"99 Problems" (Jay-Z)

Few artists frustrate me like Jay-Z.  On the one hand, I respect his prowess as a wordsmith.  I also respect that he went from being a poor kid slinging drugs in Bed-Stuy to a multi-millionaire in a matter of a few decades.  But at the same time, I get the feeling that everything he's ever recorded has been motivated by a dollar bill and nothing more.  

Don't get me wrong; I'm not implying that an artist has to be broke to create legitimate art.  I'm just saying that, when you're only putting out records because it's part of your brand strategy, contributing your verse to the play of life is not your ultimate goal at the end of the day.

Anyway, that's the dichotomy of Jay-Z.

But I'm going to put all of that aside for minute and focus on the song "99 Problems" itself.  

Back when I first heard Jay-Z's The Black Album (2003), I had no idea that the song was a reimagining of the 1993 track "99 Problems" by rapper Ice-T—a raunchy, embarrassingly misogynistic song that he recorded with Brother Marquis of infamous rap group, 2 Live Crew, and the source of Jay-Z's refrain: I've got 99 problems but a b*tch ain't one.
But instead of following Ice-T's precedent of rhyming about his various female conquests, Jay-Z flips the song into a rebuke of critics, racist cops, and industry adversaries.  The result is a narrative lyric that hearkens back to the style of storytelling rappers, such as Slick Rick.
Adding to that vibe is Rick Rubin's vintage 80s production, complete with Billy Squier sample.
Funny thing is, I wasn't a huge fan of rock-rap back when Rubin first unleashed it on the world decades ago.  Nevertheless, the first time I heard those booming drums and distorted blasts of guitar rip through the speakers with Jay-Z's flow on top, I couldn't deny that this was/is a hip-hop masterpiece.