JAY Z is a hip-hop master, alternating between deep narrative and formal innovation. The spare menace of the Timbaland-assisted handclap symphony "It's Hot (Some Like It Hot)" created a path for pop to embrace the unexpected and unpredictable. On the scratchy "D'Evils", meanwhile, Jay details a compromised world over melancholy boom-bap, while the soul-sampling "Dear Summer" packs a bittersweet punch.