A joint venture with Jay-Z, this album celebrated luxury and Black excellence, featuring high-octane production from Kanye, Mike Dean, and Hit-Boy. Cruel Summer (2012):

If there was ever a seven-year stretch where one artist redefined the rules of hip-hop production, sampling, and album rollout spectacle, it was .

He heard the squeak of a chair leather. The hiss of an air conditioning unit. Then, footsteps. Heavy, pacing.