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A review by jennyyates
Decoded by Jay-Z
4.0
This book was really a revelation to me. It opened up a whole new art form and made it more accessible to me. I was really pretty ignorant about rap music, so I appreciate this patient, articulate and sometimes inspiring book about it. Jay Z is a really good writer, and he bridges the worlds here.
Some of the book is his life story. But much of it is just the lyrics to his songs, with extensive footnotes which explain all the word-play, the slang, the allusions which I (for one) never would’ve figured out any other way. Jay Z was a hustler, growing up in the Brooklyn projects before becoming well-known as a rapper, and he not only describes the life, he delves into the moral and philosophical ambiguities of it in his writing and his songs.
The book can be heavy, and dense at times too. Jay Z uses graphics to break it up, to establish a rhythm that carries you along, and I can see how he does that in his songs as well.
Some of the book is his life story. But much of it is just the lyrics to his songs, with extensive footnotes which explain all the word-play, the slang, the allusions which I (for one) never would’ve figured out any other way. Jay Z was a hustler, growing up in the Brooklyn projects before becoming well-known as a rapper, and he not only describes the life, he delves into the moral and philosophical ambiguities of it in his writing and his songs.
The book can be heavy, and dense at times too. Jay Z uses graphics to break it up, to establish a rhythm that carries you along, and I can see how he does that in his songs as well.