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Forbes.com/book review

November 16, 2010

Jay-Z's Decoded is a 300-page tome that's filled with lush photographs, autobiographical musings and lyrical analysis, roughly in equal measure. But despite its title, the book leaves much un-decoded.

Among the important topics largely left out of the book: the details of Jay-Z's rise as a businessman. Jay-Z has amassed a fortune of $450 million by Forbes' last count; last year alone he pulled in $63 million. Yet Decoded offers little commentary on the rapper's transition from the booth to the boardroom. There's next to nothing about Jay-Z's ascension to the presidency of Def Jam, his ownership stake in the Nets, his pact with Live Nation and other big deals.

By the early 1990s Jay-Z's hustling career was approaching its peak. He spent much of his time making "business trips" from New York to Maryland and points further south. Rapping was merely a hobby, a dream deferred--when the opportunity arose, he'd appear on songs like "Can I Get Open," recorded with a group called Original Flavor in 1993. But he remained hesitant to devote time and money to music when he knew he could make more as a hustler. It would take more than a nudge to make him change his priorities.

That came suddenly and violently in 1994, when Jay-Z almost had his life taken over a dispute with rival dealers. "He messed with the wrong people," one of his associates told me in an interview for my Jay-Z biography, due out this winter. According to this source, an assassin tracked down Jay-Z in the streets and chased after him, firing three errant shots. When the would-be killer tried to fire a fourth shot, his gun jammed, allowing Jay-Z to escape with his life.

Jay-Z makes note of this incident in his song "Moment of Clarity" on The Black Album, rapping that, "Three shots couldn't touch me / Thank God for that." But in Decoded, all he offers about the lines describing his near-death experience is the following: "This is about not having fear ... even three shots couldn't touch me ... which means I'm untouchable."

Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records cofounder Damon Dash had a well-publicized breakup in 2004, but in Decoded, the rapper doesn't address the reasons behind the split. A few: Dash going behind Jay-Z's back to promote rapper Cam'ron to vice president status, Jay-Z and Dash clashing over different management styles, and Jay-Z realizing he could make more money if he didn't have to share with someone whose help he no longer needed.

To be fair, Jay-Z didn't make many promises beyond the implications of the book's title. He begins one chapter by saying that when he started working on Decoded, he told his editor that he wanted it to do three important things.

"The first thing was to make the case that hip-hop lyrics--not just my lyrics, but those of every great MC--are poetry if you look at them closely enough," he writes. The bulk of the book is composed of sections of footnoted lyrics. (Though some explanations may be obvious to most of Jay-Z's listeners--for example, that "cheese" means "money" in hip-hop parlance--a few nuggets come as a surprise. For instance, Jay-Z claims the word "bitch" refers to a drug-sniffing dog, not a woman, in his song "99 Problems.")

Jay-Z's second goal, he writes, "was I wanted the book to tell a bit of the story of my generation, to show the context for the choices we made at violent and chaotic crossroads in recent history. And the third piece was that I wanted the book to show how hip-hop created a way to take a very specific and powerful experience and turn it into a story that everyone in the world could feel and relate to."

Nowhere in this quotation does Jay-Z mention wanting to reveal much about his life, which makes sense considering what he's said about autobiographical projects in the past. He scuttled a memoir titled The Black Book in 2003, explaining in a recent Rolling Stone cover story that the memoir unveiled "too much." Interestingly, Jay-Z's co-author on that book was former Source editor Dream Hampton, who also collaborated with him on Decoded--meaning it's possible the latter is filled with material repurposed from the former, minus the juicy stuff.

For readers looking to learn some of the details that Decoded leaves out, there's another option: this Forbes writer's business-focused biography of Jay-Z, Empire State Of Mind. By reading the two books together, readers can get the full scope of how Jay-Z made the unlikely journey from street corner to corner office.

http://www.forbes.com/201...elsections

[Edited 11/16/10 8:27am]

So Decoded will NOT make any references Jay-Z's use of symbolisms in some of his music videos.

That figures.

[Edited 11/16/10 10:47am]

TonyVanDam said:

So Deoded will NOT make any references Jay-Z's use of symbolisms in some of his music videos.

That figures.

Well Tony, there's always fanfiction.

No doubt there are some major silences in the book, and it glosses over certain unpalatable episodes of his life, as autobiographies often do. I can't help but feel that the author of this review spent so much time focusing on what isn't in the book, as opposed to what is, so he could set out the niche that his own Jay-Z biography fills, though, leading all the way up to the shameless plug he gives it in the last paragraph.

So... all the history already covered on his rap albums you own.

I, for one, would like to hear more about his legit business deals. Maybe he has a history of screwing people over and doesn't want to highlight it.

Maybe he's leaving it out so no readers can follow in his footsteps and gain from his prosperity. Unless he wants them to believe starting with selling drugs leads you to prosperity.

There was a launch event for the book at the New York Public Library, with Jay-Z in conversation with Cornel West. It's online to watch at the FORA.tv website, if anyone's interested.

TonyVanDam said:

So Decoded will NOT make any references Jay-Z's use of symbolisms in some of his music videos.

That figures.

[Edited 11/16/10 10:47am]

Isn't that the damn devil in the picture he is holding. I saw that and was like WTF? He's so obvious.

ScarletScandal said:

TonyVanDam said:

So Deoded will NOT make any references Jay-Z's use of symbolisms in some of his music videos.

That figures.

Well Tony, there's always fanfiction.

F*** that! I want Jigga to tell the truth for once in his career.

Cinnie said:

So... all the history already covered on his rap albums you own.

I, for one, would like to hear more about his legit business deals. Maybe he has a history of screwing people over and doesn't want to highlight it.

Maybe he's leaving it out so no readers can follow in his footsteps and gain from his prosperity. Unless he wants them to believe starting with selling drugs leads you to prosperity.

TWO WORDS: Foxxy. Brown.

illimack said:

TonyVanDam said:

So Decoded will NOT make any references Jay-Z's use of symbolisms in some of his music videos.

That figures.

[Edited 11/16/10 10:47am]

Isn't that the damn devil in the picture he is holding. I saw that and was like WTF? He's so obvious.

It's looks like The Baphomet. That could be the reason why the book is entitled Decoded.

Actually, the inkblot on the cover is one of Andy Warhol’s Rorschach paintings.

So what is the point of reading the book?

[Edited 11/16/10 11:33am]

Identity said:

Actually, the inkblot on the cover is one of Andy Warhol’s Rorschach paintings.

Identity said:

Actually, the inkblot on the cover is one of Andy Warhol’s Rorschach paintings.

[img:$uid]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Rorschach.png[/img:$uid]

To me its such a waste of money to purchase an autobiography and the author chooses to omit some details of life that made the headlines. For example, he stabbed a record producer, his break-up with Damon Dash and his marriage to Beyonce. We all know he grew up in Brooklyn and was a former drug dealer. Of course that will be mentioned in his book but to gloss over how he attacked a record exec. over a track is unreal. He could have killed him . His marriage to Beyonce okay he's always been private about that but c'mon he can't say how they met? What made him put a ring on it? Was it love at first sight? Is that really too private?

What about his ex-partner Damon Dash? I heard it was an acrimonious split. Are they both under court order not to discuss it?

Sorry Jay I dont want to buy a book full of rap lyrics and you talk about the inspiration behind the lyrics Im sorry it gets boring after a while. No surprises no revealations he wanted to play it safe.

TonyVanDam said:

Cinnie said:

So... all the history already covered on his rap albums you own.

I, for one, would like to hear more about his legit business deals. Maybe he has a history of screwing people over and doesn't want to highlight it.

Maybe he's leaving it out so no readers can follow in his footsteps and gain from his prosperity. Unless he wants them to believe starting with selling drugs leads you to prosperity.

TWO WORDS: Foxxy. Brown.

Two more words: Dame Dash

LittleBLUECorvette said:

TonyVanDam said:

TWO WORDS: Foxxy. Brown.

Two more words: Dame Dash

Two more: Memphis Bleek

Timmy84 said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Two more words: Dame Dash

Two more: Memphis Bleek

3 words:

Give a shit.

Graycap23 said:

Timmy84 said:

Two more: Memphis Bleek

3 words:

Give a shit.

3 more words:

I know, right?

Timmy84 said:

Graycap23 said:

3 words:

Give a shit.

3 more words:

I know, right?

Timmy84 said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Two more words: Dame Dash

Two more: Memphis Bleek

TWO MORE WORDS: Beanie. Sigel.

TonyVanDam said:

Identity said:

Actually, the inkblot on the cover is one of Andy Warhol’s Rorschach paintings.

[img:$uid]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Rorschach.png[/img:$uid]

mystery man?

Normally I would never encourage anyone to burn a book but in this case I'll make an exception!

PoppyBros said:

TonyVanDam said:

[img:$uid]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Rorschach.png[/img:$uid]

mystery man?

It's Rorschach from the novel/movie The Watchmen.

I'll buy/read it

Hate him or love him, Mr.Carter is a pretty fascinating figure.

Not a big Jay fan,

but this book showed up at the office for my campus newspaper. I took a look at it.

If you're a Jay-Z fan, it's pretty much a wet dream. Nicely made, lots of pictures. Glossy.

[Edited 11/26/10 6:33am]

great interview with him on the Stern show earlier this week. you can listen at youtube

if he isn't talking about his professional business, I sure hope that means he is focusing more on how he met Beyonce and all that. Did he write this verse about her? http://www.youtube.com/wa...mE#t=2m59s

honey aint nothing this trick gots 2 talk about tat i wanna hear cant stand him or him wife so umm this book is worthless