Tag: jay-z
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Flesh and Fragment: A Theory
Overview This project was inspired by and drew from Alexander Weheliye’s Habeas Viscus, Hortense J. Spillers “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe: An American Grammar Book” (1987) and Sylvia Wynter’s “‘No Humans Involved’: An Open Letter to My Colleagues” (1994) in connection to the Black woman’s body through time and space in conjunction with “Fragment of a Queen’s…
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Can’t Knock the Hustle
The main reason this site exists stems from BET’s “Food for Thought” interview with Jay-Z in 2009. In the interview, Jay-Z talked about creating your own lane. The way things were going, I had to switch up and start clearing a path for this lane, but with what and how? During the interview he also…
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Write on Time: Part 3
Although this is my last piece inspired by 4:44, the topics I will address have been on my mind for a long time. For example, one idea was another spin off of “Never Change 2.1,” that focused on Hova’s lyrics about his wife, daughter and mother, but I put it on the backburner in another…
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Write on Time: Part 2
Kept inside, the pain is poison, but when artists, especially Black artists, let it out, its genius. But genius is not a typical state with normal expectations; it’s acceptable for a genius to act (or actually be) crazy. In fact we often want that in our Black artists. We expect them to be crazy, love…
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Write on Time: Part 1
Jay Z has what a lot of rappers don’t have: consistency, longevity, growth and a lush body of work that fans and haters alike analyze to politic about. I’m no different. So about this new album, 4:44…this new masterpiece has people talking because they didn’t see it coming. Hov has always understood the power…
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Encore: A Look at Jay-Z’s Law Lyrics Across his Career
In Never Change 2.1, the study which looked at drugs, guns, criminal and law references throughout Jay-Z’s discography, the law theme had the lowest mentions but was the most consistent throughout his career and has a particular allure because of the way it was referenced. Jay-Z’s relationship with the criminal justice system is something he…
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Never Change 2.1
So, if you have been following this blog for a couple of years, you know I did a mini research project about Jay-Z and his rhymes. I re-upped and got a little bit more critical this time with Never Change 2.1. It does the same thing the old one did but with updated stats and…
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Silence and Violence
One week ago, activist, Brittany “Bree” Newsome scaled a pole and took down a Confederate battle flag in South Carolina. This is called civil disobedience but as child of 1990’s hip hop, I call it, silence and violence. Those of the Fox News breed will say I am promoting negativity. NOPE, come here, let me…
kashema 