Empire state of mind saw Jay Z brazenly celebrate the shift in the power base of pop music. Hip-hop no longer belonged to the realm of the streets and fighting with the police. Instead the narrative was one of opulence, superstars and no small level of self-assurance. The changing of the guard is never described more presciently as it is in the line, Im the new Sinatra, if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere. Its very much a two hander. It fused the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Tyrell template of the 60s - a straight talking male vocal with an angelic female accompaniment. When Alicia Keys jumps in with her soaring take on the wonder of New York, its quickly clear that this isnt the story of the city as told by The Rat Pack in the 60s. Jay Zs verse makes this crystal clear, Concrete jungle, city of sin MDMA got you feeling like a champion, the city never sleeps The song brought a grandeur to hip-hop that hadnt been created before, both in terms of the style and the swagger. This wasnt just about slick production but the sampling of genres. With Alicia Keys perfectly pitched as a young Shirley Bassey this is the sound of hip-hop moving into James Bond theme tune territory. This isnt Jay Zs final appearance here. As marvellous as Empire State of Mind was he would, as well see, have another song up his sleeve that would define this, or any other decade.