People speak in hyperbole on the internet for reactions and it works.

Did he save his career? Of course not. Did he help him maintain prominence through the mid-later 2000s? Of course, Kanye was one of the biggest artists on the planet and frequently collaborated with Jay who was in the latter half of his career while Ye was in his prime.

Think of it as a Luka-LeBron scenario.

man…yank WTT, the context of everything shifts, he ain’t getting to the 2020’s with any sort of momentum

Because you said something that was blatantly false

Me saying Run The Town wasnt the biggest song on Bp3 (it wasnt)= me saying Jay Z is a bigger global superstar than Kanye West

How did you get that?

Where would he go lol?

All of his most classic work is still there and hes still Beyonces husband

Its not like Jay Z is popping right now or some s*** hes a retired legend, he’d be that still

I said that because Run This Town peaked at 2 on the billboard and CLEANED up at the Grammys. It was seen overall as the more successful and bigger song. NY State of Mind mostly carried by Alicia Keys and failing NY sports teams.

Well Empire State of Mind went #1 and has 600 million more streams than Run The Town on Spotify

It was the biggest song from BP3

yall wanna floss wit us

I mean obviously, hes jay z but the public not the artist decide when youre a ‘legacy’ act

It was a group effort. Rihanna, Beyoncé and Kanye kept Jay afloat late 00's. All the way up until 12-13. NY and old heads always rocked with him, but the youth didn't love Jay Z from about TBA on.

Even his biggest song ever was seen more as an Alicia song cause the hook is the only thing people know about that record lol

Black Album was the last hurrah of his organic prime imo. That Linkin Park collab he had a year earlier was really hot too.

His absolute commercial peak imo was BP 2. He was everywhere back then

Hov was a factor? In what? At that time WTT was Ye's WORST first week numbers in his career and were some of the best in Jay Z's career. You really are rewriting history

Ye could've saved most of WTT for himself and put out a 6th solo classic with better numbers. WTT was a bigger deal to Jay Z than Kanye, idk why yall arguing this.

Not to mention most of the hype for WTT was basically carried by Ye. Like he didn't just come off of GOOD Fridays and releasing the most critically album ever at that point. Didn't even get a break because Jay wanted to immediately capitalize off the hype. Transitioned straight from GOOD Friday to the HAM release. Like I said, I lived through this era.

Even if thats true man you’re a factor if you’re selling 400k first week, how is that not true?

Again bro yall have hyperbole brain where if you aren’t the #1 rapper or u dont outsell everyone u arent a factor. Thats like saying Kendrick isnt a factor rn bc he sold 319k on GNX.

But since im rewriting history lets dive into this comment “some of the best in Jay Z career”

Here are Jay Z albums that sold more than WTT first week:
Vol 3
Dynasty
Blueprint 2
Black Album
Kingdom Come
BP3

Again this is FACTS, do you really say his 7th best first week is one of his best first weeks? Bc that feels more revisionist than what Im saying

@Mitchell holding the thread down

Some of yall actually dumb af

hov had pac screaming his name
songs with big and hard knock life by 98
his career was already legend

Ye > Hov

I also lived through the era

Nobody thought this, Literally no one thought Ye was carrying him

It was “oh s***, 2 of the greatest oat are making an album together”

Did I say carry him or the hype for the album? Kanye was in the midst of his nuclear run when WTT was announced. The hype around WTT is not what it was if Good Fridays and MBDTF is not the pre-cursor.

Comparing Luka and 41 year old Bron to Ye and Jay before they've even won a playoff game together.
Wipe your chin nephew

WTT was a big factor in Jays career if you want to believe it or not. I did not want to hear any Jay verses anymore end of the 2000s but WTT "forced" us to listen to him anyway because Ye was on it. I wouldve taken a solo Ye album over WTT any time. I remember even d***rider NY radio talking about Jay Zs fall off during that era. He had sales because of his old fans and the Rihanna, Ye, Alicia Keys songs but he was not hot or popular.

I've seen this convo countless times especially on here and the old site. Hov definitely benefited greatly from Ye but saved his career? Nah

The hype was because it was a f***ing Hov x Ye album

And people were hyped for that because we heard Monster, So Appalled and Kanye producing his ass off every week for Good Fridays

Again man, People were hyped because it’s 2 legendary artists making an album together