11 Ways Jay Z Can Drop Another Classic Album

The last year passed with something like three Jay Z guest verses that ranged from fulfilled obligation to absolute fire, with one electrifying freestyle thrown in for good measure. There were more gossip headlines than music. But who am I to complain, when the prior year featured a quasi-surprise album that, since everyone else seems to want to act brand new, I'll declare here as actually pretty fucking fire. (It's at least a B.)

But now it's about that time. Not only has it been too long, but fam is pushing 50. Sooner or later he's going to retire, for good this time, and despite a storied discography and a run every other rapper would kill to have, the God MC can't back out on an album only a portion of the rap audience is willing to admit is good. The man who made universally acclaimed long players like Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and an excellent farewell album, cannot bow out with something that has mixed reception. Forget about what he may or may not be planning with the wife. There is, at the very least, one more classic album in Jaÿ-Z. And I'm going to tell him a few worthwhile ways he can go about unleashing it.

Frazier Tharpe is a staff writer at Complex. Follow him at @The_SummerMan.

Not only was the last year light on new Jay verses, when we did get them they were inconsistent. For every tossed off fumble like "They Don't Love You No More," there was a re-validating, energized feature like on "Seen It All." The absolute high point, though, was toe-tagging Drake's "We Made It" with hip-hop's very own Disappearing Man, Jay Electronica. Who knows when the last time Jay actually got in the studio was, but if it's been awhile, hopping on a few of the hottest tracks (maybe with some friends and/or Roc Nation artists, maybe dolo) is a great way to clear the cobwebs and preheat the oven. There was a time when this was already a part of Jay's rollout formula, word to "Pump It Up" and "If I Can't." Hopping on a remix with the hottest rappers out and absolutely killing them wouldn't hurt either.

Even those who dug MCHG (which I did) have to admit Hudson Mohawke had a slight point when he called Jay out with this salty tweet.

Timbaland laced Hov with some of the best beats he's given any rapper in years. But as mean as, say, "Picasso Baby" is, the beats weren't enough of a challenge. The cool thing about Watch the Throne is how well Jay rapped over beats that were, in some instances, way out of his norm. The now-classic leaked doc shows the god catching a rare struggle over "Why I Love You" (fam really says, "Words are tough"), but look how that turned out. With two decades logged, the way to keep everyone's ears perked is by breaking new ground, with new flows. You know, like he did during his unfuckwitable run in the late '90s and early 2000s, when everyone from Swizz to the Neptunes were giving him cutting-edge heaters. There's also room to grow by simply calling a few already-established dudes who don't usually produce in Jay's lane. Remember when DJ Toomp randomly snuck on American Gangster with one of the album's best songs? What would Hov sound like with DJ Dahi? Or London on da Track?

A lot of hyperbole has been thrown around in recent years about how much Jay actually "needs" Kanye. Reminder: For every Blueprint, there's a solid, or even classic, Jay Z album that was created with no Yeezus involvement. But Ye does bring out the best in his big brother. He's in a unique position where he's not a yes man and actually equipped with the talent and ear to push him to further, farther, and harder. Kanye may not be in the musical state of mind to create another collab album (can't quite see Jay hopping on "FourFiveSeconds"), but his own interests have never hindered his ability to lace his friends and artists with beats that they'll sound great over, word to Pusha T and "Lunch Money."

Jay's longtime engineer has been a studio staple since the Dynasty album, and as such, they have a predictably tight professional relationship whereupon Guru is comfortable with expressing any and every opinion on every song, down to arguing against one mere verse. He wasn't involved in the Watch the Throne process because OCD Yeezus preferred to work with his own engineers and Hov acquiesced, but there's no word on why, to the best of our knowledge, he wasn't involved with MCHG. Maybe the growing space between projects allowed him to go off and do his own thing? Whatever the case, he deserves to, and should be, on hand for the next joint. A man with an ever-expanding ego such as Jigga's could use a trusted voice who isn't scared to debate. (For the record, when ranking his favorite Jay albums, Guru placed WTT and MCHG near the bottom.)

No one knows the pressures that come with adding on to an already esteemed catalog like Jay. It's a factor he has to consider every time he drops a new song, and especially a new album. But when asked why it's been so long since he locked in with Just Blaze, Jigga admitted that the expectations that come with their collabs loom too large. Welp, it's about time you get over it, Hova. Forget trying to measure up to past successes like "PSA" and "Song Cry" and just focus on making new, compelling music. It's worked so far with Kanye, right?

Meanwhile, the past discography that should be influencing Jay's present choices is the back half of Kingdom Come. Dr. Dre is a legend and all, but leave him in Silicon Valley counting billions with Apple. As you'll remember, Just Blaze's three KC beats are among the album's bright spots. The Dre tracks that pick up the slack? Quite lethargic. We'll always have "Watch Me," though.

Maybe pass Puff the rock again? American Gangster only exists in part because fellow Forbes Cash King BFF Puffy was sitting on audio propane in the form of beats he had absolutely no plans for. These days Puff is in Regal Trap™ mode with those MMG boys, but who knows what he's added to his stash since the AG days. (Remember, he famously had Boi-1da's "0 to 100" first). Regardless, he's one hell of an executive producer who can definitely offer his ear and some sound advice if the invitation is extended.

Each Jay album intentionally features production from at least one newcomer, but I'm thinking beyond say, the Buchanans sneaking in with "What More Can I Say." Take a page from Bey's book. Mrs. Carter made her newest album her best by not only taking a hyper-perfectionist amount of time with it, but by also mining rich new material with the help of a relative unknown in singer/songwriter/producer Boots. Jay's taken this approach himself more or less by locking in with Swizz Beatz and later Kanye, and letting them handle a sizable share of Vol. 2 and The Blueprint, respectively, i.e two of the highest-rated albums in his discography. Discovering and pioneering a new, fire sound is a first-class ticket to a timeless album.

Jay's known for being guarded, but the brightest spots on his last two albums (WTT and MCHG) find him getting very personal, on everything from his new family to a self-awareness of how a large portion of rap's audience perceives him today ("Old man, just stop.") There are also loosies like the impulsive "Open Letter" and proto-"Only One" #ProudDad moment "Glory." After an eventful 2014 in which he and the wife fell victim to more tabloid headlines than ever, he sure has a lot to talk about. Take the reins of recent gossip with a few slick-worded bars. Just don't save a subliminal for Flex, Jay, lest he ruin your career.

I'd rather not see a collab album, but that doesn't mean Beyoncé shouldn't be in the studio. She masterminded one of the best albums of the last few years, with intense precision, care, time, and attention to detail, not to mention, in secret. I'm sure she offers her opinions just on some straight-up life-partner shit, but maybe involving her in a more official capacity is a lowkey genius move. King Bey might be the secret executive producer weapon Jay never realized he had.

It seems like Shawn has an eye on a new venture every month. And while the growing Roc Nation empire is awesome, running 17 businesses is not quite conducive to disappearing for two days and emerging with the majority of The Blueprint. Obviously Hov can't just step away from the professional and personal duties that he didn't quite have back then, but he can fall back. Trust in lieutenants like OG Juan and Jay Brown, rollout a Tom Ford sleeping bag in the studio, and start growing that hair out. It's time to work.

This feels like a lesson Jay's already learned and digested, but I'm reiterating. Just drop an album of undeniable fire that even the haters, diehard "Ether fans," and Young Thugs of the world have to admit is pretty damn good, and literally fade to black this time. Not only is the pressure needlessly increased with a farewell label, but cynics still salty from the Jordan-Wizards comeback will ruin the moment out of disbelief.