Posted by Jay-Z celebrated his 50th birthday by allowing himself to earn even more money when he decided to return the majority of his discography to Spotify.
However, there are still a few gems in his catalogue that seem to be noticeably missing. Many of which are still available on TIDAL. Spotify now boasts most of his classic projects including “Reasonable Doubt,” “The Blueprint,” “The Black Album,” and his latest album “4:44” which was never available on the streaming service at any point. Here’s a list of projects that were left out of the upload.
S. Carter Collection
This is a mixtape released by Jay-Z shortly before “The Black Album” dropped in 2003. It features a classic collection of freestyles over B2K, Joe Budden and DMX instrumentals. The tape was originally released as a promotional project for his S. Carter sneaker line. It is not available on Spotify as of Dec. 4, but can currently be streamed on TIDAL and YouTube.
Best of Both Worlds
We all can probably guess why this project wasn’t included in the upload to Spotify, despite Kelly’s catalogue still being available on the streaming service. Even though Jay might have to forget this collaborative project with the fallen R&B icon due to Kelly’s plethora of sexual abuse and slavery allegations, some of the classic material on here cannot be denied. From the title track, to the club bangers like “Get This Money” and “Take You Home With Me,” “Best of Both Worlds” is an essential part of Jay’s catalogue that might be forever forgotten thanks to Kelly’s atrocities famously highlighted in the documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly.” It can also still be streamed on TIDAL and YouTube.
Unfinished Business
The lackluster follow-up to “BOBW” is also missing from Spotify. The album had a few notable joints including “Big Chips” and the now undeniably creepy sounding “She’s Coming Home With Me.” While promoting this project, Kelly and Jay had their infamous falling out where the singer pretended that he was threatened at gunpoint at a Madison Square Garden show (I was at this show). The two never collaborated again, but did leave behind a lot of musical gems despite their differences. This project can still be streamed on TIDAL and YouTube.
Jay-Z Live in Brooklyn
This is a lesser known project that features Jay-Z rapping live versions of some of his biggest hits including “Public Service Announcement” and “Empire State of Mind.” For some reason it was left off the Spotify upload but can still be heard on TIDAL.
Rant or Reason 