Not long after I published my latest post about Jay-Z’s verse on the “Go Crazy” remix (around 2:00am), Kanye West tweets that the remix to his new song, “Power” is complete and ready for the world to hear! I was anticipating the release of the remix because the song was rumored to feature no other than Kanyeezy’s “big brother”, J-Hov himself. So, there I was, in the wee hours of the morning, one of few (or one of several hundred thousand- who knows), listening to the “Power” remix, another “cutting edge” collaboration between two of the biggest and most insightful MCs in the rap game. And to no surprise… I was blown away!

Listen to the “Power” remix while checking out the Jay’s lyrics:

“Is this thing on?
I thought they silenced us ‘Ye
Power to the People…

We’re living in that 31st century, futuristic fly shit
The penthouse is the projects and everybody flies private
New watches (you know what time it is)
Watch us (you see us)
They can’t stop us
The prophets
Beotches!

Rumble, young man, rumble
Life is a trip so sometimes we gon’ stumble
You gotta go through pain in order to become you
But once the world numbs you, you’ll feel like it’s only one you
Man, you got the power to do anything you want to
Until you ask yourself, “Is that what it’s all come to?”
Looking at life through sunglasses in the sunroof
Do you have the power to get out from up under you?
Fuck all these labels, fuck what everybody wants from you
They trying to Axel Rose you
Welcome to the jungle!
To be continued, we’re on that Norman Mailer shit
In search of the truth even if it goes through Taylor Swift
Tell her this!”

“Power” (Remix)
Jay-Z

When I first heard this verse “I got it” but I didn’t fully “get it”. You can enjoy the beats and rhymes upon the first listen. But sometimes you have to listen to Jay’s lyrics several times before the meaning really sink in.

While conspiracy theorists listen for “hidden” references and speculate what they mean, I listen for insights that illuminate how to deal with challenging situations in my life. Of course, this enlightening process doesn’t occur while listening to every Jay-Z song. But I think (at least I hoped) I’ve already shown in the last couple of months how many of Jay’s lyrics can have a greater impact on your mind (think) than on your body (dance…or at least doing the 2-step if for those who don’t dance).

When we listen to Jay’s verse, it’s like we’re all listening to a conversation that he is having with Kanye (and by the way, Kanye RIPS it on this remix). But their “conversation” can give us insight on how we can gain and sustain power in our own lives.

Let’s get right into it:

We’re living in that 31st century, futuristic fly shit
The penthouse is the projects and everybody flies private
New watches (you know what time it is)
Watch us (you see us)
They can’t stop us
The prophets
Beotches!

Jay gives us a little intro before he goes in with his verse. Some listeners will miss the message while trying to visualize the imagery of living in the “31st century” where “the penthouse is the projects”. The statement Jay is making is that he and Kanye are forward thinkers, ahead of their time.

And yes, the artist IS a prophet.

Don’t think backwards.

Now, let’s get into the verse…

Rumble, young man, rumble
Life is a trip so sometimes we gon’ stumble

Jay starts off with sharp wit using a phrase popularized by the greatest of all time, Muhammad Ali, to describe life’s journey. Jay rhymes with a purpose so I don’t think Jay’s boxing reference is just thrown out. In this double entendre Jay states that life is like the movement in a boxing ring.

Muhammad Ali was known for his footwork. As a boxer, he was a big, strong man that could move with ease. He was like a dancer in the ring that could knock your ass out! So I think Jay is telling us that no matter how well we “move” through life there’s going to be times when we “stumble”, when things don’t go our way and we “fall down” but of course we have to get back up and keep moving like the G.O.A.T. did in the boxing ring.

Let’s continue…

You gotta go through pain in order to become you
But once the world numbs you, you’ll feel like it’s only one you

Some of us don’t fully realize that struggle is apart of success. The struggle you go through and the pain you feel due to the struggle makes you who you are. I think it’s very profound for Jay to tell listeners that they won’t get the power until they experience the pain.

Once you acquire knowledge and experience AND insight, the pain in your life is easier to bear, in fact, you become “numb” to the pain to some degree, which puts you in the position to overcome anything.

It’s as if Jay is saying that going through life’s journey itself gives you power.

Man, I just don’t know how this guy comes up with this stuff! Whenever I’m amazed by something he says in his rhymes, I think about his now infamous creative process. The fact that Jay doesn’t write none of this stuff down leaves me in awe!

Let’s move on…

Man, you got the power to do anything you want to
Until you ask yourself, “Is that what it’s all come to?”

Regardless of who you are, where you’re from and what you’re going through, the power is in your hands to be who you want to be. The meaning of power and its impact does not only apply to Presidents, C.E.O.’s, Kings, etc. YOU have the power. I have the power. If we use our power in our lives we can succeed.

Let’s keep it going…

Looking at life through sunglasses in the sunroof
Do you have the power to get out from up under you?

This is a very interesting line. Let’s visualize what he’s describing- looking up into the sky through a sunroof while wearing sunglasses. The vision of someone doing this would be dim and impaired. So the question Jay poses to us is:

Will we be able to overcome our impaired vision (or in some cases, complete lack of vision) to get clarity in our lives?

Here’s more…

Fuck all these labels, fuck what everybody wants from you
They trying to Axel Rose you
Welcome to the jungle!

Jay tells Kanye to not give credence to how others characterize him. He’s telling Kanye not to be a prisoner to the expectations of others and don’t allow himself to be defined by labels that others put on him.

Do you think YOU could benefit from this advice?

I know I can.

The Axel Rose/jungle line is consistent with Jay’s wittiness in his rhymes but he’s not spitting these lyrics just for the sake of being clever. When Jay uses the word “jungle” in his “conversation” with Kanye, I think he’s referring to the media but being in a “jungle” in a broader sense symbolizes the struggle to survive in a tough world.

Here are the last lines…

To be continued, we’re on that Norman Mailer shit
In search of the truth even if it goes through Taylor Swift
Tell her this!

No one… and I mean NO ONE in Hip-Hop makes the kind of cultural references that Jay regularly does in his lyrics. His references are smart but what really fascinates me is how well they fit the message he’s sending to listeners.

Norman Mailer was a world renowned author considered an innovator in the new journalism genre. New Journalism “superimposes the essay onto the nonfiction novel” (from Wikipedia).

Mailer had a legendary literary career and was basically a master at writing non-fiction.

Jay tells us bluntly that he and Kanye are in search of the truth. The truth is found in us, in terms of finding out who we are, and then we seek out the truth through the experiences we have in life. If one is in search of the truth he is in search of knowledge of self.

The artist, for example, paints, sings, dance, rhymes, not to just entertain or enlighten his audience. His art is a never-ending journey in search of knowledge of self.

Don’t get caught up in the Taylor Swift reference. We’re all aware of Kanye’s “personal” incident with the young country singer that played out on the public stage. The actual incident is inconsequential to us (no offense Taylor Swift fans). There’s not a lot that we can learn for it in terms of our own lives.

The majority of people who listen to this remix will waste 5 minutes and 16 seconds focusing on “the response” to the Taylor Swift incident. The focus should be on the insights that Jay and Kanye are sharing with us about truth itself and the turbulent journey we all face in search of it.

The Norman Mailer reference is so ill on many levels and I could devote an entire blog post to this one line alone. But for the sake of time, I’ll simply say the reference seems to suggest (among other things) Jay’s (and Kanye’s) commitment to search for the truth and to tell-it-like-it-is (to the whole world) when they find it.

What Jay tells Kanye in this verse is being shared with us: In your search of the truth, for knowledge of self, you’re going to stumble. But keep searching with strong conviction to find out who you are and to use the power that is in you to change your life and maybe even change the world.