Empire State of Mind (Feat. Alicia Keys) – Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3 – 2009

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The second appearance of Hip Hop king Jay-Z, Empire State of Mind is his masterpiece. A celebration of everything that makes him proud to come from New York, his 3 verses are some of his most iconic. The production is epic too, capturing the true scale of the city. But the real reason Empire finds itself at number 6 in my list is that chorus. Delivered effortlessly by Alicia Keys, it’s the most infectious hook of the decade and will go down as one of the greatest achievements the genre has seen.

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UK Chart Position – 2
Best Lyric – ‘I’m the new Sinatra’

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A quick side note, Empire State of Mind was the very first thing mentioned on this blog a year and a half ago. It feels weird returning to it after all this time.
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