A review by marvindbooks
JAY-Z: Made in America by Michael Eric Dyson

3.0

Michael Eric Dyson is a master wordsmith, brilliant scholar and provocative cultural critic. Being a longtime fan of both Dyson's work and Jay-Z, picking up this book was a no-brainer. That said, I expected a lot more from this book. Nothing here felt particularly new or groundbreaking, it almost felt like something that could've been condensed and published in an online essay. I will say that I've read and learned a lot about Jay-Z over the years, so maybe this book wasn't intended for me. Also, I've read some of Dyson's writing's on other public figures like Marvin Gaye, Tupac and Martin Luther King were I found his analysis fresh and his critiques bold and new. Much of this book felt like an overview of things I already knew and lyrics I already analyzed. I think it would have been more engaging to see Dyson dive deeper and talk a bit more perhaps be a bit more critical of Jay Z. However, I think a conflict of interests exists because unlike, Tupac, Marvin Gaye and MLK, Dyson actually has a relationship with Jay Z, and I'd argue that it makes him a bit softer in his critiques. Overall, it wasn't a bad book, Dyson's analyses are on point, his social commentary is well-informed, it's just that this book felt more like an echo of things we've learned about Jay throughout his career.