"The Black Album" is Jay-Z's Greatest Album

After releasing "The Blueprint 3" on Sept. 8, 2009, Jay-Z has now released 11 albums that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Of those 11 albums, two are collaborations (one with Linkin Park, the other with R. Kelly), but Jay-Z has also released 11 solo albums.

Those 11 albums have been a mix of classics, near-classics and pretty good albums. Jay-Z moved from having a very hard, street sound on his debut in 1996, to a more commercial sound that was heavily featured in 2002's double album "The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse."

He has also moved from being a critically acclaimed rapper to being considered the greatest rapper of all time by many, which is no small feat.

When considering the best of Jay-Z's albums, an easy grading tool would be the number of good songs on the album. But other tools that can be used to judge one of his albums are the number of classic Jay-Z songs on the album (since a lot of his classic songs are spread across different albums) and the time period of his career when the album was released.

So what are the greatest Jay-Z albums of all time? Below is the list, starting with the best.

1. "The Black Album" (2003)

Jay-Z's supposed retirement album is his greatest because it not only has 10 standout tracks (of 14), includes two of his all-time greatest songs in "99 Problems" and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and is the one album that can be put on to show someone that Jay-Z's boast of being the best rapper alive wasn't just hyperbole, it was the real deal.

Featuring outstanding production from Rick Rubin, Timbaland, Kanye West, The Neptunes and Just Blaze, and just two songs that feature a guest artist, "The Black Album" is Jay-Z at his best.

Lyrically he comes to grips with rising to the top of the rap world, bowing out on top and remaining true to his gangster past.

The absence of any other big names appearing on tracks only further pushes Jay-Z's lyrical flow to the forefront, allowing him to show just how great he truly is.

Not only is "The Black Album" Jay-Z's greatest; it should be on any list of greatest albums of all time.

2. "The Blueprint" (2001)

While the album is great nearly from beginning to end, "The Blueprint" also has major cultural significance as it was released on Sept. 11, 2001, and still sold 426,000 copies in its first week.

"The Blueprint" also came out at a time when Jay-Z was facing gun possession and assault charges, so the lyrics and material are a little rougher than other albums.

The production is also grittier. Despite having major crossover success with The Neptunes' "I Just Wanna Love You," there are no songs produced by The Neptunes and Pharrell does not appear on the album at all.

In fact, "The Blueprint" is similar to "The Black Album" in the absence of guest artists. Instead, Jay-Z is once again front and center, and is supported by the amazing production of Just Blaze on standout tracks "Girls Girls Girls," "U Don't Know" and "Song Cry," and Kanye West on standouts "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," and "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)."

"The Blueprint" set a high bar for Jay-Z, one that he would only be able to clear once so far in his career.

3. "American Gangster" (2007)

After a disappointing comeback album in 2006, Jay-Z found his inspiration in the Denzel Washington film "American Gangster" to release an album of the same name that chronicles Jay-Z's own success rising from the drug world to the top of the music industry.

That inspiration gave Jay-Z some of the best lyrics of his career, and, despite having production from a variety of producers, including Diddy, Just Blaze, The Neptunes and Jermaine Dupri, an album that flows easily from one track to the other.

While the "American Gangster" concept is a stretch for most of the songs, the music is so good that it is easy to look past. And, while the album features appearances by Beyonce, Nas, Beanie Sigel, Lil' Wayne, Pharrell and Bilal, Jay-Z is never overshadowed.

This is the album that should've been his comeback, and served notice to the rap world that Jay-Z was still on top.

4. "Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life" (1998)

The album that cemented Jay-Z as a household hip-hop superstar, "Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life" is by no means a perfect album; however it clicks on many levels. It is a solid hip-hop album, with great beats provided by Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Irv Gotti, Jermaine Dupri and Kid Capri, and it also an easy album for new fans to get to discover Jay-Z. Despite rapping about growing up in a rough life, selling drugs, clawing his way to a record deal, etc., the lyrical content is easy to relate to.

"Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life" also features the greatest Jay-Z song, "Hard Knock Life." It shows just how great a rapper and producer can be by turning a sample from "Annie" into a hip-hop anthem, with some of the best rhyming and lyrical flow found on any Jay-Z song. While some samples overshadow a song, "Hard Knock Life" is just supported by the sample; the backbone of the song is Jay-Z's lyrics and delivery.

While definitely more radio friendly than hardcore hip-hop, "Can I Get A..." and "Money Ain't A Thang" are also standout tracks from the album. Things get a little harder on "Money, Cash, Hoes," "A Week Ago" and "Paper Chase," three other standouts tracks.

The main downside to the album is that all but two of the 14 tracks have a guest appearance, which limits the amount of rapping from Jay-Z. However, Jay-Z does a great job of making sure he's always supported by the likes of DMX, Too Short, Foxy Brown, Amil, Ja Rule, The Lox, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Kid Capri and Jermaine Dupri instead of being overshadowed.

5. "The Blueprint 3" (2009)

If "The Black Album" solidified Jay-Z's claim that he was the best rapper alive, then "The Blueprint 3" proves that he is the king of the mountain when it comes to hip-hop royalty.

Following in the footsteps of "American Gangster," "The Blueprint 3" finds Jay-Z reminding other rappers that he is still great, challenging rappers to do better, boasting about his accomplishments and successes and still delivering amazing flows and beats.

Kanye West handles a majority of the production, and delivers standout after standout, including album openers "What We Talkin' About" and "Thank You," which are co-produced by No I.D.

No I.D. also produces "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," which goes down as one of the greatest Jay-Z songs of all time. The Timbaland-produced "Off That" and Swizz Beatz-produced "Onto The Next One" are also standouts.

The album is solid from beginning to end. And surprisingly the sample-heavy "Young Forever" closes the album to perfection. Jay-Z realizes that he can't act young anymore and that he won't be around forever, but he can enjoy the success that he's had and continue to make a mark on the music industry.