The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #283

#283: "What Would Jay-Z Do?" (2007) - Ben Lee

With that kind of title, this sweet little pop number could have so easily had a field day skewering Jay-Z and rappers in general; instead, Aussie Ben Lee takes the tough road and creates a straight-faced ode to his hip-hop muse, writing wistful lyrics around as pretty a pop melody as there is on this chart. The winsome background singers dive and plunge, and Lee's vulnerable vocals only add to the hearttugging pathos created in this record that's much better--considering its title--than it has any right to be.