Wow, this topic has brought out both the overt and latent racism here. Examine your reactions. I may not be a JayZ fan, but do like some Hip Hop. I also know that among such artists, JayZ is someone for others in the genre to emulate. No gangsta behavior, stable family man, good citizen. Give the guy a break.
Say what? (Incidentally, I disavow the use of all profanities and offensive language used in the linked article):
On December 1, 1999, Jay Z, who had come to believe that record executive Lance "Un" Rivera was behind the bootlegging of Vol. 3..., allegedly stabbed Rivera at the release party for Q-Tip's album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a now-defunct night club in Times Square, New York City. Jay Z's associates at the party were accused of causing a commotion within the club, which Jay Z allegedly used as cover when he supposedly stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch (127 mm) blade.[172] He surrendered to police the following evening and was placed under arrest, although he was soon released on $50,000 bail.[173][174] When he was indicted in Manhattan Criminal Court in late January 2000, he pleaded not guilty; he and his lawyers contended that they had witnesses and videotapes proving he had been nowhere near Rivera during the incident. Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and accepted a three-year probation sentence.[175] Jay Z later addressed the case in his 2010 book Decoded: One night I went to Q-Tip's solo album release party and at some point in the night, I ran into the guy everyone's been telling me is behind the bootleg. So I approached him. When I told him what I suspected, to my surprise, he got real loud with me right there in the middle of the club. It was strange. We separated and I went over to the bar. I was sitting there like, "No the fuck this ***** did not....." I was talking to people, but I was really talking to myself out loud, just in a state of shock. Before I even realized what I was doing, I headed back over to him, but this time I was blacking out with anger. The next thing I knew, all hell had broken loose in the club. That night the guy went straight to the police and I was indicted... There was no reason to put my life on the line, and the lives of everyone who depends on me, because of a momentary loss of control..... I vowed to never allow myself to be in a situation like that again.[176]
You could've checked before making such a ridiculous comment.
I don't dispute he's a successful businessman, it's just that his product is complete garbage.
You should listen to this song:
It's off The Grey Album (which is a mashup of Jay-Z's black album and The Beatle's White Album). Mostly just because it's hard to find the originals from the Black Album on youtube in decent quality. It explains a lot about his music. I'll clip the lyrics since I'm not sure whether or not people will bother listening. Emphasis is added by me.
The music business hate me 'cause the industry ain't make me Hustlers and boosters embrace me and the music I be making I dumb down for my audience and double my dollars They criticize me for it yet they all yell "Holla" If skills sold truth be told I'd probably be lyrically Talib Kweli Truthfully I want to rhyme like Common Sense (But I did five Mil) I ain't been rhyming like Common since When your sense got that much in common And you been hustling since your inception, fuck perception Go with what makes sense Since I know what I'm up against We as rappers must decide what's most important And I can't help the poor if I'm one of them So I got rich and gave back to me that's the win, win The next time you see the homie and his rims spin Just know my mind is working just like them (The rims that is)
This was from what, at the time, was supposed to be his last album. He's not a dumb dude, he knows exactly what he's doing. And if you want an example of what he's talking about in that song may actually sound like, listen to this (off the same album):
I mean, it's awful. I didn't manage to make it through the entire thing, it was that bad.
I don't really care at all if he's on Apple Music or not, I'm not even remotely interested in listening to that.
If you like it, whatever, that's your thing, but to me he has a grating voice. It's not as bad as the country music twang/whine, but it's really, really bad.
I mean, it's awful. I didn't manage to make it through the entire thing, it was that bad.
I don't really care at all if he's on Apple Music or not, I'm not even remotely interested in listening to that.
If you like it, whatever, that's your thing, but to me he has a grating voice. It's not as bad as the country music twang/whine, but it's really, really bad.
Whether or not you like it wasn't the point. The point was the lyrics, specifically because it directly addressed the issues raised by a handful of commenters. You're free to not like his music, that's entirely up to you, but this thread is ... something. I'm not even a big Jay-Z fan, I like some of his stuff fine, but the reaction was so uneven and from so many people who clearly had no context for what they were discussing, I felt it was worth pointing out.
I mean, it's awful. I didn't manage to make it through the entire thing, it was that bad.
I don't really care at all if he's on Apple Music or not, I'm not even remotely interested in listening to that.
If you like it, whatever, that's your thing, but to me he has a grating voice. It's not as bad as the country music twang/whine, but it's really, really bad.
Whether or not you like it wasn't the point. The point was the lyrics, specifically because it directly addressed the issues raised by a handful of commenters. You're free to not like his music, that's entirely up to you, but this thread is ... something. I'm not even a big Jay-Z fan, I like some of his stuff fine, but the reaction was so uneven and from so many people who clearly had no context for what they were discussing, I felt it was worth pointing out.
I also noticed that Beyoncé's music started to get just awful after she turned her career over to him.
Comments
You could've checked before making such a ridiculous comment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Z#Criminal_charges
I don't really care at all if he's on Apple Music or not, I'm not even remotely interested in listening to that.
If you like it, whatever, that's your thing, but to me he has a grating voice. It's not as bad as the country music twang/whine, but it's really, really bad.