I received a great email last night from a Jay-Z fan who is from Ghana and raised in the U.K. The person asked me a few questions and I was more than happy to answer them, but there was one question asked that I get all of the time: (paraphrasing) “Why does Jay-Z get so much hate?” There are many reasons why people hate on Jay-Z, but the truth is he does get a lot of love as well. I also get a strong sense that most of his haters (I’m talking about his competitors) truly respect him despite their public posture. Some fans, foes and critics may not like Jay-Z, for whatever reason, but his impact on the game can’t be denied. Although I’m a long-time fan, the issue of “Jay-Z hate” is one that I like to debate because some of the “haters” make decent arguments that can be persuasive, however, I’m always going to come with the heat…

“There’s never been a nigga, this good, for this long
This hood, or this pop, this hot, or this strong…”

The above line pretty much sums up why the haters hate on Jay-Z. Jay delivered this line on What More Can I Say (featured in the Black Album) over 7 years ago in 2003. That line has turned out to be somewhat of a prophecy at this point because though people certainly hated on Jay-Z back then, the hate has only grown since the release of what was supposed to be his “retirement album” as his brand has expanded in music and business on a global level.

Jay-Z is in a unique position. As he stated in 2003, there’s never been a MC who has been in the position that he’s in, both from a musical and business perspective combined. His level of celebrity and long-term fame hasn’t been reached. Those he has access to and who have access to him goes beyond what we’ve seen in Hip-Hop. The thing is, through it all; he has kept that swagger that long-time fans have identified with since Reasonable Doubt. His evolution, maturation and growth as both an artist AND hustler is unmatched in the rap game.

This is cause for celebration because Jay reps Hip-Hop, but as the title of one of his songs state, Some People Hate.

Now, allow me to break down the root causes of the hate Jay-Z receives from both the old school and the new school perspective, respectively.

Old School

When Jay-Z came in the game he wasn’t the anointed one. He wasn’t “the” man or even “the man standing next to the man”. The “King of New York” was Biggie, Tupac held down the west coast and really had the whole world on notice and MCs such as Nas on the east and Snoop on the west had huge and loyal followers. Jay was just another MC from Brooklyn- a good MC but not great, right? Well, we know the answer to that now, don’t we? Some of us knew the answer back then but most fans, friends, foes and critics of Jay-Z didn’t see coming his reign over the rap game. It took a lot of people by surprise.

The east coast vs. west coast drama in the mid 90’s was responsible for 3 major things:

• It played a major factor in Hip-Hop’s emergence on the world stage. For better or worse, the music and culture was at the peak of its popularity during this time. Hip-Hop became the new rock-n-roll. Today, MCs owe their opportunities and fans owe much of their identity to this period of time in Hip-Hop history.
• It created an environment that essentially divided the Hip-Hop community. Fans had to choose sides. It’s as if you couldn’t be both a Tupac AND Biggie fan (as I was), which is totally ridiculous when we reflect back on it now. To this day, when it comes to a MC, fans feel as if they have to love him or hate him.
• Hip-Hop lost two of its greatest MCs, Tupac and Biggie, who were both murdered within less than 6 months of each other. Their deaths caused both heartbreak and hostility throughout Hip-Hop, and left fans and the media searching for the next “great hype” to fill the void they left.

These 3 effects caused by the east coast/west coast drama, turned out to be a gift and a curse for Jay-Z’s career. Jay-Z’s career benefited from the emergence of Hip-Hop, but he has faced attacks throughout his career based on the negative energy exasperated during the east coast/west coast drama, that still exist today.

But the most provocative factor for the love/hate dynamic when it comes to Jay’s career is the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. I think Jay’s rise to prominence in the years following Pac and Big’s deaths created a great deal of resentment among the two legendary MCs’ most passionate fans. They “hated” (probably too strong of a word) each other’s immortal MC, yet shared in their disdain for whomever would take Big and Pac’s place.

I also believe that fans of other artists such as Nas, Snoop or Wu-Tang also felt some resentment by Jay’s rise in the game.

Basically every fan had his or her own “horse in the race” who they felt were more deserving of the “triple crown” than Jay-Z, who was strongly supported by his Roc-a-fella crew.

Don’t get me wrong: many from the old school love Jay-Z and even those who prefer others MCs, respect him. We, the “new” old school, represent his core fan base. Many fans who love Pac, Biggie, Nas, Wu-Tang, Snoop, etc., also have love for Jay and vice versa. I’m simply saying that the hate he does receive from a significant percentage of the old school can be attributed to the aftermath of the east coast/west coast drama and fans’ resentment that their favorite artists tragically passed on, never took the reign, or has since seen their careers decline or disappear while Jay-Z’s influence and impact on the game has only grown and become stronger.

New School

When it comes to the new school (the core being between the ages of 18-24), the Jay-Z hate isn’t as emotional or in-depth. Basically, some from the new school hate on Jay-Z because it’s their “moment 4 life” and they’re ready to take their place in the game. Artists, fans and critics in the new school respect Jay-Z and the old school but the way they see it, it’s their time to shine.

The Jay-Z hate from the new school simply shows the generational divide in Hip-Hop. They’re not “hating” on Jay-Z necessarily ; they’re just “loving” the artists from their generation a lot more.

The new school is driven by supreme confidence, high ambition and a lack of perspective. As far as many of them are concerned “the greatest anything” is whatever they hear or see 5 minutes ago. A major reason for my embrace of Jay-Z’s music is because he came out during my era-the mid 90’s. I certainly have memories of great MCs before him (I’ve been listening to Hip-Hop since Run-DMC’s hey day) and I acknowledge the great potential of some MCs from this era, but most of my favorite MCs were in their heyday when I was in mine.

Embracing the MCs who represent your era makes perfect sense.

With all that said, I’m actually a little surprised by how much love Jay-Z gets from the new school. I get the sense that they’re more into his public profile as an entertainment mogul and icon than his extensive music catalog. Still, his most recent albums, such as Blueprint 3, have been well received by the new school of fans and critics. And while some new school MCs have dissed him, more have great respect for him and are clearly influenced by his art and hustle.

If you can’t respect that, your whole perspective is wack.
Maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.

The “that” Jay-Z is referring to in What More Can I Say are the traits and qualities that enables a MC to have longevity AND make as much of an impact (if not more) on the rap game in the latter stages of his career as he did when he was at its peak.

Soon, I’m going to publish my own little unscientific but well thought-out “study”:

“Does your favorite MC have the Jay-Z gene?”

“Jay-Z gene”: Performing at a high level for a long time.

In the piece, I take fans’ favorite MCs from both the old school and the new school and quickly evaluate whether each has the “Jay-Z gene”.

Prepare to be enlightened…and maybe even infuriated. Nevertheless, hopefully it’ll help put Jay-Z’s love/hate relationship with fans, peers and critics-and his illustrious career overall-in greater perspective.

#WhyhatershateJayZ