Behind the weighty jewellery and sparkly watches that often appear as hallmarks of superstardom, along with swagger earned from the streets and a natural nonchalance when it comes to name dropping; sits a deep-thinking, unassuming and articulate man in an armchair, known globally by the name: Jay-Z .
In the 2010 interview One on One, the hugely successful rapper and self-made businessman carefully delivers words as though he were constructing lyrics in real-time, almost as if his mouth were a pen and the air, the page.
It’s immediately obvious that his love affair with language is an enduring one, as he continues to indulge in its ability to influence and impart wisdom. His mellifluous New York lilt also helps to command attention, and even without the backdrop of beats and poetic reams that characterise his rap catalogue, Jay-Z manages to be just as mesmeric without a stage. The difference is, when he speaks here, the tell-tale signs of nervousness break through, which contributes to a sense of humility, often underplayed in his performances.
As Jay-Z grapples with some of the interviewer’s searching questions, he reveals a talent for storytelling, where he traces the roots of his career – a ring binder he used to record his first lyrics and how ultimately, it saved him from a life of crime, death or years behind bars, which he interestingly refers to as “less than death”. He also touches upon his experience of having nothing and then everything. When asked to sum up his identity as a 40-year-old, Jay-Z describes himself as “a person of experience” with a “wealth of knowledge”, revealing a quiet self-assurance earned by simply living life.
As well as aligning rap to poetry, Jay-Z also compares rapping to reporting, as a serious and informative channel of expression, as well a provocative and comedic format. However, he also believes rappers have a responsibility to tell deeper stories with deeper meaning, revealing his respect for medium and his appreciation of its potential as a far-reaching antidote to suffering. Similarly, Eminem also alludes to the idea that rap can prove to be a positive force, even if it’s only by default, ‘But if one kid out of a hundred million/Who are going through a struggle feels it and then relates that’s great’ (The Monster feat. Rihanna). Jay-Z describes himself as “a person of experience and wealth of knowledge”, words that seem to fit his persona perfectly.
Although Jay-Z seems to have accomplished a huge amount professionally; the pressure of expectation still sits on his shoulders as the flip side to success, when he says, “The weight of who you are, the weight of all you’ve done”, which he then backs up with a remembered lyric that directly confronts the issue, ‘Do you have the power to get out from up under you?’ (Kanye Remix). The pressure to be better than before seems to be an inevitable curse of fame, unless you manage to somehow break free from its constrictive binds and express yourself freely, as you could before you had little to lose, a myriad of fans to disappoint and a queue of critics waiting for you to fall from grace.
Here’s Jay-Z’s interview promoting his biography, A Story of Choices Made:
One of my favourite Jay-Z collaborations is with Linkin Park on Numb/Encore. Jay-Z adds manages to add the cool factor from the outset!
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