Does Jay-Z Write Their Own Music? Songwriting Credits & Scores

By the Numbers

13

Studio Albums

200

Tracks Credited

99%

Self-Written

125 million

Records Sold

30

Years Active

517

Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 197 / 200 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 200 tracks: how many Jay-Z wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Jay-Z has a writing credit99%

99%

2%

Sole author0tracks0%

Co-written197tracks99%

Outside writers3tracks2%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Jay-Z's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 200 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)99%

Composer (music)0%

Producer4%

Performer99%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Jay-Z's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 99%

100%

88%

100%

93%

100%

1996Reasonable Doubt

1997In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

1998Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

1999Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter

2000The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

2001The Blueprint

2002The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse

2003The Black Album

2006Kingdom Come

2007American Gangster

2009The Blueprint 3

2013Magna Carta Holy Grail

20174:44

Early · 97% written

Mid · 99% written

Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%

1990s

Reasonable Doubt, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 +2 more

97%

2000s

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, The Blueprint +5 more

100%

2010s

Magna Carta Holy Grail, 4:44

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Jay-Z sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Jay-Z

Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Metro Boomin0%

EXO8%

Britney Spears32%

NSYNC41%

TLC59%

Destiny's Child69%

Snoop Dogg88%

99%Jay-Z

Pure Performer0%

Songwriter~50%

Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Ain't No Nigga

Reasonable Doubt

Written by Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Jonathan Burks

Co-wrote

The City Is Mine

In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

Written by Jay-Z, Teddy Riley, Kenneth Gamble, Leon A. Huff, Glenn Frey, Jack Tempchin

Co-wrote

(Always Be My) Sunshine

In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

Written by Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Daven Vanderpool, Darryll Barksdale, Bobby Robinson, James Harris III, Terry Lewis

Co-wrote

Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

Written by Jay-Z, Mark James, Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin

Co-wrote

Can I Get A...

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

Written by Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Irving Lorenzo, Robert Mays

Co-wrote

Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

Written by Jay-Z, Jaz-O, Timothy Mosley

Co-wrote

Money Ain't a Thang

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

Written by Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Steve Arrington, Charles Carter, Buddy Hankerson, Roger Parker

Co-wrote

I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

Written by Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, James Johnson, Christopher Wallace, Deric Angelettie, Sean Combs, Kit Walker, Todd Shaw, Mike City

Co-wrote

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

Written by Jay-Z, R. Kelly, Dana Stinson

Co-wrote

Change the Game

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

Written by Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Ricardo Thomas

Co-wrote

99 Problems

The Black Album

Written by Jay-Z, Rick Rubin, Norman Landsberg, Felix Pappalardi, John Ventura, Leslie Weinstein, William Squier, Tracy Marrow, Alphonso Henderson

Co-wrote

Holy Grail

Magna Carta Holy Grail

Written by Jay-Z, The-Dream, Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, Jerome Harmon, Ernest Wilson, Kurt Cobain, David Grohl, Krist Novoselic

Co-wrote

Tom Ford

Magna Carta Holy Grail

Written by Jay-Z, Timothy Mosley, Jerome Harmon

Co-wrote

Part II (On the Run)

Magna Carta Holy Grail

Written by Jay-Z, James Fauntleroy, Timothy Mosley, Jerome Harmon

Roc Nation

16 tracks

2017100%

4:44

Roc Nation

13 tracks

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Jay-Z200 tracks

JS26 TM25 T25 JB24 NI23 KW22

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. JS Justin Smith · TM Timothy Mosley · T Timbaland · JB Just Blaze · NI No I.D. · KW Kanye West

The Writers & Producers Behind Jay-Z 6 key collaborators

JS

Justin Smith

Songwriter

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia / The Blueprint / The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse / The Black Album26 tracks

TM

Timothy Mosley

Songwriter

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life / Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter / The Blueprint / The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse25 tracks

T

Timbaland

Producer

Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life / Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter / The Blueprint / The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse25 tracks

JB

Just Blaze

Producer

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia / The Blueprint / The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse / The Black Album24 tracks

NI

No I.D.

Producer

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse / American Gangster / The Blueprint 3 / Magna Carta Holy Grail23 tracks

KW

Kanye West

Producer & Songwriter

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia / The Blueprint / The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse / The Black Album22 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Jay-Z is a near-pure lyricist in the data: he writes his own verses on essentially every track, so his lyricist credit is close to total, but he almost never holds a music or production credit. The composer column instead fills with his producers and the writers of the songs he samples, which on a soul-sampling album like The Blueprint or American Gangster can be a long list. The split is the story of mainstream hip-hop authorship, where the rapper owns the words and the producer owns the sound.

Quick Facts

HovaWidely known by the nicknames Hova (Jay-Hova) and Jigga
GrammysHas won 25 Grammy Awards, among the most of any artist
Rock HallInducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021
BillionaireThe first hip-hop artist to become a billionaire, in 2019
Number-one albumsHas 14 number-one albums on the Billboard 200, a record for a solo artist

Creative Fingerprint

A rapper who writes in his head: Jay-Z is credited on 98% of his tracks, writing all his own lyrics without writing them down. Every song is co-written in the sense that producers and sample composers share credit, but the raps are his.

The Story

Jay-Z is one of the most successful and influential rappers in history, a Brooklyn native who turned a hustler's biography into a three-decade run of commercial and critical dominance. He writes all of his own lyrics, famously composing them in his head rather than on paper, which places him at the high end of the authorship scale as a lyricist even as he relies on outside producers for nearly all of his music. His catalog runs from the dense street narratives of Reasonable Doubt through stadium-pop crossovers to the confessional, sample-driven 4:44, and along the way he helped build Roc-A-Fella and Roc Nation into industry powers. The credit tables show a consistent pattern: Jay-Z's name on the words, a rotating cast of producers from DJ Premier to Kanye West to No I.D. on the music. He became the first rapper inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and remains a defining figure in hip-hop's move from the streets to the boardroom.

Awards & Recognition

Has won 25 Grammy Awards, among the most of any artist and second-most of any hip-hop artist

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021

The first hip-hop artist to become a billionaire, in 2019

Has 14 number-one albums on the Billboard 200, a record for a solo artist

His album The Blueprint (2001) was added to the National Recording Registry

Frequently Asked Questions Jay-Z

Did Jay-Z write his own songs?

Yes. Jay-Z writes all his own raps, holding a writing credit on 98% of his tracks. He is famous for composing his lyrics entirely in his head, without writing them down. Because hip-hop production is collaborative, every song also credits producers and sample writers, so his tracks read as co-written, but the verses are his own, on classics from 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' to '99 Problems.'

Did Jay-Z write '99 Problems'?

Yes. '99 Problems' (2003) was written by Jay-Z with producer Rick Rubin, who built the beat. Jay-Z wrote all the lyrics. It became one of his signature songs, from The Black Album.

Does Jay-Z write his lyrics down?

No, famously. Jay-Z composes his rhymes entirely in his head and does not write them down, a method he shares with the Notorious B.I.G. He is still credited as the writer of his verses on nearly every track.

Who wrote 'Empire State of Mind'?

'Empire State of Mind' (2009) was co-written by Jay-Z with Alicia Keys, who sings the hook, and its producers. Jay-Z wrote the raps. It became one of his biggest hits and an anthem for New York.

Who produces Jay-Z's music?

He has worked with hip-hop's top producers, including Just Blaze, Timbaland, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, and No I.D. Their beats are why so many co-writers appear on his tracks.

How many albums has Jay-Z released?

This catalogue covers 13 of his solo studio albums, from Reasonable Doubt (1996) to 4:44 (2017).

How many Grammys has Jay-Z won?

25 Grammy Awards, among the most of any artist and the second-most of any hip-hop act.

Is Jay-Z a billionaire?

Yes. In 2019 he became the first hip-hop artist to reach billionaire status, through his music and business ventures like Roc Nation and his spirits and streaming companies.

What is Jay-Z's most acclaimed album?

Reasonable Doubt (1996) and The Blueprint (2001) are his most acclaimed. The Blueprint was added to the US National Recording Registry for its cultural significance.

What genre is Jay-Z?

He is a hip-hop and rap artist, one of the defining figures of East Coast and mainstream rap, known for his lyricism, business acumen, and longevity across three decades.

Sources

Wikipedia: Jay-Z discography Wikipedia: Jay-Z