History YMMV / JayZ

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* NeverLiveItDown: Any discussion of him and his sister in law Solange will inevitably ends up bringing up the 2014 elevator incident.

* NeverLiveItDown: Any discussion of Jim and hid sister in LA Solange will inevitably ends up bringing up the 2014 elevator incident.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: His song "D'Evils" is a fictional account of violent fallout with his friends over {{money|DearBoy}}. Though no where near as bad as what happened in the song, he did have a falling out with his friend/business partners and some of his artist, resulting in the end of his record label Roc-A-Fella Records.

** ''4:44'' is rapidly shaping up to be this, as it was loved by fans and critics alike for being one of, if not Jay Z's most personal album. Songs like "Kill Jay-Z", "The Story Of O.J" and the title track are standouts.

* CriticalDissonance: ''Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life''. An album that garnered mediocre reviews from critics and, to this day, has yet to be [[VindicatedByHistory critically reappraised]] but is adored by fans and is his best selling album overall. It's also, to this day, the only one of his albums to win a Grammy for "Best Rap Album."

** With Kanye West thanks to ''Watch The Throne''. Seems to be fading as of late in favor of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_of_the_Summer_Stadium_Tour a collaborative relationship]] with Music/JustinTimberlake. Kanye is nowhere to be found on ''Magna Carta...Holy Grail'', and likewise for Jay on ''Yeezus.'' TThe two eventually patched up their issues with Jay's appearance on Kanye's song "Jail" off his 2021 album ''Donda''.

** ''4:44'' is rapidly shaping up to be this, as it was loved by fans and critics alike for being one of, if not Jay Z's most personal album. Songs like ''Kill Jay-Z'', ''The Story Of O.J'' and the title track are standouts.

** ''The Black Album'' was to be [[TenMinuteRetirement his final album before retiring]], and was very warmly embraced by fans and critics and is still seen as one of his best albums. Then he came back with ''Kingdom Come'', which was considered a pretty lackluster offering, especially compered to its predecessor. Even Jay himself felt the same way, feeling he was rusty on ''Kingdom Come'' and naming it the worst album he'd ever done.

* HilariousInHindsight: Jay-Z {{sampl|ing}}ed [[{{Theatre/Annie}} "It's the Hard Knock Life"]] for his 1998 BreakthroughHit, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Hard Knock Life"]]. Sixteen years later, he's helping to write new music for the 2014 reimagining of ''Annie'' starring Quvenzhalé Wallis.

** With Kanye West thanks to ''Watch The Throne''. Seems to be fading as of late in favor of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_of_the_Summer_Stadium_Tour a collaborative relationship]] with Music/JustinTimberlake. Kanye is nowhere to be found on ''Magna Carta...Holy Grail'', and likewise for Jay on ''Yeezus.''

* ValuesDissonance: Big Pimpin' is flagrantly sexist by today's standards. Jay-Z himself agrees and [[CreatorBacklash doesn't hold the song in that high of regard anymore]].