Now, before you get your panties all in a bunch, please note that I have been an avid Jay-Z listener from the time I could understand what hip-hop was. Don't take this letter as my disdain for his music or legacy. Just read it for what it is: a discourse on the commercialization and watering-down of a hip-hop icon. Here goes:
Same Jay, different day...
(turns off T-Pain) So you don't like auto-tune Jay? Turn off the radio. You're off that now? Who cares? Jay, for the past five years, I've sat back and listened quietly. I've seen all the videos, heard the albums, and sadly, looked at all of the coverage of every time you blow your nose in public. I must say, I'm SICK OF IT. Last night, I had one of the most honest discussions about your music over the past few years, and I've come to one conclusion: Your music has become vapid. It's ironic that I say that, because for 99% of hip-hop artists, The Blueprint 3 would have been a classic under their belt. But we're not talking about Soulja Boy or whoever else; we're talking about you. Since your 2003 offering 'The Black Album', which was supposed to mark the end of your career, you've released three more albums. All of them have sold well in stores and garnered critical acclaim to your already illustrious rap career. There's only one problem: NONE of them are saying anything new. If I may, here is a run-down of the topics you've been discussing over the past 5 years in your lyrics (of course I can't account for every topic, but these are the most prevalent themes in your raps):
- Being from Brooklyn, Brooklyn ideology, Brooklyn streets, etc.
- Having sold drugs in Brooklyn, being a dope-boy, etc.
- Your success as a rapper
- Your success as a businessman
- Your relationship with Beyonce
- Your disdain for things (auto-tune, jerseys, etc.)
- Your image, aura, swagg, or whatever you want to call it
Now, forgive me if I'm mistaken, but how in the world did you drop three albums under those same pretenses? If ANY other rapper talked about that for three albums, not only would their sales drop, their fanbase would dwindle faster than the Madoff's trust fund. What I'm trying to say, Jay, is that you have been completely watered-down over the past 6 years. You raised a good point about this, saying that "if you want to hear Jay from Reasonable Doubt, then listen to Reasonable Doubt" (I can't find the quote; sue me). By that same token, if we want to hear about being from Brooklyn and selling drugs, why not listen to Maino? If we want to hear about being a businessman and having relationships with sexy women, why not listen to Diddy (this is for comparison, not my actual music preferences)? My point is, that your lyrics are starting to follow such a pattern, that it makes listening to you a chore at this point.
People say you're creative, but in terms of what? Adding awkward accentuation and ad-libs to your songs? Having
different beats? I can find both of those elsewhere, and presented in a fresher way than you. Creativity doesn't mean finding new ways to present rehashed ideas, nor does it mean adding peripheral things to an already tried and true formula. Creativity in hip-hop is the act of bringing something new to the table; something unseen to that point and unheralded before. People say that your legacy as a rapper is what makes you special. If that's the case, then why don't more heads claim Nas as the GOAT? Illmatic is the only album to receive 5 mics from The Source (when it was legitimate), which is something you can't say for Reasonable Doubt, the album it's most compared to. Also, in terms of legacy, there are tons of other rappers who have been in the game as long as you have; Snoop, AZ, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, The Roots, Cam'Ron, The Clipse (I DARE you to debate that one), Common, Fat Joe and the Wu-Tang Clan have all been there since the same time as you. And let's not even mention Biggie, Big L or Big Pun, because hypotheticals will only make the argument more muddled. But regardless, legacy shouldn't have anything to do with your status. Legacy comes after that. You don't give a professor tenure because he's been at a college for so long. Why give you the throne because of that?
So if it isn't your content, your creativity or your legacy, then what is it that makes rap fans salivate whenever they hear your name? I'll tell you what it is: your name, that's all. The Jay-Z we know today is selling out concerts and selling millions of albums because of his name. Since the Black Album all of your albums have used your name and the clout you earned prior to 2003 in a sometimes-misguided effort to stay relevant. If most hip-hop fans were as vigilant as I am, they would notice that not much has changed about your lyrics or content or flow over the past three albums. It's been the outside changing not the inside. It's like a new version of Madden. Regardless of the gameplay or features, you'll buy the game anyway because of the roster updates and new packaging, no matter how little has changed. Right now, Jay, to me, you're Madden 2004 in 2009 packaging. Instead of wearing button-ups, you're on to Wayfarer shades and exclusive sneakers. Instead of rocking odious chains and wife-beaters, it's expensive jeans. Instead of rapping about drug-dealing, you're rapping about rapping about drug-dealing. Everything you're offering right now, I've seen, liked and am being forced to like again, because hordes of fans can't see past the latest trend (DOA and Run this Town). But to me, and hopefully those who can understand this letter, there's nothing more than an updated copy of Reasonable Doubt and a new haircut...
