Jay Z’s debut album sounds like nothing so much as a guy in the streets of NYC, hat down, collar up, sounds of cars and the subway screeching and people hustling for survival all around. What’s he doing in the street? Does he love the hustle and noise, or does he lament the necessity of such drastic measures to survive? In short, it’s complicated, and that complexity is reflected in the conflicted lyrics and upper/downer mix of beats from song to song. This is probably a music connoisseur’s favorite Jay Z album, with none of the radio hits of his later albums, instead focusing on elevating hip-hop to an intellectual art form, introducing the idea that the daily hustle and ranging intellect aren’t mutually exclusive.

From the roundup Jamwise #49 - Best of 1996.