I had some glam write-up prepared for this because I've been wanting (read: too lazy) to put this collection up for a while. But, when I reread it, it felt too "glossy" and I wanted something more true to the nature of what this joint is.
I remember when I first really "heard" Jay. It was on "Ain't No Nigga" on some Clue tape that was probably the hottest shit out at the time. I had that joint on cassette and a Walkman and I remember wearing that shit out.
"Ain't no stoppin this.../No lie/Try to stay monogamous.../I try..."
Jay murdered that track. Reasonable Doubt dropped and the rest is history.
Honestly, I don't keep up with other genres, but I know that Jay has consistently put out hits and hit albums during the course of his career. For a rapper, that's a hard feat to accomplish because listeners are so fickle. That's where Jay excels. He's always ahead of the pack and leading it like the Pied Piper playing his flute.
Can you think of more than a handful of people who don't know who Jay is? The man did recently state "I'm not a business-man, I'm a business man!" and one would have to agree. The man has consistently created hit albums and his name reaches throughout pop culture in fashion, sports, marketing and other areas. I'd damn near be willing to say he has the Midas touch.
And this collection to his work. A 10-disc collection (9 discs plus a bonus disc) that's pretty thorough and covers his whole career. All the tracks assembled are his work outside of his own albums and is a nice collection to have for casual and intense listening. Yes, there's some filler material. But for the most part, you will be satisfied.
The track listing is as follows:
Chapter One - Just Jigga
1. H.O.V.A.
2. Early This Morning
3. La, La, La
4. Who You Wit Part I
5. People Talking
6. Don't You Know
7. Show You How
8. Ignorant Shit
9. Jigga My Nigga
10. Big Pimpin' (Extended Radio Edit)
11. Lyrical Exercise
12. People's Court
13. Stop
14. Addicted To The Game
15. Get My Shit Off
Chapter Two - These are the Remixes Motherf*ckers!
1. Can't Knock The Hustle Remix
2. Hovi Baby Remix
3. Beware Of The Boys Remix (Feat. Punjabi MC)
4. PSA II
5. Holla Holla Remix (Feat. The Murderers)
6. In My Lifetime Remix
7. You Rock My World (Feat. Michael Jackson)
8. Get By Remix (Feat. Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Kanye West)
9. A Million and One Questions Remix
10. Hell Yeah Remix (Feat. Dead Prez)
11. Ha Remix (Feat. Juvenile)
12. Girls, Girls, Girls Remix
13. More Money, More Cash, More Hoes
14. Can't Stop, Won't Stop Remix (Feat. Young Gunz)
15. My Mind Right Remix (Feat. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek)
16. Is That Your Chick...The Lost Verses Remix (Feat. Memphis Bleek, Twista)
Chapter Three - Early Hova
1. Show and Prove (Feat. Big Daddy Kanye, Shyheim, ODB)
2. Can I Get Open
3. Da Graveyard (Feat. Big L)
4. Dead Presidents I (Original Verses)
5. In MY Lifetime (Original Version)
6. What's In a Name?
7. I Can't Get With That
8. Analyze This (Feat. Lord Tariq, Nas)
9. Foundation (Feat. Jaz-O)
10. It's That Simple
11. My Kind Of Girl
12. Originators (Feat. Jaz-O)
13. You're Only A Customer
14. Living It Up (Feat. Sauce Money)
15. This Life Forever
Chapter Four - Me and My baby
1. I'll Be (Feat. Foxy Brown)
2. Queen baby Remix (Feat. Lil' Kim)
3. Mi Amor (Feat. Angie Martinez)
4. Wake Up (Feat. Missy Elliot)
5. Heard It All Before (Feat. Amil)
6. Count It Off (Feat. Ms. Jade)
7. One Minute Man Remix (Feat. Missy Elliott)
8. Bonnie and Clyde II (Feat. Foxy Brown)
9. Big Momma Thang (Feat. Lil' Kim)
10. That's Right (Feat. Amil)
11. Back In The Day (Feat. Missy Elliott)
Chapter Five - Shawn's Softer Side
1. I Miss U Remix (Feat. Aaliyah)
2. That's How U Like It (Feat. Beyonce)
3. Wishing On a Star (Feat. Janet Jackson)
4. We Ride (Feat. R Kelly)
5. Love For Free (Feat. Rell)
6. Things You Do For Love (Feat. Horace Brown)
7. Best Of Me Remix (Feat. Mya)
8. Don't Wanna Be Alone Remix (Feat. Shai)
9. Rock Steady (Feat. Mary J. Blige)
10. Alone In This World (Feat. Faith Evans)
11. All Of My Days (Feat. Changing Faces, R Kelly)
12. So Many Ways (Feat. The Braxtons, JD)
13. Crazy In Love (Feat. Beyonce)
14. It's Obvious (Feat. Rell)
15. Love and Life Intro (Feat. Mary J. Blige)
16. Heartbreaker (Feat. Mariah Carey)
17. You're The One Remix (Feat. The Lost Boyz, SWV)
18. Keep It Real (Feat. Jon B, Coco)
19. Fiesta Remix (Feat. R Kelly)
20. Bring Back Your Love (Feat. Christion)
21. Storm (Feat. Lenny Kravitz)
Chapter Six - A DJ's Best Friend: The Freestyles
1. Flava In Ya Ear Freestyle
2. Lookin' At My S. Dots
3. Pump It Up Freestyle
4. Superugly (Dissin' Nas)
5. 7 Minute Freestyle (Feat. Big L)
6. Get High Freestyle (Feat. The Roc Fam)
7. Post 9/11 Acapella Freestyle
8. Bump, Bump, Bump Freestyle
9. Old School Freestyle
10. Rare 1993 Freestyle
11. Warm It Up Jay
12. Young, Black, and Gifted Freestyle
13. Unreleased Nas Diss
14. Funkmaster Flex Freestyle
15. If I Can't Freestyle
16. Roc Fam Freestyle
17. Rare 1991 Freestyle (Kool G Rap's Birthday)
18. Reebok Interlude (Feat. 50 Cent)
19. Rock Star Freestyle
20. Live Freestyle (22 Two's Beat)
21. Flow
22. Who Shot Ya Freestyle
23. Murdergram Freestyle (Feat. DMX, Ja Rule)
24. Back From France Freestyle (RARE Nas Diss)
25. Outro Freestyle
Chapter Seven - It's the ROC!
1. Ran and Uncut (Feat. Beanie Sigel)
2. For My Thugs (Feat. The Roc)
3. 1, 2, Ya'll (Feat. Memphis Bleek, Geda K)
4. What We Do (Feat. Freeway, Beanie Sigel)
5. Never Take Me Alive (Feat. Young Gunz)
6. Think It's A Game (Feat. Beanie Sigel)
7. Hypnotic (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
8. 4 Alarm Blaze (Feat. MOP)
9. For Da Fame (Feat. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Amil)
10. Higher (Hai Hai)
11. Everything's A Go (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
12. Welcome To New York City (Feat. Cam'ron)
13. Still Got Love For You (Feat. Beanie Sigel)
14. What You Think Of That (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
15. You Got Me (Feat. Freeway)
16. Playa (Feat. Beanie Sigel)
17. Murda, Murda (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
Chapter Eight - ...Featuring the God MC
1. Blackout (Feat. DMX, The LOX)
2. Get Out (Feat. Scarface)
3. Let's Go (Feat. Jaz-O)
4. No Love Lost (Feat. Shaq, Lord Tariq)
5. Single Life (Feat. Mic Geronimo)
6. Money Ain't A Thang (Feat. Jermaine Dupri)
7. Lollipop (Feat. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg)
8. Cheat On You (Feat. Mase)
9. Flip Flop Rock (Feat. Outkast, Killer Mike)
10. For My Niggaz (Feat. Lil' Cease)
11. It's Murda (Feat. DMX, Ja Rule)
12. Do You Like It, Do You Want It (Feat. Puff Daddy)
13. Pre-Game (Feat. Sauce Money)
14. You Know What We Bout (Feat. Silkk The Shocker, Master P)
15. Kill 'Em All (Feat. Ja Rule)
16. Time to Build (Feat. Mic Geronimo)
17. Here We Go (Feat. Too Short)
18. When We Die (Feat. DMX, Busta Rhymes)
19. Guess Who's Back (Feat. Scarface, Beanie Sigel)
Chapter Nine - How To Complete a Compilation
1. Murda Marcyville (Feat. Memphis Bleek, Geda K)
2. Girl's Best Friend
3. Behind The Ropes (Feat. Sauce Money)
4. Lobster and Scrimp (Feat. Timbaland and Magoo)
5. Road Dawgs (Feat. Da Brat, Eve, Amil)
6. Roc Army (Feat. The Roc)
7. It's On (Feat. State Property)
8. Hey Papi (Feat. Memphis Bleek)
9. 20 Bag Shorty (Feat. Boo and Gotti)
10. 8 Miles and Running (Feat. Freeway)
11. Celebration (Feat. Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money)
12. Young G's (Feat. Notorious BIG, Puff Daddy)
13. Get Your Money Right (Feat. Dr Dre, The Game)
14. What The Game Made Me (Feat. Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money)
15. Party People (Feat. Timbaland and Magoo)
16. Bedstuy to Marcy (Feat. Sauce Money)
17. Gangsta Shit (Feat. Ja Rule)
18. From Marcy To Hollywood (Feat. Memphis Bleek, Sauce Money)
Chapter Ten - Bonus CD
1. All About The Bejamins Freestyle
2. Dead or Alive part 1
3. So Right (remix)
4. Put it in the air (remix)
5. Murda Marcyville (remix)
6. The Game Iz Mine
7. Hold Up
8. Face Off 2000
9. Anything
10. Dead or Alive part 2
11. Hey Papi (original)
12. Love is Love
13. I Aint Heard of That
14. Be Alone No More
15. Takeover (live)
16. Ny Finest
Discs 1 & 2
Discs 3 & 4
Discs 5 & 6 FIXED
Discs 7& 8
Discs 9 & 10
