"In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" turns 20

[KneeGro_DuperMan]

I know what girls like is aight....but that hook is awful

 

[Broddie]

I know what girls like is aight....but that hook is awful

The beat is fucking atrocious. Sounds like someone trying to harmonize a swordfight.

 

[dalyricalbandit]

Man I hate what sounds like knifes or swords on that beat

 

[GetoBoy]

What I did with ‘[In My Lifetime] Volume One’ was I tried to make records. I had just made ‘Reasonable Doubt’ … it wasn’t successful in music industry terms, it was a cult classic on the streets, but it wasn’t successful in the music business and I tried to blend the two. If you look back on ‘In My Lifetime,’ there were songs on there that were brilliant. I don’t listen to that album because I think I messed it up. It’s so many incredible records on there that I think I missed having two classics in a row [by] trying to get on the radio.

But Jay stans insist Reasonable Doubt was an instant classic.

I've yet to hear one person say RD was a instead classic all I've heard is it's a classic now

 

[tompetrez3]

5/5 Classic. I copped this on Vinyl the first week. Jay Z flow was 2nd nature on this album. So many bangers for your truck or luxury sedan that will make you feel like conquering the world. Around the time this dropped alot of people were dissapointed by the Firm album and Jay Z gained fans well as an closer eye on his skill set. Also the b sides and unreleased material from this album is dope too. Jay Z was droppin 2-3 new unheard songs on DJ Clue tapes the whole year of 1997. MVP of 97 IMO

 

[wolfman91]

I think this has more replay value then reasonable doubt

 

[5 Grand]

Jay has a dope catalog

 

[Built 4 cuban linx]

Around the time kingdom come was coming out, Jay was asked about this Album and he said "it wouldve been a classic if it wasn't for 3 songs and we all know what 3 songs I'm talking about"

The crowd laughed and agreed, Since then I don't know WTF he's talking about. Only song I can come up with is I know what girls like but what else?

 

[5th Letter]

Around the time kingdom come was coming out, Jay was asked about this Album and he said "it wouldve been a classic if it wasn't for 3 songs and we all know what 3 songs I'm talking about"

The crowd laughed and agreed, Since then I don't know WTF he's talking about. Only song I can come up with is I know what girls like but what else?

Sunshine and The City Is Mine. I like these two songs.

 

[Juttythe3rd]

The city is mine is hated for no damn reason

 

[5 Grand]

The city is mine is hated for no damn reason

Its a smoothed out R&B track on an otherwise Boom Bap Hip Hop album.

 

[THE_R_]

Around the time kingdom come was coming out, Jay was asked about this Album and he said "it wouldve been a classic if it wasn't for 3 songs and we all know what 3 songs I'm talking about"

The crowd laughed and agreed, Since then I don't know WTF he's talking about. Only song I can come up with is I know what girls like but what else?

MY GUESSES WOULD BE...

SUNSHINE

I KNOW WHAT GIRLS LIKE

THE CITY IS MINE

CITY IS MINE HAS DOPE VERSES BUT THE PRODUCTION (ON THESE 3) ARE CLEARLY INSPIRED BY THE SHINY SUIT ERA.

SAMPLE THE BEAT FROM ONE RECORD & LIFT THE HOOK FROM ANOTHER.

ALSO I DON'T THINK JAY PERFORMS THESE JOINTS.

 

[trilladelic]

First Jay album I ever bought..

 

[Cleveland7venty6]

My fav Jigga album.

Why? Because of "the streets is watching" movie. It gave me the visual. Then i was all like "ahh haaa. I get it now."

 

[THE_R_]

I ACTUALLY OWN THE STREETS IS WATCHING ON VHS & DVD

 

[313 wayz]

 

[Cleveland7venty6]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKISdd2mKzU

GODDAMMITT!!!! THEN THIS SHIT TURNS INTO "Hi, My name is..."

Talk about Diggin In Da Crates! sheesh.

 

[Broddie]

The city is mine is hated for no damn reason

That first verse was a better eulogy for Big than what Lox and Puff did and a bonus is that everything he rapped to Biggie actually came true.

I never knew that song was hated though. I remember this dominican barber used to be like "I like dis video man issa jayz" then he would literally sing "U BELONG TO DA CITY". I ended up giving him a dub of reasonable doubt.

 

[usmarin3]

I don't get the standards for classic album. Vol 1 had a extremely bad track in I KNOW WHAT GIRLS LIKE, but so has many classic albums. Life After Death had Playa Hata and Another Man, All eyez on me had What's ya phone number, Stillmatic had Braveheart Party,etc.

Vol 1 had some of Jay-z best shit period. I mean classic tracks in Where i'm from, A million and one questions, Fried or Foe. The only wack track is IKWGL and sunshine isn't even a bad track either.

It's easily a 4.5 mic album. I probably listen to it more than some of Jays higher rated albums (American Gangster, Black Album) till this day.

 

[5 Grand]

I don't get the standards for classic album. Vol 1 had a extremely bad track in I KNOW WHAT GIRLS LIKE, but so has many classic albums. Life After Death had Playa Hata and Another Man, All eyez on me had What's ya phone number, Stillmatic had Braveheart Party,etc.

Vol 1 had some of Jay-z best shit period. I mean classic tracks in Where i'm from, A million and one questions, Fried or Foe. The only wack track is IKWGL and sunshine isn't even a bad track either.

It's easily a 4.5 mic album. I probably listen to it more than some of Jays higher rated albums (American Gangster, Black Album) till this day.

@ the bolded.

Without those 3 songs it would have been a 5 mic classic.

Edit.

Now that I think about it, without those 3 songs it would be as good as Illmatic.