Jay-Z – The Hits Collection: Volume One (Album Review)
Wednesday, 08 December 2010
Written by Rob Sleigh
Two years on from the Glastonbury controversy and the subsequent success, Jay-Z, the self-professed greatest rapper in the world, is still doing pretty well for himself. Although many would argue that his relationship with the pop world has tainted some of his credibility, it would be difficult to suggest that he hasn’t at least stayed true to his own style. Looking back to that summer evening in Somerset in 2008, what Jay-Z proved was that rappers could sit comfortably among indie kids and rockers and still manage to win over the entire festival.
Listening to ‘The Hits Collection’, you will instantly be able to relate the Glastonbury incident to the rest of Jay-Z’s career in some way or another. His inclination towards certain elements of pop has undeniably been a factor over the past few years, but he has always managed to mix things up enough to keep people interested. Listening to the original version of ‘Encore’ on this compilation and many people will recall the ‘Collision Course’ album he did with metallers Linkin Park, which proved to be a massive hit within both the rap and rock communities worldwide. Jay-Z would probably have been the last rapper that people would have expected to do a rock album, but he did it anyway.
One of the main criticisms that fans might have of this album is that it is not the retrospective that they could have wished for. At a mere 14 tracks in length, it fails to include much of his earlier work, concentrating heavily on some of his bigger hits from more recent years. You will find nothing here from before his third album, 1998’s ‘Hard Knock Life’, and only one track from ‘The Blueprint’ – his release of 2001 that many consider to be his best.
Tracks like ’03 Bonnie and Clyde’ – a single recorded with his wife Beyonce Knowles – will help to remind people of his more radio-friendly moments. However, there is enough material present like ‘Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’, ‘Big Pimpin’ and the sublime ’99 Problems’ to help you remember what he is truly capable of and to keep you bouncing around the room with this CD on very loud.
As the sleeve notes mention, Jay-Z “continues to inspire hate and love in equal measure” and this couldn’t be a more fitting description of his work over the past 15 years. Whatever your opinion of him up until now, it’s likely that anyone can pick out a Jay-Z track that they truly love and, chances are, they are all here.
Stereoboard Rating: 6/10
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One of the main criticisms that fans might have of this album is that it is not the retrospective that they could have wished for. At a mere 14 tracks in length, it fails to include much of his earlier work, concentrating heavily on some of his bigger hits from more recent years. You will find nothing here from before his third album, 1998’s ‘Hard Knock Life’, and only one track from ‘The Blueprint’ – his release of 2001 that many consider to be his best. 
