Top 10 Songs by Jay-Z

He said he went into retirement, but ever since he called it quits, we see his name in the media more and more. However, that's the mark of a true legend, you can't die. And Jay-Z's mark on the hip-hop world is certainly legendary.

So what are Jay-Z's best 10 songs of all-time? Well, of course it depends on the criteria you choose to use in determining his best songs. You could judge by sales. You could judge by popularity. You could judge by originality. Or you could judge by the legitimacy and genuineness of a song. And those will be my instruments of choice.

10. Who U Wit II - When Jay came out with this in his album "In My Life," rap lovers and music enthusiasts alike fell in love with H.O.V.A. It was a song with a beat and an original flare that a lot of people never heard before. The mention of money as something that can be used to control his future and his status would let listeners know that Jay-Z was here to stay.

9. Excuse Me Miss - This was one of the first times Jay would let us know that he was even thinking about women in a loving fashion. It starts off about drinking and smoking, but it ends with the notion of finding somebody special. In Who U Wit II, Jay-Z was rapping about how he gets rid of women, now he's rapping about getting women to write him back and going "half on a son," huh? But I guess the man just wanted some love, and so he rapped about it.

8. Hard Knock Life - Using kids for your hook with an extensive baseline apparently equals a song that will go down in history. When he discusses the tribulations of people coming from where he came from, he equates his struggle to the School of the Hard Knocks. Jigga then goes on to talk about how he came out, how he would not be held down and about how the rest was history.

7. Big Pimpin - Boats, women, cigars and money. That's how we remember this song, as it was one of the most entertaining and expensive videos of its time. But the song spoke volumes itself. Yeah, he let us know how much money he had, and he practically counted the amount of women he could get, but he was real. He wasn't talking about fur coats, and diamonds on his neck, he was talking about having fun and enjoying the fruits of his labor. He was talking about being ghettofabolous, and there isn't anyting wrong with that.

6. Song Cry - In a song full of methaphors, Jay-Z managed to be as real as he has ever been. It was a love song about the pain in his life, the family in his life, and his true friends who were there in his time of need. But most importantly, it was about the love who got away and the one he wanted back. It is always nice to see that even HOVA has a heart.

5. Jigga What, Jigga Who - The edge, the lyrics and the beat that Jay-Z is known for were all alive and present in this song. Fans of Jay-Z can all agree that Jay-Z switched it up on us with this one. In response to those who thought Jay-Z was a little soft, Jigga let them all know he could be as hard as the rest of them. He mixed the smooth lyrics he usually gives us along with the up-tempo rapping that we hadn't seen up to this point. After this song, there was no questioning who the Jigga was.

4. Izzo (H.O.V.A.) - This song was definitely the "8^th wonder of the world," and Jigga beat the critics like Rocky with this one. His self-proclaimed anthem discussed what he hoped his music would contribute to the world. A philanthropist rapper? That was new to me when I heard it. Nevertheless, he wanted to let everybody out there know that they can become something without giving up their pride and their respect. Hova wanted to pave the way for those behind him, and this was his message that he was going to do just that.

3. What More Can I Say - This is the song where Jay-Z basically let the world know that he's done it all. And he was right. He did it all. And nobody should ever argue it. In this song he let us know he was down-to-Earth superstar who just happened to do a lot. He claimed he would be #1 on everybody's rap list when he was all said and done for. And now that it has officially come to an end, we can't say he was all that far off.

2. Dope Man - When Jay-Z opened up with this song, many people had to have known what was to come later in his career. He let us know about his troubled past, his hard knock life and the truth behind his celebrity façade. But he let us know that the way it is, is not the way it has to be. And with street beat full of his original heat and passion, Jigga let told the World know that the evils of yesterday can quickly turn into a promising future.

1. Never Change - This is my favorite Jigga song of all time. I know, I know, there are a million choices I could have went with here, but none of them would have demonstrated the legitimacy and genuineness of this one. Forget about all the hard core beats and speedy rapping, this song was about a nice tune and some bona fide lyrics. From rapping about his love of rap to preaching that you reap what you sew; Jigga put the truth out there in this original work of art. He let us know that he wouldn't change, that he was always going to be true to where he came from and be true to all of the people who helped him come up. This song was about being friendship, brotherhood and love for the game...and ain't nothing wrong with that!

Note: This article was published in 2006. Feel free to comment on some of Jay-Z's best songs that have been released since that time in the Comments section toward the bottom of this page.