In Jay-Z’s upcoming book, “Decoded,” the superstar MC examines his career via a close analysis of his most famous lyrics. That, of course, required that his lyrics be written out — something Jay hasn’t actually done since 1996, when he scratched out the words to “Can I Live” for his debut “Reasonable Doubt.” Jay-Z, who has described his creative process as “no paper, no pen, just listen to the music,” appeared in Miami earlier this week.
He was there to celebrate the launch of his partnership with search engine Bing — which involved an internet-driven, international scavenger hunt to locate pages from the memoir — where the lyrics to his 2000 hit “Big Pimpin’ ” were revealed in dramatic fashion, printed in giant type on the floor of the Delano hotel’s pool.
Ironically, that’s the one song Jay admits he had a hard time
He was there to celebrate the launch of his partnership with search engine Bing — which involved an internet-driven, international scavenger hunt to locate pages from the memoir — where the lyrics to his 2000 hit “Big Pimpin’ ” were revealed in dramatic fashion, printed in giant type on the floor of the Delano hotel’s pool.
Ironically, that’s the one song Jay admits he had a hard time
“Some [lyrics] become really profound when you see them in writing. Not ‘Big Pimpin.’ That’s the exception,” he told the Wall Street Journal in a candid new interview. “It was like, I can’t believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing? Reading it is really harsh.”
The lyrics to “Big Pimpin’ ” describe Jay-Z’s troubled relationship with women (in short: He wants them to look good, stay away from his money, and be available when he needs them), a subject he has abandoned since marrying Beyonce in 2008. In fact, Jay says all hip-hop needs now is love.
“We have to find our way back to true emotion. This is going to sound so sappy, but love is the only thing that stands the test of time,” he told the WSJ, name-checking two
Jay-Z said he’d like to hear more about the real challenges facing people today — like the housing crisis and unemployment — in other rappers’ lyrics. This idea hearkens back to Public Enemy MC Chuck D’s oft-paraphrased observation that rap is CNN for black people. Jay-Z cites hip-hop’s efforts to help Barack Obama get elected as proof the community can help foster social change.
“Whether he does a great job or not is almost secondary to what it did for the dreams and the hopes of an entire race,” he said. “Just based on that alone, it’s a success — the biggest we’ve had. … It’s Martin Luther King’s dream realized. Tangible. In the flesh. You can shake his hand.”
Hip-hop “saved a generation,” argues Jay-Z, which is why it’s important to preserve its legacy and continue pushing it ahead. Every time he steps into the booth, he has to believe he’s going to make “the best album of all time.”
“You always fail,” he added, “But every time I go up to bat, I’m thinking how can I make an album better than “Thriller.”
Decoded, which was co-authored by writer-filmmaker
-by Caryn Ganz
The lyrics to “Big Pimpin’ ” describe Jay-Z’s troubled relationship with women (in short: He wants them to look good, stay away from his money, and be available when he needs them), a subject he has abandoned since marrying Beyonce in 2008. In fact, Jay says all hip-hop needs now is love.
“We have to find our way back to true emotion. This is going to sound so sappy, but love is the only thing that stands the test of time,” he told the WSJ, name-checking two
Jay-Z said he’d like to hear more about the real challenges facing people today — like the housing crisis and unemployment — in other rappers’ lyrics. This idea hearkens back to Public Enemy MC Chuck D’s oft-paraphrased observation that rap is CNN for black people. Jay-Z cites hip-hop’s efforts to help Barack Obama get elected as proof the community can help foster social change.
“Whether he does a great job or not is almost secondary to what it did for the dreams and the hopes of an entire race,” he said. “Just based on that alone, it’s a success — the biggest we’ve had. … It’s Martin Luther King’s dream realized. Tangible. In the flesh. You can shake his hand.”
Hip-hop “saved a generation,” argues Jay-Z, which is why it’s important to preserve its legacy and continue pushing it ahead. Every time he steps into the booth, he has to believe he’s going to make “the best album of all time.”
“You always fail,” he added, “But every time I go up to bat, I’m thinking how can I make an album better than “Thriller.”
Decoded, which was co-authored by writer-filmmaker
-by Caryn Ganz
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment