There are two quotes from Jay-Z that I want to share with you, one from the Lenny Kravitz-featured song, “Gun and Roses” and the other from his memoir, Decoded. I think the best way to illustrate the insight in these quotes is to give you a sports analogy. Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. He was a highly skilled player who could do it all; shoot, pass, rebound, play defense. But as great as he was as a player, he was far from perfect. In fact, he was often lucky. Many of the phenomenal shots he made throughout his career he could not do twice. The most skilled player is often the luckiest.

Throughout the years I’ve had people try to bait me into heated arguments about the many beefs that Jay-Z has been involved in and the perceived flaws of his career. Did Nas ‘Ether” Jay? Why won’t he respond to Beanie Sigel? What about his beef with Cam’ron? Jim Jones? Game? DMX? 50 Cent…and probably at least a dozen or so more rappers that “shall forever remain nameless?” Why does he bite Biggie’s lyrics? Would he be the “King of New York” if Biggie was still here? Can he make another Reasonable Doubt or Blueprint? It’s really funny to me (and sort of sad) that critics completely miss the point when it comes to Jay’s music and career. He has changed the game in so many ways for its betterment. Unless Jay is living under a rock (and obviously he’s not; he’s everywhere) he has certainly heard all of this chatter himself. Years ago, Jay would “go all in” when it came to confronting his critics and rivals. But at this point in his career, he rarely responds directly if he responds at all. Sometimes the best response to attacks is no response at all.

One thing that to this day still disappoints is the break-up of the original Roc-a-fella crew. I would argue that they had the longest run than any crew in the history of Hip-Hop. Lead by Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke (all co-founders of Roc-a-fella records), that crew was full of talented all-stars. Of course, I’m partial because everyone knows that Jay-Z is my favorite rap artist and I’m basically a Roc loyalist. The original Roc was in their prime in my era (I was about 21, 22 when they were at their peak). They rolled like a tight-knit family. I think it’s ashamed that “The Dynasty” didn’t last longer because as a unit, they were really quite impressive, at one point dominating the rap game.

I really enjoyed reading Decoded. Jay shared a lot of great insight in the book. I thought Dream Hampton’s writing was excellent. I wrote last week that I think the memoir elevated Hip-Hop culture because the book is well written, smart and makes a compelling argument of Hip-Hop’s greatness and potential. Jay comes across as a very intelligent guy. In society, perception becomes reality but perception is “intellectually lazy” and often lacks depth. An ex-crack cocaine dealer is not perceived as being an inspirational figure. A rapper is not generally perceived as truly being an artist. Of course rappers are artists; at least the best ones are. Jay is certainly an artist and his journey from drug dealing to making music to making strong moves in the business world is, in my humble opinion, is very inspirational.

I finished reading Decoded a few days ago. It was a good read. Though I wasn’t surprised, Jay-Z really showed depth in the book. His perspective on Hip-Hop and the streets is quite profound. Though we have different backgrounds and he’s about 8 years older, I found myself really able to relate to many of the experiences and feelings that Jay shared in Decoded. Some of the things he shared about his personal life was revealing and made an impression on me because they were similar to certain aspects of my life. For example, his feelings about his father really struck a chord with me because I too grew up without my Pops in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and much of his philosophy on life seems to be aligned with mine. I will say that there were certain perspectives he shared in the book that didn’t necessarily click with me. But even then, his words made me think.

I haven’t purchased Jay-Z’s memoir, “Decoded” yet (the book has been released today) but I plan to later on this evening. Like most Jay-Z fans, I’m very interested in what he has to say in the book. I really don’t know what to expect from Decoded but I don’t think Jay will disappoint. When you’ve followed an artist/entrepreneur’s career as long as I have Jay’s, I can say that I definitely have some excitement due to the release of Decoded. I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of successful people, particularly those who have excelled in business and the arts. I’ve read several autobiographies and memoirs by successful artists and businesspeople. The struggles and successes of others serve as great inspiration for me. I anticipate Decoded being added to the many sources of my inspiration.

During the period of the Blueprint album’s release, Jay-Z was at his peak as an artist and as for the Roc-a-fella’s entire roster- the whole crew was a major force in the music game. Hip-Hop culture is about many things, some good, some not so good, but one of the things that is celebrated in Hip-Hop is “crew love”. Crew love simply describes the bond between friends, partners, colleagues and associates. The concept of crew love is: tight bond= strength and loyalty. Crew love is when friends and business partners become family. There was a 5-6 year period (from ’98 to around ‘04) when there wasn’t a tighter and more dominant crew than the Roc in the rap music game. A lot has happened since Roc-a-fella’s heyday. Roc-a-fella is now Roc Nation and other than Kanye West, the artists that were apart of that dominant crew are either in decline or completely irrelevant and unfortunately, several have had very public beefs with Jay-Z.

I was in my early 20’s when “NYMP” came out. I should have been a kid fresh-out-of-college ready to conquer the business world. I was indeed ready to conquer the world, but as a community college drop out, spending my time drinking, smoking weed, scheming and scamming. I was hustling- but backwards. I was trying to find my way (which is still a work-in-progress) and I struggled to make things click in my life. The physical conditions that I lived in weren’t dire. But I was struggling to pay rent in my first one-bedroom apartment with no job and no money. I was constantly thinking of “creative” ways to get money so that I could pay my bills and survive. “NYMP” struck a chord with me, particularly these lyrics, because though I wasn’t from the streets of Brooklyn, I could relate to being in a tough position, facing adversity and needing to have strength, courage and determination to overcome difficult challenges.

I’ve always liked the lyrics from “It’s Like That” (from Vol, 2 Hard Knock Life) because it’s an accurate statement of what happens too often in life. Many people live their lives on a treadmill- they’re not moving. They’re not making progress. You can’t get anywhere in life if you’re standing still. Think about how a treadmill works: you move fast but you don’t actually get anywhere. This is exactly what’s happening to many of us. We’re always doing something but what we do sadly amounts to nothing. People will talk fast and walk fast and carry themselves as if they’re living in the fast lane, but it’s all a fraud. Running on a treadmill is not the same as running a race. Some people falsely believe they’re moving forward when they’re actually not moving at all or even going backwards! It’s difficult to determine the progress you’re making if your life is on a treadmill. Living life in this way is counterproductive to your progress.