I will probably be crucified but I must admit my dirty little secret: I really don’t get what’s the big deal about Shawn Corey Carter aka Jigger aka Jay Z aka Hova, the Queen Bee’s sidekick for life.
To clarify, I do not speak of or doubt his cunning and business acumen: it takes a whole lot more than luck and an awful lot of balls to be able be one of the most successful businessmen of all time- I love the fact that here is a young boy from Brooklyn with buck teeth who has managed to amass a net worth of $150 million and a very diverse portfolio- from ownership of his own clubs- the 40/40 Club, to part-owner of the New Jersey Nets to investing in Carol’s daughter, to establishing Rocawear, to becoming CEO and President of Def Jam Recordings, to becoming co-brand director of Budweiser Select. Considering that this is a guy who dropped out of George Westinghouse in Downtown Brooklyn, his career is seriously ill. I am not going to even talk about how he looks. Money makes him look mighty fine to me. I also love the example that he offered to our young people: when you find The One you wife them up- not breed em or shack up.
I speak of his A-game, his claim to fame as one of the best rappers of all time. I am sorry, but this is where I depart from most – his trademark “uh uh” and a “cough” just does not do it for me. Yes, “Hard Knock Life” was my anthem in 1988 and yes, the Blueprint album that contained the trilogy of “Girls Girls”, “Izzo”, and “Song Cry”, was a really good album, but I am at a loss to knowing why Jay Z is so revered among so many die-hard hip hop aficionados to the point that he is referred to as a musical genius. Yes, The Black Album was one of the best rap albums featuring again another great trio “Change Clothes”, “Dirt of Your Shoulder” and “99 Problems” but was it the result of the genius of Jay Z or was it because of the monied combination of excellent production, a kick-ass hook line from the best songwriters as opposed to Jigger’s lyric-busting prowess? I do not for one minute subscribe to Billboard’s analysis of Eminem, Nelly and 50 Cent as the top rap artists in the game but what makes people consider that Hova’s rapping skills are so special, over Nas, Common, Lupe Fiasco?
Hova’s fans always protectively proclaim that he does not write down his lyrics, as if this ascribes him super-nova Superman status in the world of hip-hop. I admire his rhyming and his ability to free-style but to be honest, lots of his songs could have benefited from editing, reworking and redrafting- no one is infallible except the Pope (smirk). A bit more thought would have prevented a lot of his hits from sounding unconsidered, banale and repetitive. I am increasingly ill at ease with spending good money on some rhymes that appear to have been recited before. It is telling that his four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100 have been for collaborations with other artists- Mariah Carey’s Heartbreaker, Beyonce’s Crazy in Love, Rihanna’s Umbrella and Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind.
Maybe the fact that he does not write is lyrics down is linked to my second criticism- Jay Z always sings about himself. The theme of Me has been done, redone, overdone, pre-done, in second, third and special edition. A 40 year old man telling me how great he is and how well he has done is, quite frankly, tiresome. I need a new story, a new idea, something to make me ponder and reflect- where is your poetry in hip-hop? Yes, I get that your worked hard and came from Marcy and made it to be a huge multi-millionaire brand, I get that you are not a businessman, that you are the “business” man, but can you probably sing about maybe the effect of having a black President on black America a la Nas, or maybe spit at our underachievement and how the lack of fathers render our kids powerless? I am grateful that at least it isn’t bitches and hos and p*ssies but I cannot settle for the lowest common denominator. Exhibit 1 is Jay Z’s ruining what was meant to be Kanye’s special dedication on “Never Let Me Down”- Jay Z turned a song which was meant to be a tribute to God into a Jay Z Part 101 on how great he was. And because Kanye is still one of his foot soldiers, I guess it would have been rude to simply say “Mate, you are off topic!” I would have deleted his verse. Straight talk: bad manners.
I am admittedly an amateur hip-hop listener but I must admit that the people complaining that Hova’s flow has become ordinary after the Black Album have not really listened to the previous albums carefully. They are all extremely similar so I do not blame his ability on a lack of fire in his belly. I have always found his flow ordinary- when I listen to 1990’s hip-hop it appears to me that Tribe, Wu-Tang Clan, CL Smooth, Souls of Mischief, Lords of the Underground, Redman, EPMD and yup- Biggie and Snoop kept it tighter than the Jigga Man. What I do not doubt is that his marketing abilities far exceeded that of his contemporaries- in my eyes he was the latter day Fifty Cent, trading on a story and songs with great production. I dare say that Kanye West, even though his rap style is commercial and cheesy, appeals to me much more because of the honesty of the emotion, his ability to tackle issues such as consumerism, heartbreak, religion- he straddles all aspects of our lives.
What crowns it all off is that Jay Z hosted his retirement party in 2003 and I bought The Black Album and tried my darndest to go to Rocafella Centre to see him perform for what was meant to be the last time, and now, 7 years and two albums later, he is still rapping- choosing to headline Glastonbury last year and Wireless last week. As CEO of Def Jam, haven’t you already reaped the benefits? Have you not gleaned all there is to be gleaned from the starlights and the status? Isn’t it time to fall back and to give a few of your protégés some shine? There is something quite lame about a 50 year old rapper in baggy jeans (and yes, despite decrying them he still wears them). I am over it.
