Jay-Z is someone that's been around for a very longtime, his understanding of his genre is pretty much unparalleled to none. You don't really need to be a fan to tell, the kind of success he's been able to amass is incredible; the connections at his disposal, the artist he's been able to bring up, the ones under his control among other lucrative ventures.
I've done a lot of musical research and  when it comes to hip-hop he's mention in numerous circles and has had strong influence on a lot of the present artists in this genre. And has that stopped him from making more music? No it hasn't, though obviously he hasn't been as dominant in recent times he's been able to still make his presence felt on a number of features while still trying to revolutionize music in form of his own streaming service.
What I like most about Jay Z is his charisma. Yes you might say its fundamental for every artist to have this but his is just different I don't think there's a way to explain it. When you hear him you just know its him. Also, his ties with Kanye West is worth a mention, he has contributed to a lot of his tracks in one way or another and they have their own peculiar story which I would go into another time. So here are some of my favourite Jay Z songs from over the years;