Kanye West and Jay-Z collaborations breathe life into the cartoon two-headed goat meme that has taken over social media over the years. Twenty years ago, a young ’Ye, fresh off the train from Chicago with a Hamilton in his pocket, pulled up to a studio session to play beats for Beanie Sigel on Sigel's birthday. Kanye told MTV in 2002 that it was Hov who stuck around after Sigel left to celebrate his birthday and heard the rest of the beat pack. Jigga’s attention was snatched by what would become the Brooklyn rapper's songs “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” and “Never Change.” That moment marked the day Yeezy secured a stack of credits on Jay-Z's The Blueprint album and the inception of their musical alliance with one another.

Sooner than later after being Hova’s soul-sampling beat architect, which brought to life the fluorescent “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” Kanye started rapping and looked to his friend for features. The two tag-teamed over beats on tracks like the Jay-Z and J. Ivy-featured “Never Let Me Down,” from The College Dropout. And vice versa on records like “Run This Town” featuring ’Ye and Roc Nation’s first lady Rihanna, which appeared on The Blueprint 3.

Their high-quality run preceded Watch The Throne, regarded by many hip-hop fans as rap’s best joint album of all time. Realistically, that entire collection of records could make the list when discussing the best cohesive magic they’ve stirred up. “Otis”—a potent sample of Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness”—will forever be a classic, as will “Ni**as In Paris” and the Project X memory-triggering “H•A•M.” Glaring choices omitted, “The Joy,” with assisted production from Pete Rock, is a cruise-control ride into the clouds of rap’s greatest in the silky flows finessed, artful wordplay and pensive storytelling. Many would call it flawless.

The brethren reunited 10 years after the project came out for "Jail" off of Yeezy's highly anticipated Donda in late August of 2021. Fans of course applauded the comeback, not only because they set their differences aside, but it also recalled memories of their significant track record over the years. With that in mind, XXL highlights these two hip-hop giants' most essential collaborations, on which they joined forces either by rapping together or ’Ye crafted the beat for Hov.

Check out Kanye West and Jay-Z's most essential collaborations you need to hear below as we await a possible sequel.

  • "Otis"

    Kanye West and Jay-Z Featuring Otis Redding
  • "Never Let Me Down"

    Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy
  • "Izzo (H.O.V.A)"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)"

    Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z
  • "Run This Town"

    Jay-Z Featuring Kanye West and Rihanna
  • "’03 Bonnie & Clyde"

    Song by Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Ni**as in Paris"

    Kanye West and Jay-Z
  • "Clique"

    Kanye West, Jay-Z and Big Sean
  • "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Takeover"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West
  • "No Church in the Wild"

    Kanye West and Jay-Z Featuring Frank Ocean and The-Dream
  • "Encore"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Monster"

    Kanye West Featuring Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Jay-Z
  • "Lucifer"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West
  • "The Joy"

    Kanye West and Jay-Z featuring Curtis Mayfield
  • "Power (Remix)"

    Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz
  • "So Appalled"

    Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z, Pusha-T, Swizz Beatz, RZA and CyHi The Prynce
  • "Never Change"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Gotta Have It"

    Kanye West and Jay-Z
  • "This Can't Be Life"

    Song by Jay-Z Featuring Beanie Sigel and Scarface, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Poppin' Tags"

    Song by Jay-Z Featuring Big Boi, Killer Mike and Twista, Produced by Kanye West
  • "H•A•M"

    Kanye West and Jay-Z
  • "Brooklyn Go Hard"

    Song by Jay-Z Featuring Santigold, Produced by Kanye West
  • "Some People Hate"

    Song by Jay-Z, Produced by Kanye West

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