JAY Z: The '90s

In the '90s, JAY Z's sound was as exciting as it was unpredictable. On "Can I Live," an Isaac Hayes sample is a regal canvas for a weary king, while the stark nonchalance of "Where I'm From" proclaims the value of an emotional life through its absence. The flamboyant exotica of "Big Pimpin'" is an unexpectedly adventurous backdrop for a rapper, yet Jay's detached, dexterous cool remains a constant.