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.
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