will be a part of this blog, but I will need to disclaim that technically I finished it on the plane ride home from Texas for Christmas, prior to the start of this year. Technicalities aside, it was part of the reason for this blog, and as such I will give it due service.
Growing up on the West Coast rap music consisted of West Coast artists. Tupac, Dr.. Dre, Snoop and a host of other artists that were from our area covered most of the local DJ's playlists, while the East Coast rap (Jay-Z, Biggie, Junior Mafia, etc.) generally garnished less air time. I can't say I've been a fan since day 1, but I remember hearing some of Jay-Z's songs, specifically "Can I get a..." and "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" and was hooked. The clever lyrics and smooth delivery had me. Since then, I've owned every album and have thoroughly enjoyed his music, and got a chance to see him in concert 2 years ago. Needless to say, this book perked my interest.
Now before I go any further I need to credit my wife, for both taking me to see Jay-Z (28th Birthday) and for getting me this book. I guess I've been out of the loop, but when I opened it up and saw that the book was indeed written by Jay-Z himself, I was excited. I guess you could say my wife knows my weak spot.
Decoded, while certainly not an auto-biography or memoir, gives readers a chance to look into the mind of Jay-Z, and to gain a first-person perspective on his life and, more specifically, his music. Intertwined with stories from his past Jay-Z pens the meaning behind many of his songs. As someone who has recited lines with him, it was nice to know exactly where he got the inspiration for the song, the line, or even the specific words. I think often times we put rap artists in a box, but after reading through this book, a lot of folks will be shockingly surprised at the depth and genius of the writer.
It's no secret that Jay-Z's past included young "drug education", and was nearly something that took him away from something he was meant to do. The book goes into decent depth on the "hustler spirit", and what he grew up with. I think one of the unique things about explaining this back-story is how it affects the way a person perceives his lyrics. Interweaving the lyrics to his songs and explaining where he was in life while writing them provides a dynamic shift.
I think my favorite part of the book is when he goes into depth regarding two great songs "99 Problems" and "Ignorant Shit". The first is a classic tale of a black man pulled over for being "black while driving". I think the reason I love this song so much is because it is not only a sign of the times, but also displays his masterful ability to tell a story in rhythm and rhyme. As for "Ignorant Shit", it is exactly as I thought it was. The song was meant to be a jab at modern rap, something that has been dumbed down to a beat and chorus, completely alienating itself from the art form. Jay-Z throws in all of the profane things he can think of in order to connect with the modern rap game (something that showed itself in a slight variation later on in the song "D.O.A.)
While gaining a new understanding of the lyrics as well as Jay-Z's background, there were two things that I will be taking away from this book. The first is Jay-Z's overarching comment that he was simply a man with a "hustler spirit" looking to make the extraordinary ordinary. Surely a cliche phrase, but I think Jay-Z's past, and his hard work ethic is in part what brought him to where he is today. Certainly one cannot advocate slanging crack rock to help build work ethic, but I believe it was this drive that helped him catapult. I wonder if we each threw on a hustler spirit in our day-to-day workings, just what would happen.
The second, and perhaps even greater takeaway was the section on the Jay-Z persona. Because I've had a chance to follow this polarizing figure for more than a decade, it's interesting to see a short section where Shawn discusses Jay-Z. I think this is something that we forget so often in our worship of the current "in" rock star; What you see is not real.
Jay-Z certainly has rap talent, no one can argue against it. Having said that, so does Common, Mos Def, TalibKweli, Cunninglynguists and a host of other lesser known artists. What Jay-Z has is marketability. He took his hustler spirit, realized that there was a fence you can walk on as an artist to combine talent and creativity with industry regimen, and managed to make himself into one of the all-time greats. Call it "selling out", or call it what you want, it's a smart business move and one that is not often duplicated (for another fun example, compare pre-Fergie Black Eyed Peas to modern day BEP, strikingly different).This is where the persona comes into play.
The rift between who Shawn Carter is as an artist, and who Jay-Z is as a rapper can be seen in a verse from "Moment of Clarity":
"The music business hate me
Cause the industry ain't make me
Hustlers and boosters embrace me
And the music i be makin
I dumb down for my audience
And double my dollars
They criticize me for it
Yet they all yell "Holla"
If skills sold
Truth be told
I'd probably be
Lyricly
Talib Kweli
Truthfully
I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
(But i did five Mil)
I ain't been rhymin like Common since
When your sense got that much in common
And you been hustlin since
Your inception
**** perception
Go with what makes sense
Since
I know what i'm up against
We as rappers must decide what's most impor-tant
And i can't help the poor if i'm one of them
So i got rich and gave back
To me that's the win, win"
(In case you are wondering if this is explained in the book, it is)
Overall I think this is a great book that delves into the mind of Jay-Z. Because of his mysterious nature (or lack of complete access/candidness), it gives fans a chance to get a glimpse of him. With a host of lyrics and some decent storytelling, the book covers areas previously undocumented. Now having said that, I would love to see another book that delves into the man himself, something about Shawn Carter rather than Jay-Z. I doubt we will see it, but a man can hope.
As a send off, I would definitely recommend this book to the casual fan or loyal listener. I would piggyback that by saying if you are looking for a memoir, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a book covering the entertainer and his lyrics, you will enjoy every page. As a quick side note, Jay-Z has done multiple interviews with Charlie Rose. He sat down with Charlie to discuss the book, and it may be worthwhile to take a look at it. Charlie Rose's website is www.charlierose.com or you can view the Jay-Z guest page with videos here.
