Young Jeezy made his debut in the rap game in the early 2000s and has been a consistent and significant member of the community since his debut album. Alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers like T.I., he is credited as one of the pioneers of the trap subgenre of hip hop. Numerous platinum-certified singles, chart hits, and memorable performances have turned him into a legendary figure in the hip hop community. In this article, we’ll take a look at all of the tracks he produced or was a featured artist on to rank the 15 best Young Jeezy songs of all time.
1. Put On
Put On is undeniably the best song Young Jeezy has ever been a part of. It was released in 2008 on the rapper’s album The Recession, serving as the lead single for the album. The track debuted at number 36 on the Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 12, earning him his fourth top-20 hit single. It also reached the top of the Hot Rap Songs chart and earned a triple-platinum verification in the US.
The track sees him and Kanye West trading bars and representing their respective cities. Each line is powerful, backed by an aggressive beat that celebrates the life of a hustler and the lifestyle of making money in the streets. Its popularity helped him reach a high level of popularity and inspired several remixes and freestyles. Jay-Z hopped on the track for the official remix and freestyles were laid down over the beat by Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and other notable hip hop artists.
2. Soul Survivor
The second song on our list is the second song of Young Jeezy’s studio career. Soul Survivor was released as part of his 2005 album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 and saw him team up with Akon for the production. The track was a massive hit and helped him hit the ground running in the music world.
It reached number four on the Hot 100, number Mainstream Top 40, and reached the number-one spot on both the Hot R&B/Hip Hop and Hot Rap Songs charts. It was an early introduction to the hard-hitting bass and anthemic lyrics that would become a signature of his career. A confident, club banger that anyone could enjoy on a night out.
3. Seen It All
Seen It All was the title track and second single of Young Jeezy’s sixth studio album, Seen It All: The Autobiography, which was released in 2014. Rather than the hard-hitting, driving beats of the first two songs on the list, this one comes off as almost soulful. Both he and Jay-Z make up for that with their powerful verses, but it still comes off as a track that just celebrates life and relationships.
Happy, sad, angry, regretful, nostalgic. These are all feelings you’ll get when you listen to it, with different emotions coming up on different listens and depending upon what memories it brings up each time. Despite not being a chart-topper, this one still earned a platinum certification and reached number 24 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
4. I Luv It
I Luv It was one of the best showcases of Young Jeezy’s gritty voice. It quickly turned into an anthem of 2006 thanks to its catchy hook and beat, earning it incredible amounts of radio play. It ended up reaching the top 15 on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and even broke into the top 10 of the Hot Rap chart. It was the first single from his album The Inspiration in 2006 and was one of the songs that set the foundation for his meteoric rise in the rap game.
5. My President
My President was a triumphant song on several fronts. First, it was an obvious celebration of Barack Obama becoming the President of the US, recorded on the day that he secured the Democratic nomination for the position. It also ended a feud between Young Jeezy and Nas, who spent several years going at each other after Nas’s single Hip Hop Is Dead.
It was listed as a top-20 song of the year by Rolling Stone in 2008. Though its chart run was less stellar than many of his biggest hits, the track marked important milestones in both his career and the history of the country.
6. Lose My Mind
Lose My Mind was another great club banger from Young Jeezy, released on his 2011 album Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition. Alongside Plies, he even earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the song. It was a bonus track found only on the deluxe version of his album but was also included on his mixtape Trap Or Die II.
It’s the perfect song for getting ready for a night out, getting listeners excited about living the high life, and making the most of the moment. A remix of the track that traded out Plies’ verse for one by Drake came out shortly after and became the more famous version of the song.
7. R.I.P.
R.I.P. was one of the biggest songs of 2013, at least across the Southeastern US. It was released on Young Jeezy’s mixtape It’s Tha World and saw him team up with 2 Chainz who added a third verse to the track. The song became a party banger and was easily one of the most catchy tracks of his career, complete with a unique bumping beat that makes it instantly recognizable.
It broke into the top 20 of both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop and Hot Rap charts, finding a place on both of the year-end rankings for those lists. An official remix followed it that featured Kendrick Lamar and Chris Brown, though this time the original was the most-played version of Young Jeezy’s song.
8. Can’t Tell Me Nothing
Can’t Tell Me Nothing was one of the best features of Young Jeezy’s career, and it unsurprisingly saw him team up with Kanye West. It was released on West’s third album Graduation in 2007 and originated with Young Jeezy’s song I Got Money.
Described by West as a theme song for the people, it sees him reflect on his journey to fame and fortune, expressing his feelings on his lifestyle and the drive it took to reach his goals. While it just missed out on the top 40 of the Hot 100, it broke into the top 20 of the R&B/Hip-Hop and Hot Rap Songs charts.
9. Back
Young Jeezy is one of the originators of the trap subgenre of hip hop that has become infinitely more popular over the last decade, so his return to the game in 2020 should come as no surprise. Back saw him team up with Yo Gotti for a song that encapsulates the aggressive lyrics and beats that have been a signature part of his career since he debuted in the 2000s. It was the fourth track on his recent album The Recession 2, and while it didn’t make it onto the charts, it was a reassertion of his place in the hip hop landscape.
10. All There
All There sees Young Jeezy putting on a different hat than he wears for most of the songs on our list. It’s an introspective track from the rapper that sees him contemplating his place in the world and reflecting on his life this far. The best is a piano-driven one and retains a somber tone, which is a big shift from the blazing trap beats we typically get from him.
Rather than an ode to the streets or braggadocious bluster, the song talks about struggle, perseverance, and gratitude. It served as the second single from Trap Or Die 3 in 2016 and earned a platinum certification.
11. Leave You Alone
Leave You Alone is another track that is much in line with the tone of our last entry. It sees Young Jeezy put himself in a more vulnerable position, introspectively waxing about romantic love and how much he cares for a woman despite not knowing if he can give her the life she deserves.
It’s a standout track in his catalog because of its raw emotion and how sentimental it is. And while it isn’t the club banger we would normally expect from him, it was wildly successful. It was a top-three hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop, Hot Rap Songs, and Rhythmic charts in 2012.
12. Love In This Club
Most people probably forgot this pop hit from Usher that was released in 2008, but we didn’t. Love In This Club was released as the lead single of his fifth album Here I Stand. Young Jeezy wasn’t originally slated to be a featured artist on the song, but after Usher heard the verse he recorded for it, he decided to keep it. This led to him calling Young Jeezy one of the greatest rappers of their generation.
The track was a massive hit for Usher, earning a number-one hit on the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Rhythmic charts on top of a number-two ranking on the Mainstream Top 40 and UK Hip-Hop/R&B chart. Let alone the international success it brought to both him and Young Jeezy.
13. My Hood
My Hood was released as the fourth single from Young Jeezy’s debut studio album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 in 2005. Some critics thought that it was out of character for his at-the-time mean-mugging persona, though the smooth rhymes in the song showed a different side of the up-and-coming rapper. It actually interpolated Rubber Band Man, as performed by T.I.
It wasn’t the biggest chart success of his career, but it was an early look at the rapper stepping away from his aggressive roots and into something lighter. Interestingly, it served as Derek Jeter’s walk-out music for his at-bats during the 2006 MLB season.
14. Go Getta
Go Getta was the second single to come from Young Jeezy’s second album The Inspiration in 2007 and saw him collaborate with R. Kelly. The song turned out to be an interesting mixture of R. Kelly’s famous style and Young Jeezy’s harsher tempo, something most listeners enjoyed and could get behind.
It was listed by several publications as one of the best songs of the year and spawned several remixes and freestyles from the likes of Lil Wayne and Chamillionaire. On the charts, it rose to number 18 on the Hot 100 and number three on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
15. American Dream
American Dream is the best example of Young Jeezy wading into socially conscious rap music. It serves as a discussion of the black experience in the US and how the “American Dream” truly stacks up for Black people just trying to make it. The song should have gotten more attention than it did, as it was one of the most honest looks at the plight of African Americans to come out that year in the music world.
It was a notable track, not only for his spitting blunt truths about the country in his verses but also for the fact that it reunited J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar for an incredible song. It was the 12th track on his 2017 album PRESSURE and was one of the most anticipated rap songs of the entire year.
As a contributing writer for Music Grotto, Dakotah writes and produces professional music/media content. He works closely with editorial staff to meet editorial standards and create
quality content for the Music Grotto website. Dakotah is passionate about music in a wide variety of genres, from hip-hop to country and lo-fi to metal, and he enjoys creating music pieces for Music Grotto.