An appearance from Jay-Z is rare these days. Since unleashing his critically acclaimed 4:44 album in 2017, his presence on the mic has gotten quieter. Occasionally, fans are blessed in the form of a feature. And while his foot isn’t on the gas at the moment when it comes to his bars, that’s exactly what the results have been.
Most of Hov’s guest appearances after dropping 4:44 stem from the friends and family package. The Throne was reunited on the 2021 Donda cut “Jail.” Fans went crazy when the song was debuted at Kanye West's stadium-sized listening session in Atlanta last year. Around that same time, Jay made an appearance on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy stamp “Love All,” a previously leaked track that originally had an insanely pleasant outro on it before Jay ended the track with an exclamation mark. So far, Hov has been on most Drizzy albums but two. And one year later, Jigga tag-teamed “Neck & Wrist” with Pusha T for one of the best cuts on the Clipse member's It’s Almost Dry, also known as an album of the year contender.
Of course, Jay-Z has been putting on for the home team, Roc Nation, as well. When Meek Mill’s commercially successful Championships LP dropped in 2018, Hov went dummy on “What’s Free” alongside Rick Ross. Additionally, when Jay Electronica finally came out the cut and dropped A Written Testimony in 2020, Hova was on more than half the tracks. Records like “Flux Capacitor” and "Ghost Of Soulja Slim" are stamped as standouts. Talk about a pleasant surprise.
There’s only been a total of 16 Jay-Z features over the last five years. In anticipation for his next music moment, here, XXL ranks them all. Check out Jay-Z’s best guest verses since his 4:44 album below.
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16
“Ezekiel’s Wheel”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z
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15
“A.P.I.D.T.A.”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z
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14
“Universal Soldier”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z
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13
“Sorry Not Sorry”
DJ Khaled Featuring Jay-Z, Nas, The Hive and James Fauntleroy
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12
“The Neverending Story”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z
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11
“Talk Up”
Drake Featuring Jay-Z
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10
“The Blinding”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z and Travis Scott
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9
“Entrepreneur”
Pharrell Featuring Jay-Z
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8
“Ghost Of Soulja Slim”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z
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7
“Jail”
Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z
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6
“Bath Salts”
DMX Featuring Nas and Jay-Z
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5
“Love All”
Drake Featuring Jay-Z
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4
“Top Off”
DJ Khaled Featuring Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Future
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3
“Flux Capacitor”
Jay Electronica Featuring Jay-Z
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2
“Neck & Wrist”
Pusha-T Featuring Jay-Z and Pharrell
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1
“What’s Free”
Meek Mill Featuring Jay-Z and Rick Ross