That is what makes "Decoded" such an unexpected and welcome gift. As he once rapped with characteristic concision: "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man." Though he's released a staggering 11 albums in 14 years, the man behind the business still remains a mystery - often seen, but rarely heard. Under the guise of his invented name, Jay-Z has become less person than persona. He is the self-made man of American myth, remixed with a kick drum and a snare. The general arc of his life's narrative is clear: A child of Brooklyn's Marcy projects transforms himself from aspiring rapper to drug hustler to global superstar to corporate mogul. His most powerful lyrics - and there have been many since his 1996 debut, "Reasonable Doubt" - reveal anxiety, uncertainty and an uncanny awareness of human frailty to go along with the expected bluster and bravado of the rap idiom.ĭespite Jay-Z's willingness to bare his emotions in song, we know precious little about the man himself, Shawn Carter. Unlike the Wu-Tang Clan, for instance, whose arcane allusions, slang neologisms and syncretic philosophies have spawned two books and counting, Jay-Z is decidedly plain spoken and confessional. The name of Jay-Z's first book is "Decoded," a curious title given that among the work of celebrated rappers his lyrics might need perhaps the least decoding.
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