Like a lot of people I heard "Izzo (H.O.V.A)" and "Girls, Girls, Girls" and they just didn't appeal to me. Then I saw an interview with Jay-Z on MTV and they played a snippet of the video for "Dead Presidents" and I was suprised by how much I liked it. When I saw the price of the CD, I had no problem paying out for it.
I'm under no illusions that the best tracks on the album are "Can't Knock the Hustle","Dead Presidents" and "Ain't no.." with Foxxy Brown, but I made the error of basically listening to these three tracks on loop on the first four months of having this album. It was only when I listened to the entire album that I began to appreciate how good the CD actually is. In my opinion tracks 1 through 9 are all brilliant then perhaps it slows down a bit but comes back in a big way for the brilliant "Regrets".
I can't say anything that hasn't been said, even if you don't like Jay-Z's current persona you will enjoy this album.