is a banger so is run this town, his verse on hustlin was dope 2 he merked cam on that shit & it wasnt even his hardest verse. & kingdom come was dope ass album except for anything, hollywood & oh my god
zonebx1160 August 28, 2009 at 10:05 am
o yea big pimpin was straight garbage..fuck what ya say & that song he did wit mariah carey on vol. 3 & guilty til preoven innocent, maybe it’s just me but i thought that shit was garbage, matter of fact i wasnt diggin any of the songs he did wit kells except for the fiesta remix
Hattori August 28, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Bonnie & Clyde and 30 Something were straight…what should’ve been on this list is Sunshine ft Foxy Brown…that was trash!
DL3 August 28, 2009 at 1:32 pm
bloggers always got something to say…granted. This article entertains people with nothing better to do….but “30 something” y’all are straight reckless with that…flawless Dre production, crazy flows on there y’all need to fall back and quit throwing pebbles. your reaching on this article.
Mike August 28, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Some of these songs are bad. But if like, The Game or someone came out with these 5 tracks right now, we’d be hailing the next great rapper. Hov is only really competing with himself.
BabyDoll August 28, 2009 at 4:15 pm
WROOOOOOONG!
Justify My Thug (althought I do sing along)
Like 3 songs from Kingdom Come (Anything, Minority Report, Beach Chair…)
And Sunshine
Mello3 August 28, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Sunshine was aiight, the video sucked, “I know what girls like” sucked also….All the other songs I don’t know about, Jay lost me after Blueprint 1…..A lot of people down talk on In my Lifetime Vol.1 but that was a solid album he had alot of jams on that one…(A million and One, Imaginary Player, Streets is Watching(classic), Friend or Foe ‘96, Who You Wit II, Rap Game/Crack Game, Where I’m from)…Solid album…
EffYou August 28, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I always hated “Lucky Me”,the joint wit mariah was wiggity too
feckme August 28, 2009 at 8:55 pm
helll naw anytime jay z is brought up, u would immedietely think about a song that featured pharrell. those songz are his best. DOA is by far one of the worse songs i ever heard. i get the message but the song is hellla wack. OVERRATED
Mello3 August 28, 2009 at 9:31 pm
@ Trey Stone……Squeeze 1st was a tight jam, he just didn’t flow like he suppose to on that beat, he kept repeating shit over and over again, that last verse was tight though…..”I was out the door, pouch full of raw, a outlaw mentality
Men gotta do men things for men salary
Bad Boy, not Puff or Mike Lowery”
MIZZLE August 28, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Man Jays worst tracks were 22′ 2s I hate that. It is terrible. “Experts” say its hot. NOPE! What they gonna part 1 and 2. Next is Hello Brooklyn and finally the worst Jay-z song ever Money aint a thang.
Lastly man Hollywood is hot. Its like a movie. If you dont feel that then you need to fall back. ALL THE WAY BACK. Oh and Timbo been 4hitty.
MannyWallace August 28, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I kinda liked the posse vibe on “As One”
MoneyMakinMitch August 29, 2009 at 12:03 pm
i have to disagree with u on at least 3 songs. “as one” is on of my favorite tracks from the the curse. great sample for the beat and most of the roc killed the track. also hollywood was a bad track. could jay do better on the track, yes…but it was a good combination of artist. and last but not least justifiy my thug iis another decent track. i would have picked 5 other worse tracks then what u guys put there.
Bestueverhad August 29, 2009 at 5:14 pm
This list cant be serious. I mean really fix your face. How could you put “30 something” on this list. That Dr. Dre beat is straight fire!!! Catchy lyrics. C’mon…who ever authored this list should be shot.
Juicehustlin August 30, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I agree with justify my thug, but As One was a classic and Bonnie and clyde was dope too, so Idk if you were sniffing that white when u wrote this?! 30 something wasnt great but it was good and hollywood was a good track! But i think you need to listen to hip hop b4 you started writing articles on it! just my opinion……
IamPaulC August 30, 2009 at 8:39 pm
It musta been a hard time finding bad songs because Justify my thug is pretty damn good…
Can I call this whole article
“LAAAAAAAME!”, yup! yup!
peace
The Legend Killer August 30, 2009 at 10:10 pm
40 and you still rappin …Ugghhhh! Hang it up, just stick to developing artists or running your label. Try rediversifying your investments. Stick to random features….an ALBUM nah don’t do that. Jay-Z albums we definitely off that I’d much rather just listen to the old shit and be like man that was hot. Lil Wayne, Drake, Gucci and all the other new booties got it all covered. Oh yea and Jay-Z does lightweight hate on Kanye and Ye’s makin it HOT right now! Kanye wild’s out on TV, smash other peoples songs with one verse, and bones super models like its nothin. Gotta respect it.
SmoothMover August 31, 2009 at 4:23 am
Agreed!
“I Know What Girls Like” is the worst song Jay-Z EVER!!!
I remember hearing this back in the day and thinkin…I thought Puffy was the best producer?…He just screwed Jay over.
DLocc60 August 31, 2009 at 9:13 am
You lot are smoking crack seriously——-I saw that some one put “Oh My God”—–The fuck is wrong with you?—–you a batty boy or something—I get it—-you’re saying that dumb shit simply for the shock?—-You’re not Perez Hilton—Oh, Lil’ Wayne isn’t a “New Booty” Wayne is pushing 30 and shit–Anyways—I agree with this list for the most part—I don’t know why they put “Justify My Thug” on there– “If you shoot my dog, I got to kill your cat, it’s just the unwritten rule of rap, know that, for every action, reaction, don’t have me relapsing, back to reasonable doubt, it’s go time”—Ugh, so sick.
Eric August 31, 2009 at 11:07 am
You are all wrong… if you only consider tracks off his albums, you must include “Girl’s Best Friend”, “Bitches & Sisters” and 75% of Kingdom Come.
If you are considering singles and Collabos, “Hey Papi” and “Mi Amor” have to be the weakest songs out there. These are the worst of the worst. Mi Amor makes Changes Clothes sound like “Dead Presidents”
Someone said “22 Twos”… wow, thats just dumb.
digs August 31, 2009 at 11:53 am
I disagree with “30 Something”, but everything else was on point.
Logic718 August 31, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I don’t agree with 30 something being wack. Maybe you gotta be 30 and over to relate. But I can understand why people would hate on Justify my thug! The beat was boring as fuck!! I love DJ Quik, but that was a throwaway track if I ever hear one. I, like so many others, made a remix version to the Black Album and my version to Justify my thug is fire!!! When you listen to his acapella on that, and other Black Album joints, yo Jay is straight fire. A wack track can sometimes destroy the mood of the story the rapper is trying to portray and this happens to Jay a lot! It was a great ending to a great career, but he came back! I hope BP3 is dope.
Peace
Gman September 13, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Justify My Thug should be nowhere near this list in any way shape or form. The Quik beat was perfect in its simplicity. The fact that it was “boring” (translated simple and not busy) made Jay’s lyrics the focus of the track, which is exactly how a song of that type is supposed to be made. Lyrically and conceptually an amazing song, yall have terrible taste in music in general if you can’t recognize that
Velvet Jones August 31, 2009 at 10:45 pm
“Sunshine”, “S. Carter (which may be one of the worst songs ever),”Pop 4 Roc”, “Girls Best Friend”, and “Things That You Do” deserved to be on this list over “30 Something”, “Bonnie & Clyde”, “Justify My Thug” and “As One”
Rembrandt September 1, 2009 at 6:17 pm
You are crazy, Hollywood was ill! and so was as one. the weakest part was that they didn’t really do anythign unique with the earth wind and fire sample that they had.
aquakidd September 1, 2009 at 7:26 pm
how is bonnie and clyde up there? that song wasnt too bad. i can probably name a couple of songs that was worse than bonnie and clyde.
J_More September 4, 2009 at 11:19 pm
wowww Justify My Thug??? NO u blowed
jay3091 September 8, 2009 at 11:48 am
I think some of his songs are debatable because a lot of the ones that sucked, a lot of people liked them and they got mad radio play. And if you mention any song off Kingdom Come to me… I’d say “Fuck You” cause I like that album.
Tee Yea September 17, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I like 30 Something.
luck September 29, 2009 at 3:35 pm
30 something and justify my thug are fire, he’s not trying to convince you he’s 20 in 30 something , he’s telling you is all grown up, i bet you the person who made this list doesn’t even listen to Jay z, gotta be some white chick who listens to Britney all day lol
melissa November 4, 2009 at 11:41 pm
ok, woah… i think these songs up here arent the WORST… i know what girls like was a poppin song where i live… the beyonce& jay z’s arent wack… & 30’s the nu 20’s is 4mature ppl… im 16 but, i even felt like the song was hot… who else ever tried 2 act their age, at least he knows he not 20 anymore…
Kenny_Goodtimes November 7, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Yep I’m more or less with this entire list esp. “I know what girls like”, that song hurt my feelings. Vol. 1 could’ve been another classic, 2 in a row for jigga if he just had alittle editing. Leave off “I know what girls like” and, “Sunshine”, maybe replace those songs with other lesser know but great jigga joints from that Streets is watching Soundtrack like “In my life time” and ” Celebration” with Bleek and Souce, or even the Original version of Dead Presidents. Hey that’s what I did on my Vol. 1 playlist and now it’s a classic :-)
thatnikesbguy November 8, 2009 at 3:47 pm
30 something was hard everything else was wack number one was one of the worst song made ever that song sucked bad
Fabian November 12, 2009 at 1:36 pm
agree with at least some of ur points. but yes, “reminder” really IS that horrible. the hook?!? sounds like a fuckin britney track.
Special Fr3D AKA Rico November 19, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I am the only man in america who liked “I know what girls like.” I play that entire album from beginning to end it is good but even Jay-z admits he wasnt focused on it. So that means I like that album more than Jay-z does,wtf?
^ I fuck with it. I like the cheesiness of the track
wes November 26, 2009 at 4:57 am
this blog is hilarious. Justify my thug was a mediocore track, its not good and its not bad, but i did dislike change clothes. i dont remember the one, his songs with beyonce are always pretty cheesy, 30 something was a throw away track and yes i know what girls like was a bad track. i thought his worst track was show me what you got. forever young off of BP3 is pretty sissy. anythang seemed like a corny version of hard knock life. speaking of HKL that song with foxy, i think its called paper something, that was pretty bad. most of the r. kelly and jayz collabo just straight suck
LondonTown December 2, 2009 at 5:48 am
Ok the only part of this uneducated rant in which i can find any sort of parallel in its absurdity and my own opinion is…the track with bleek, young gunz and co. Other than that, will someone please teach the authors of this stupid article the facts of life in the form of Jay-Z.
And to those who speak about “Reminder”
“Men lie, Women lie, numbers dont”
Its what hes saying you need to listen to retards.
thatdrop.com December 11, 2009 at 1:28 am
check out some footage from Snoop x Famous Stars party! Sh*t was off the hoooook!!!
thatdrop.com
Rob Won January 3, 2010 at 4:56 am
The bottom line is rappers always tightrope walk between commerical success and pleasing the purists. Whether you like or dislike Jay, if you follow the culture you know Jay has had thee best if not the second best career ever. (Eminem sold 84 million records and presented 50, Jay has more number Ones than any artist in music history)
As far as this blog, once again someone who should have never been given the chance to write for Complex has written for Complex. The pics show someone who isnt familiar with Jays work and further more is unaware of his effect on pop culture. Bonnie and Clyde is a classic record. I know what girls like was a product of the decadent late 90’s excess and, is, by all accounts, a bad record. The people here who comment need to go to Perez Hiltons site because they dont know of what they speak. Lick Balls
Booty April 21, 2010 at 5:55 am
howdy, I look at all your posts, keep them coming.