Unlike other genres where older acts get to stay relevant, rap has always been a young man's game. It's sort of like the movie Logan's Run, where anyone over 30 has to die - so in a genre so fixated on keeping things new and fresh, it's pretty incredible that Jay Z has managed to stay at the top for three decades now. Like any smart artist, the Brooklyn MC has evolved with times but has still managed to keep his style similar too. His debut, Reasonable Doubt, was New York mafioso rap at its finest and then once he stopped living that lifestyle he became the king of braggdocio hip hop and it's been onwards and upwards ever since. It's not like there haven't been a few missteps (The Blueprint 2: The Gift and The Curse and Kingdom Come anyone?), but he's still managed to be the best in the game - or one of the best - every time he brings out something new. And he hasn't let age hold him back either, something many other MC's before him failed to manage. Must Listen: Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, The Black Album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BCsxQg3NE4
