One of the main reasons that I listen to so much these days is because I have developed a much greater understanding of the genre as a whole. So many people, especially my white friends I'm afraid to say, dismiss the entire genre. They don't even give it a chance and that pains me. Sure some is terrible, but name me a genre of music when there isn't someone dragging down the geniuses. Hip-hop contains such great cultural references, rytheming skills, clever and intelligent word-play and above all, great story telling. Jay-Z is kind of this. End of.
Sure maybe he can't make beats like Kanye, sound like Drake, or flow like J Cole, but without Jay-Z, these guys wouldn't exist. A culture wouldn't exist. It's difficult to over-exaggerate the effect that one man has had. He trail-blazed the way for kids who grew up in rough estates, who had nothing but drugs as their only option. He showed them a way out. It doesn't have to be hip-hop but he made a generation wake up and realise that their life doesn't have to be over before it's begun. Reading his book Decoded made me realise this. It is not a book about his life, but more about himself as part of a generation. It also taught me how important hip-hop is to tell a story, and how clever it can be in doing so. There's a lot of songs about money, hoes and rims, some of these really are part of a story - but some are just terrible. It's not a life that I can relate to, and I'm thankful to that, but it's something that I can appreciate.
The key to his success is that he has managed to stay relevant, honest and smarrt which is some feat for a man over the age of 40, has a business empire and married to of the most beautiful women ever. Jay-Z is timeless, a modern day icon.
