Jay-Z – Empire State of Mind (ft. Alicia Keys)

Click on the turntable on the left to listen to a continuous stream of music featured on Pretty Much Amazing - updated every day. For more, you can check out the Best Songs of 2011, or our Best Albums of 2011.

Jay Z   Empire State of Mind (ft. Alicia Keys) stream music favorite songs

The earth stood still for a couple of minutes when word broke that Jay-Z’s insanely anticipated The Blueprint 3 had leaked. The consensus was that after all of these years, Jay-Z is still hitting hard and four steps ahead of everyone in the game. Most rappers lose steam after their second or third album — to release an eleventh album that doesn’t make you want to shoot yourself in the face, like this one, is unthinkable.

With that said, for me, the album was dry and slow. It had some highlights and “Empire State of Mind” was definitely one of them. My personal favorite cut from the album, the track features a Jay-Z full of hometown sentiment and soaring harmonies courtesy of the gosh-wow lovely Alicia Keys. Listen to it here: 

[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/05-empire-state-of-mind-feat-alici.mp3,Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (ft. Alicia Keys)]

Ed. Note: Are you interested in writing about music? We'd love to hear from you! Email us with samples and a short bio.

{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }

Adam Offitzer September 6, 2009 at 7:05 pm

What a great track…as I read somewhere, shades of Kanye West’s “Gone,” one of my all-time favorite rap songs.

Reply

Cheese September 6, 2009 at 8:06 pm

cudi leaked by the way

Reply

Caleb September 6, 2009 at 10:01 pm

I listened to both Blueprint 3 and Kid CuDi’s Man on the Moon: The End of Day today.

I was (to my surprise) impressed by both of them.

Young Forever (ft. Mr Hudson) is hands down my favorite off of Jay Z’s album.

You should check out Kid CuDi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” (with MGMT) from Man on the Moon… one of the best songs i’ve heard this year…

Reply

Caleb September 6, 2009 at 10:03 pm

its in my blog :P :)

Reply

signaturex September 6, 2009 at 10:06 pm

the cover looks gessoic

Reply

Pontus September 7, 2009 at 5:43 am

Blueprint can’t even begin to measure up to Man On The Moon.

Reply

Fllu September 7, 2009 at 7:05 am

Jay-Z is THE MAN!

Reply

KaCee September 7, 2009 at 11:19 am

+1 to CuDi winning between the two.

Reply

Steven September 7, 2009 at 7:13 pm

yes this and Young Forever are definitely my favorites. Never thought there would be an Alphaville sample on this but it sounds great.

Reply

Mark September 9, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Jay Z went in! he broke CuDi’s album in half!

Reply

Bear September 9, 2009 at 11:18 pm

Sad he chose to work with Beyoncé instead of Alicia. I usually love altos, but I can’t stand her because it sounds like it’s nothing but a head voice. She’s just yelling.

Reply

Bear September 9, 2009 at 11:18 pm

Sad he chose to work with Alicia instead of Beyoncé.*

Reply

Hiphop20 September 10, 2009 at 4:51 am

this song with alicia keys is awesome cant stop 2 listen to it and dont 4get to watch out the live performance of those 2 on vma 2009 11 sep gna be a great moment!!!

Reply

twin September 17, 2009 at 10:24 am

jay-z is all hip hop the best ever 11th number one albums he is the best raper of time man lie women lie numbers don’t

Reply

twin September 17, 2009 at 10:25 am

jay-z is all hip hop the best ever 11th number one albums he is the best raper of all time man lie women lie numbers don’t

Reply

Aaron (i do care) September 18, 2009 at 7:02 am

i love this song!!!!! it is my new fav i listen to this song at least 15 times a day

Reply

Aaron (i do care) September 18, 2009 at 7:05 am

first it went i run this town
then it is EMPIRE STATE OF MIND and it is fantastic

Reply

Aaron (i do care) September 18, 2009 at 7:08 am

What a great track …jay-z is all hip hop the best ever…this song with Alicia Keys is awesome…definitely my favorite….Amazing JAY-Z

Reply

zoe c October 3, 2009 at 11:09 am

amazing ;) <3

Reply

zoe c October 3, 2009 at 12:09 pm

amazing ;) <3

Reply

bryton November 13, 2009 at 11:37 am

this is the best song jay-z has ever made. to me jay-z is the best rapper out right now, lil wayne ain’t got nuthin on this song. new york, new york, new york.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Massive Attack, known for their downtempo, apocalyptic trip-hop, and Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio, known for their downtempo, apocalyptic indie rock, have collaborated on a track for Massive…

Keep Reading...

Combining a hip-hop beat Andre 300 and Big Boi would want to rap over with energetic synth rhythms and hazy, slow vocals, Ernest Green, the mastermind behind the new Georgia…

Keep Reading...

Zomby One Foot Ahead of the Other EP Ramp out October 6th 70/100 [Rating Scale] [rating:70/100] 1984. A dark and stormy night… Little Suzy is babysitting at big, old, MacPherson…

Keep Reading...

Ever wondered what it would sound like if a Brooklyn warehouse rave got transported into the middle of the Amazon rainforest? Well, even if you haven’t (and I fantasize daily),…

Keep Reading...

A 3+ minute clip of an alleged Britney Spears track with Lil Wayne titled “Bad Girl” came to my attention thanks to various emails from fans. The track is supposed…

Keep Reading...

White Denim Fits Full Time Hobby out October 20th 63/100 [Rating Scale] [rating:63/100] There’s an excitement in knowing that something could go kablooey at any moment. It’s like the climax…

Keep Reading...

The captivating, yet mysterious video for their single, “I’m Not a Robot,” put Marina and the Diamonds in the spot light. A few days ago Marina shined the light on…

Keep Reading...

The first time is the hardest, or so they say.  While this might not apply to activities you can do while shitfaced drunk (sex, riding a bike, driving, delivering a…

Keep Reading...

You may have first heard the name Penguin Prison from his popular remix of “I’m Not A Robot” by Marina and The Diamonds. This time around, the NYC based indie…

Keep Reading...