MARCY MADNESS - 92 BRICKS REGION

Welcome back to Marcy Madness! Quick reminder... some geniuses took the opportunity to turn college basketball's sacred annual tournament into a Jay-Z festival, putting 64 of Jigga's best songs in a free-for-all where only one champion can reign victorious. Here is the bracket:

Last week, I tackled the Blue Region, and Encore became our first representative into the Final Four. Today, it's time to show some love to the 92 Bricks region. Let's get this party started.

FIRST ROUND

(1) PSA over (16) Oh My God
Oh My God is a severely underrated track that gets overlooked because Kingdom Come was one of Jay's worst efforts. However, PSA is a true #1 seed, deserving of that honor. No UMBC/Virginia situation over here.

(8) Lucifer over (9) Murder to Excellence
Maybe I was high when Watch The Throne came out because I didn't remember Gotta Have It from the last region and didn't know wtf Murder to Excellence was from. Dope track, so maybe I slept on WTT, but I can't advance a song I couldn't remember off top.

(12) So Ghetto over (5) Dynasty Intro
Dynasty Intro shouldn't be on this list, let alone a 5 seed. It's a three minute track and Jay is talking over 1/2 of it. Gimme Jay-Z over a Primo track any day.

(4) Dead Presidents II over (13) 4:44
I hate you 'prisoner of the moment' muthafuckas. Only song that should be in this tournament from 4:44 is The Story of OJ. Nice album, but any song from Reasonable Doubt shits on his most recent project.

(11) Takeover over (6) No Church In The Wild
Now THIS is a song from Watch The Throne that I remember! No Church is tough, and arguably the best song off WTT. But Takeover was part of one of the most memorable and prolific rap battles of all-time. Takeover is running this rap shit.

(3) Hard Knock Life over (14) Jigga My Nigga
Jigga My Nigga is a casualty of horrible ranking. His contribution to the Ruff Ryders compilation still knocks today and would have been a real threat to get far in this tourney. Hard Knock Life, however, turned Jay-Z into a superstar.

(7) A Million & One Questions over (10) Legacy
More songs from 4:44? You're making this too easy. A Million & One is another spectacular intro, this time kicking off Volume 1 over a Primo beat. A blowout win here.

(2) 99 Problems over (15) Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)
Another victim of shitty rankings. Also, the hardest decision I have made thus far. If these seeds were done correctly, I could easily see Blueprint (Momma Loves Me) being a strong Elite 8 contender. Unfortunately, it's one and done.

SECOND ROUND

(1) PSA over (8) Lucifer
Jay-Z's connections to the Illuminati have been well documented, and a song like Lucifer wasn't going to quiet that talk. But even the biggest demons can't stop PSA from shooting at them like movie directors.

(4) Dead Presidents II over (12) So Ghetto
So Ghetto can not do what Encore did... reach the Final Four as a 12 seed. Dead Presidents is infamously known as the song that Nas made a hot line but Jay-Z made a hot song.

(3) Hard Knock Life over (6) Takeover
Takeover was an integral component of Jay's classic The Blueprint, but Hard Knock Life was an integral component of his career. Many forget that Jay was a well-respected MC but did not appeal to the masses on a grand level until his Annie-themed anthem dropped.

(7) A Million & One Questions over (2) 99 Problems
Rick Rubin definitely brought the heat on 99 Problems, and Jay-Z's cop/civilian exchange is priceless, but A Million is Jay's defining intro that still sounds fresh over 20 years later.

SWEET SIXTEEN

(1) PSA over (4) Dead Presidents II
Let me get this off my chest... the original Dead Presidents wins the whole tournament. That's the best song Jay-Z has ever done. I wish I could tarnish this tournament a little and turn Dead Prez II into the original, but that wouldn't be fair. PSA has too much electricity and energy to be brought down by a watered down sequel.

(3) Hard Knock Life over (7) A Million & One Questions
One of the million questions I would have is: Which song turned Jay-Z 'from lukewarm to hot?' Jay-Z and Annie advance to the next round.

ELITE EIGHT

(3) Hard Knock Life over (1) PSA
This was close. PSA only has two verses, no hook, and is labeled as an interlude, but Just Blaze supplied an A+ banger and Jay rose to the occasion. I just can't ignore impact, and Hard Knock Life gave Jigga the big mainstream hit he needed to go global. Everything that Sunshine failed to do (including that horrendous video where Hype Williams thought it would be a good idea to shoot close-ups of Jay-Z's face with a fish-eyed lens), he accomplished with Hard Knock Life, all without sacrificing any of his street appeal. HKL comes out the competitive 92 Bricks region and enters the Final Four.

Two regions down, two to go! Who will join Encore and Hard Knock Life in the Final Four? My breakdown of the Blueprint region will be coming to a blog near you. Thank you for reading this... and if you with me mama, rub on your tits... and what not.

MARCY MADNESS - BLUE REGION

*wakes up after 18 month hibernation*

Y'all muthafuckas still here?

By this point, you should know that I only come back here if I have some heat. Well, I got some FIRE for yo' ass. March Madness is upon us, as selection Sunday is in the books and College Basketball hits it's three week peak tonight. In the spirit of this glorious tournament, some dudes who I assume not only have a love for hip-hop but also plenty of time on their hands created a bracket devoted to arguably the greatest rapper of all-time, Jay-Z. March Madness has the 64 best College Basketball teams. Marcy Madness, as they brilliantly named it, has 64 of Jay-Z's best songs. Witness this masterpiece.

The rankings are questionable, to say the least, but the idea is genius. It's subjective, anyway, and leaves the door open for some tasty upsets. There's no way you can post something as clever as a Jigga version of March Madness and not have me add my two cents in. So, without any further ado, here are my results for the Blue region.

FIRST ROUND

(1) Can I Live over (16) Smile

Any track off Reasonable Doubt is a winner, but Can I Live is definitely not one of Jay-Z's best four songs. So yeah, the #1 seed is odd, to say the least. Still, it's an easy winner over Smile, aka the song on 4:44 where Jay-Z lets the world know his mom eats the box.

(8) What More Can I Say over (9) Streets Is Talking

Initially, I thought this battle featured Streets Is Watching, which would have been a much better choice (and an odd omission) over the little-known Streets Is Talking, the Beanie Sigel collab off of the Dynasty album. What More Can I Say is one of my least favorite songs off The Black Album, but is still dope enough for the win here.

(12) Encore over (5) Imaginary Player

UPSET ALERT! But is it really? Who are these people who think Imaginary Player is a better song than Encore? Have these people never been to a Jay-Z show? A 12 seed for one of Jay-Z's signature songs is a joke, no matter how subjective these rankings are.

(4) Can I Get A... over (13) Gotta Have It

I'll be honest... I had no idea what Gotta Have it was. Turns out it was on the underwhelming Kanye West tag team project Watch The Throne. Song is fire, no doubt, but if I had to look it up to refresh my memory, I'd be hard pressed to give it a W over the easily-recognizable and pop hit Can I Get A..., despite Amil's guest appearance.

(6) Renegade over (11) Change Clothes

You can't go wrong with any Neptunes track, especially if Jay is on it. But no way in hell is Change Clothes going to knock off Renegade, even if Eminem murdered him on his own shit.

(3) Empire State of Mind over (14) Regrets

Yes, Regrets is an appropriate anchor for Jay-Z's classic debut, and any track on that album is a monster, but was there really not a better choice? We couldn't fit Dope Man on here instead? Jay & Alicia had NYC feeling themselves hard after years of Southern dominance. It's also one of my go-to karaoke songs. Regrets, regrettably, is not.

(10) The Ruler's Back over (7) 03 Bonnie & Clyde

Jiggaman has a reputation for that intro track fire, and The Ruler's back, the lead-off song off The Blueprint, does not disappoint. 03 Bonnie & Clyde, on the other hand, is Jay-Z & Beyoncé taking a massive shit on Makaveli's 'Me & My Girlfriend'. It's more of a 17th seed than a 7th seed. Easy 'upset' here.

(2) The Story of OJ over (15) A Week Ago

For all the "Money, Cash, Hoes' tracks that Jay-Z has (btw that song should DEFINITELY be a part of this), he does occasionally drop some deep shit. The Story of OJ is a masterful depiction on how social mobility does not erase the hardships of being a Black man in America. A Week Ago never had a video... The Story of OJ had possibly his best.

SECOND ROUND

(1) Can I Live over (8) What More Can I Say
I wasn't super excited to advance What More Can I Say to this round, and although I don't agree with Can I Live being a #1 seed, it's still a powerhouse complete with a mean set of horns.

(12) Encore over (4) Can I Get A...
UPSET ALERT! Does Jay-Z even perform Can I Get A... on tour? I've never seen him do it. Although I would be curious to see what Amil looks like now. And what about her voice? That shit was raspy as hell when she was a PYT. She probably sounds like DMX now.

(6) Renegade over (3) Empire State of Mind
UPSET ALE... you get the hint by now. Forget Eminem outshining him on Renegade. Dismiss the jury still being out on whether Jay-Z even flowed properly to the beat. The back & forth of two hip-hop heavyweights in their primes is too much for Jay & Alicia's smash hit to handle.

(2) The Story of OJ over (10) The Ruler's Back
Thus far, this has been my toughest decision. The Ruler's Back has gems, but The Story of OJ is trying to sell you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99. Did I mention the video is dope AF?

SWEET SIXTEEN

(12) Encore over (1) Can I Live
The Cinderella story continues! The chants of 'Hova!' ring loud as Can I Live's dream of capturing the crown fade to black.

(6) Renegade over (2) The Story of OJ
What really hurts The Story of OJ is that it just came out last year. There hasn't been enough time for the song to marinate and earn classic status. Renegade is damn near 17 years old and still bangs. I can't see the Story of OJ bumping like that in 2034.

ELITE EIGHT

(12) Encore over (6) Renegade

It's grand opening, grand closing for Renegade, as Encore reigns supreme out of the Blue region. It's hard to remember now, especially since Jay-Z has dropped so much material since The Black Album, but that was supposed to be his farewell joint. At that point, we didn't know if he would come back like Jordan wearing the 4-5. You know the story by now... he did eventually return... but Encore would have been the perfect send off if he never did.

That concludes the Blue region. Congratulations to Encore for securing a spot in the Final Four! Check back soon as I will tackle the 92 Bricks bracket shortly. Hope you enjoyed and thank you as always for the read.