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Livin' just enough for the city wasn't enough for a little contumacious black kid born Shawn Carter. The battered brick asbestos asylums just didn't offer the type of sophistication conducive to a Cristal-sipping lifestyle. Working some simpleton grocery bagging job fourteen hours a day wasn't the move either. So, when the lanky boy set foot on the burning sands of manhood, he left his given name of Shawn Carter and did a Lou Ferrigno/Incredible Hulk.
Jay-Z, ambitious and solution oriented in a world offering more uberous awards, found a hustle sellin' drugs. An occupation that guaranteed to get him attention from Presidents who wouldn't give him the time of day if they were alive. "A lot of kids in the ghetto are out to get 'Dead Presidents' because they don't wanna be hungry or poor. I'm not glorifying selling' drugs, because it's a hard job, and I don't recommend nobody doin' it. At the time, I didn't feel like hustlin' was goin' over the line. My intentions were good."
Robin Hood's intentions were good too, but he still went down in history as being an English outlaw instead of a Christian martyr. "Not everybody in the family was eatin' right, so I felt that I had to protect them. I had to weigh my choices...hustle or somethin'. But what? I didn't see another option. Young Black men in the ghetto don't have options, because they're surrounded in despair and depression. I didn't want to be poor."
Jay-Z made certain that he and poverty never bumped heads. Having no intention of going from the play pen to the state pen, he kept the high profile flossin' to a bare minimum, with the exception of a very extravagant hotel room set on top of four wheels. The ride, a Lexus, is equipped with a Sony VCR and three TV screens (two in the headrests, one in the passenger-side visor.) "I plan to be traveling a lot," he says, making an earnest attempt at explaining his Imelda Marcos-simulated lust for toys.
"So while I'm getting driven to where I need to go, I can watch some TV, pass time. I ain't flashy like some of these other niggas, owning three cars, wearing a whole bunch of gold, and showin' off. I just did my thing quietly. I made trips here and there doin' what I had to do, but I can't tell you too many of my secrets or I'll have the FBI comin' after me, askin' questions. I don't wanna have to deal with them. They come after a nigga when they see there's something to gain personally."
Jay-Z is all for capitalism in it's idealistic state, get what you can while the gettin' is good- but he doesn't advocate legalizing the profession that kept his family fed. "I don't think legalizing certain drugs would be beneficial because it would be hard to control, and you can see that the government's having a hard enough time trying to control alcohol. Legalizing drugs would only prove that the government is out for what they can get in taxes instead of what's really good for people. I can't see walkin' into a store buying dope. Plus, I think people would get out of control if drugs were too accessible. Weed, that's different. It doesn't make people crazy. I better not say much more on the subject, or else I'll hear a knock on my door when this article comes out."
Jay laughs, Goodfella-like, at the vision of federal agents rifling through his Park Slope apartment, and then continues "Life's been good. I can't complain. Things could have been worse."
Lacquered with a coat of Lady Luck's elixir, Jay's never been locked up. Ask how his wrists escaped the stainless steel bracelets, and he'll downplay fortune's role and give credit to innate intelligence. "I'm smart. I'd get bored in school, 'cause I was so good at it. My sixth grade teacher was my favorite. She took the class to her house and I was like 'Wow." She was the first person I knew who had a refrigerator with an ice machine attached to it. That shows where I came from. When I left the house, I said, "I want a nice house like this-the truck, car, motorcycle, a swing in the backyard, the wife, and the kids."
Hunger, poverty, and regression on the other hand scare Jay almost as much as the second coming of Christ. Among his list of must-haves, having a thick bankroll ranks just below having fresh air and a notch above shelter. "The people making the world go 'round wouldn't be making shit if it weren't for the money. Being in the same position before my career got started taking off scares me more than anything, and I ain't really scare much of nothin'." As part of his get-money plan, Jay plans to book Budweiser-type fests. "We had a Rocafella fest with myself, B.I.G. and AZ, and it went well. Me, Yvette Michelle and the Lost Boyz may tour this summer. If I don't go, I'll work on Ruffness, this female emcee we signed. I keep telling everybody that this is my first and last album, a super secret 'til it comes out. Ain't no mix deejays gettin' hold of this. I respect their hustle, but I don't want 'em makin' money off me. If you could get a tape with 26 cuts on it, why you gonna buy my tape?
"I want Rocafella to go down as one of the most successful companies in the world, not just as far as black companies go. I got that concept from Russell (Simmons). Me and my partner ran up on him at a party like we gonna start 'somethin', and we said "We don't want nothin' from you, but we're common' for your spot." He's the King and we're comin' for his crown. He loved that so much, he gave me his home number. I never called him, but he'll hear from me again, because I know what kids want to listen to just like he does. Later on, he came over and had a drink with us, cause he was so impressed by our line."
Developing a crown capturing strategy came natural for the benevolent businessman who participated in the City Food Harvest Drive and Toys for Tots. He worked hard, staying in his dry-assed gray flannel district office until the "It's ten o-clock. Do you know where your children are?" PSA comes on. "I'm gonna make it happen. Some nights I'm here 'till midnight. The emcee's billowy soup coolers immediately sweep upwards into a "say cheese" smirk. Then suddenly his face gets slapped by seriousness. No longer glowing, but not exactly glowering. Like a male Mona Lisa whose expression cannot be pegged, he concludes, "Look out for Rocafella. You can't ignore us, 'cause we're comin.'
"You know it's hell when I come through, the life and times of Shawn Carter nigga, volume two. Y'all niggas get ready...Hard Knock Life."
That's right. Get ready for dazzling lyrical acrobatics, stunning verbal versatility and fierce, driving beats featured on the highly anticipate third solo release from hip hop phenomenon Jay-Z, Vol. 2. . . Hard Knock Life.
"With this album, I was in a real zone creatively," says an enthusiastic Jay-Z about Hard Knock Life, "I was so happy making this album, I was like, 'Feed me beats!'"
The outcome of this creativity is a superb collection of tracks featuring Jay-Z's signature lyrical prowess and his ability to weave vivid tales of urban life with clarity, depth, and precision. Combined with multi-layered production from some of the industry's most cutting edge talent, Hard Knock Life will surely be regarded as a classic.
Making classic records is nothing new for "Brooklyn's Finest." In 1990, he burst on the music scene with an unshared quicksilver deliverance, lacing tracks for Big Jaz ("The Originator's") and Original Flavor ("Can I Get Open"). But after witnessing his friend Jaz's troubles with his record label and scrambling for a deal himself, Jay decided to take matter's into his own hands. Along with entrepreneur Damon Dash and a third partner Kareem "Biggs" Burke, he formed Roc-A-Fella Records in 1996 and the result: the luminous debut, Reasonable Doubt. Doubt spawned the gold single "Ain't No Nigga," featuring Foxy Brown, which immediately transported Jigga to the fore front of the rap game. "Can't Knock the Hustle" and "Feelin It" quickly established Jay-Z as one the most innovative and influential artists in hip-hop.
Within a year of Reasonable Doubt's release, fans were fiending for a new Jay-Z joint. Jigga supplied the demand with the platinum-selling, In My Lifetime, Volume I.
The album, which followed the untimely death of Jay-Z's friend and collaborator, The Notorious B.I.G., was more personal in content and included the sweeping single's "You Must Love Me," the bleak "Where I'm From," as well as the underground smash "Streets Is Watching." The first commercial single released from the disc, "Sunshine," featured Foxy Brown with production credits going to producer extraordinaire, Babyface Edmonds. The collaboration proved to be an instant smash at radio and retail and re-established Jay - Z as a lyrical genius, better known to many as, "The King of New York."
"In My Lifetime was very emotional to me because there were a lot of things going on at that time," explains Jay-Z. "That album . . .that was me. That was Jay-Z right there.
"Keeping with the personal theme of In My Lifetime, in 1998, Jay-Z portrayed himself in the semi-autobiographical short film, Streets Is Watching, a film he wrote, produced, and directed along with Roc-A-Fella partner Damon Dash. In addition to the film, he also released Streets Is Watching: The Soundtrack, which included the hit single "It's Alright," and introduced fans to some of Roc-a-Fella's brightest new rising stars, including Memphis Bleek, Rell, Diamonds in the Rough, and the Ranjahz.
Now, Jigga returns with Volume 2. . .Hard Knock Life. Recorded in only a month, it features Jay-Z at the top of his game. Because of the time constraints, Jay-Z veered from his usual production team of Ski and DJ Premier and brought on new talent, including Timbaland, and Swiss from the Ruff Ryders camp. The new sounds and styles that these producers brought was a welcome challenge for Jay-Z. "I can change up my flow depending on the beat," he says. "If it's hot, I'll rhyme over it. If you notice, I rhyme differently on each track."
The album also features a host of guest artists, including DMX on the hard-hitting "Money, Cash, Hoes," Too Short on "A Week Ago" and Foxy Brown on "Paper Chase." Memphis Bleek, who rapped alongside Jigga on Reasonable Doubt's "Coming of Age," also turns up on one of Jay-Z's personal favorite's, the intense "Coming of Age, Da Sequel." The track paints a dramatic picture of a meeting between two hustlers, one established, one on his way up. "One of the reasons I love this track is because it's so mental," he says. "The whole first verse is an interaction that takes place in 30 seconds." Timbaland furnishes the album with two remarkable tracks; the danceable "N**a What," and the bouncy "Paper Chase." DJ Mark the 45 King resurfaces with the title track, which incorporates the chorus from "It's a Hard Knock life," from the Broadway musical, Annie. "Kid Capri played the track on tour and I had to have it," Jay-Z says smiling. "It's a real ghetto anthem."
Rich with vivid imagery, mercurial flow, and lyrical finesse, Volume 2. . . Hard Knock Life is a stunning example of Jay-Z's diverse artistic range and creative growth. The album may be called Volume 2, but Jay-Z's just begun. YA HEARD?! HOLLA BACK!
In My Lifetime Vol.1
Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life
Lyrics & Pictures
