The man from the Marcy project buildings in Brooklyn turned Billionaire. Yes I know everyone “knows” of Jay Z but people don’t really know. Most people don’t actually understand that this guy is a genius and didn’t get to his position because of luck. You know the drill… Get your drinks, smokes, headphones/speakers let’s spin the block.
Let’s start this a little different… We’re going to start with were Jay is now and then we’ll take a trip back in time. First song I want to start with is ‘Flux Capacitor’ a Jay Electronica Song that’s featuring Jay-z. I want to you listen very intently to Jay-Z’s verse.
Alright did you hear that? DID YOU HEAR THAT???
“The slave that shook hands and humbled the duke of oil. The spook that spoke sterling silver and pearls twirled, tumbled out my nappy coils”
His lyricism is unmatched.. At first I didn’t even know wtf these words even mean. Then I guessed it, He’s had some dealings with the Saudis, that’s the first part. Second part he’s talking about how amazing his raps are and the gems he drops.
Let’s not stop here, let’s go back in time some more with some poetry this guy wrote about Marcy… Where he’s from.
Sheeshh! Let’s start from the top.. First he pay’s homages to the legend Biggie by starting off the song with “Live from Bedford-Stuyvesant the livest one representing BK to the fullest”. He put’s Biggie lines in lots of his songs to show his admiration, this was a line from Unbelievable by Biggie, another legendary song.
Let’s analyze some more lyrics.
“Assume a virtue if you have not, or better yet here's a verse from Hamlet "Lord, we know who we are yet we know not what we may be" So maybe I'm the one or maybe I'm crazy”
Here he quotes Hamlet with “Assume a virtue if you have not” then to proceeds to tell you a hamlet verse off of that. It’s funny how he doesn’t limit his creativity even though he knows most of his audience won’t know that the first line was also a Hamlet quote.
One more then the rest if up to you to decipher
“When Denzel was blottin' carpet, I'll pack a… nine millimeter”
This short line right here is a double entendre, in rap it’s when 1 sentence intentionally has 2 meanings. It’s an extremely difficult thing to do consistently but Jay Z pulls em off all the time. Here he’s talking about the movie ‘American Gangster’ starring Denzel Washington (Please go watch if you haven’t). There’s a scene in the movie where on of Frank Lucas’s family members shoot’s someone and one of Frank’s cousins had to clean blood off the the carpet. Jay-Z then states he’ll carry a 9mm. The second meaning to this sentence is when Frank’s cousin was cleaning the carpet Frank complained that the Carpet is “Alpaca” sound familiar? “I’ll pack a”, and that it should be blotted and not rubbed. Also the guy was shot with a 9mm, watch the scene here:
How can you pack that much in such a short sentence??? Genius.
Now we’re going a little more mainstream with ‘Holy Grail’ by Jay-Z where he talks about his love and hate relationship with fame and how he copes with it by being grateful.
There shouldn’t be much in this song that you don’t understand so lets keep pushing! Let’s listen to ‘New Day’ off Kanye and Jay-Z collab album ‘Watch the Throne’. I love this song because both guys are talking about their future kids and how they want to raise them.
“Took me twenty-six years to find my path, my only job is cut the time in half”. Jay-Z released this first album at 26 years old, that’s pretty late in the rap world. So he wants to cut down the time it takes for his kids to find their real path in life.
“So at thirteen, we'll have our first drink together. Black bar mitzvahs, mazel tov, mogul talk. Look a man dead in his eyes so he know you talk truth when you speak it. Give your word, keep it.”
Jay-Z want’s to start his kids early so that they’re successful in life.
The Second part of this we’re going to get into the more grimy street Jay-Z, the images he paints used to be way different then what they are now. Let’s kick it off with Seen It All!
Jay Z said he got teary eyed rapping this verse, he gave a perspective on his past life on here that we’ve never heard. If you don’t know what Pyrex is it’s a famous brand for cookware but it’s also a heat resistant glass.. The type people would use to cook crack.
“Big Body” means a long wheelbase sedan typically luxury like the Lexus LS series or Mercedes S600.
“Parked ninety-two bricks in front of 560 State. Now the Nets a stone throw from where I used to throw bricks, so it's only right I'm still tossin' 'round Knicks, ugh.”
560 State Street is an apartment building in downtown Brooklyn that Jay Z used to live in. Now they built the Barclay Center where the Brooklyn Nets NBA team plays in there area. This is another crazy line “I’m still tossin around Knicks” means that he used to sell nickels bags (drugs) and now that he owns part of the Brooklyn Nets he got to beat the New York Knicks.
Now in this next song Jay Z tells us the real deal about the drug game. Please pay close attention.
Jay-Z tells us about the dangers of selling drugs and how just like the fiends you get addicted to it.
“But niggas never learn until they end up in the news clip. The irony of selling drugs is sort of like you using it. Guess it's two sides to what substance abuse is. Can’t stop, wont stop addicted to this new shit”
Jay talks about how you’ll eventually fall if you keep going and there’s no escape from it. It’s inevitable and anyone that doesn’t listen will experience deja vu.
“ Talking tough on the YouTube 'bout what you used to do
But that's old school to the new crew
They doing numbers like Sudoku
They're the new you, and it's damn near inevitable
They'll experience déja vu too
Fight and you'll never survive
Run and you'll never escape, so just fall from grace”
Some people will listen to Jay Z and say he encourages selling drugs but he has many songs where he warns people about that lifestyle. Jay-Z’s crew got arrested in a sting operation but he luckily escaped because he wasn’t with them that day.
“Niggas acting like I sold you crack
Like I told you sell drugs, no, Hov did that
So hopefully you won't have to go through that” -Jay Z, 2001 (Izzo)
Anyway let’s keep pushin.
This is one of my all time favorite songs… I relate to his childhood on some levels, let me point them out.
"I ain't perfect I care
But I feel worthless cause my shirts wasn't matching my gear”
“I went to school got good grades could behave when I wanted
But I had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted”
“Now all the teachers couldn't reach me
And my momma couldn't beat me….
With that disdain in my membrane
Got on my pimp game
Fuck the world my defense came
Then Dahaven introduced me to the game
Spanish Jose introduced me to cane
I'm a hustler now
My gear is in and I'm in the in crowd
And all the wavy light skinned girls is loving me now”
Lmao If I could tell you about my childhood you would see why I love this song so much, maybe one day.
This song right here is a classic… I don’t know what else to say…. I turn my volume all the way up, watch hanging out the window, blast this song and cruise slow af all the time. Let’s keep going! I hope you’re ready for this one.
Now this song came out in 2001… Foreshadow much? “ I am a hustler baby I’ll sell water to a well” “I WILL NOT LOSE EVER” “I’m raping Def Jam till I’m the $100M man”
I used to wake up and listen to this song every morning… I need to get back to that, makes me hungry.
Now we’re going to end it with an amazing song from Jay-Z’s first album, Reasonable Doubt (1996). I recommend you go listen to that whole album after this! Every song on there is good, its GOATed. As a matter of fact listen to every Jay Z album from 1996 to Present.
Now here’s ‘Can I Live’