For always insisting he's above the noise, he clearly pays attention to how his stuff is received and makes a point of correcting his public perception on his next outing if his last outing was panned.

This is especially the case post Blueprint 1 where he found himself flush with a newfound credibility.

Naturally he doubled down and established the "Blueprint" franchise the next time out on BP 2. Had he just shaved it down to a single disc it would've been great.

No matter, he responded with The Black Album. This was the transcendent record that catapulted him from rap star to rock star. It sounded like a Greatest Hits album then and still sounds like one now.

He manufactured a comeback narrative on Kingdom Come and released, by far, the worst record of his career trying to be everything to everybody.

But if Kingdom Come doesn't blow so hard you probably don't get the fabulous American Gangster record. Who cares if the "why" for it was ham-fisted, it's a great album.

Now headlining festivals across the globe and flush with comeback goodwill, he tasked ascending supernova Kanye West to EP the Blueprint 3. It's a cluttered mess chock-full of Coachella-ready anthems but few authentic songs.

Whereas BP3 was Jay asking the still-junior Kanye to do it his way, Kanye was so massive by Throne that he was able to persuade Hov to do it the Ye way. Throne features some of Jay's most inspired and focused rapping. It's kind of all over the place - that's what you get with Kanye - but it's an example of just how special Jay-Z still could be.

Magna Carta is about as fulfilling as gas station pizza; the prospect of it was exciting, it wasn't especially awful in the moment, but it's shittiness lingered with you long after you've taken it in.

Point is, he's due for something good. I too think he has it in him. But he needs to break from his usual mold. We know what he can do with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. What can he do with Mike Will ?