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Rather, we have a different question we’ve argued all day about: What’s the best Jay-Z song? And what better day to settle that debate than today, one day before the 25th anniversary of Jay’s debut LP, Reasonable Doubt-the legacy of which we’ve explored throughout the network today, in both print and on No Skips With Jinx and Shea.
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We are not here right now to relitigate that battle, or any type of MC hierarchy. 1-Jay and Nas would go to war over the answer to the question he posed. Years after that song-“Where I’m From,” the crown jewel of Jay’s second album, In My Lifetime, Vol.
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In the opening verse to one of Jay-Z’s best songs-we’ll get to that in a bit-Hov hits pause on the stories of boosters hawking clothes and dealers dodging police vans and speaks like a true-blooded rap fan: “I’m from where n-s pull your card, and argue all day about / Who’s the best MCs, Biggie, Jay-Z, or Nas?” That taps into the reality for anyone who lives and breathes this music-that no matter how dirty the hustler, no matter how big the star, no matter how average the fan, people love debating hip-hop supremacy.
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