Jay-Z Writes An Intro For Michael Eric Dyson’s New Book On Hip Hop
At this point it might seem hollow to repeat what has been widely said about Michael Eric Dyson: this gifted man is the “hip hop intellectual,” a world-class scholar, and the most brilliant interpreter of hip hop culture we have. But plain and simple that is what he is. He has shown those doubters and critics that hip hop is a vital arts movement created by young working-class men and women of color. Yes, our rhymes can contain violence and hatred. Yes, our songs can detail the drug business and our choruses can bounce with lustful intent. However, those things did not spring from inferior imaginations or deficient morals; these things came from our lives. They came from America.
The folks from the suburbs and the private schools so concerned with putting warning labels on my records missed the point. They never stopped to worry about the realities in this country that spread poverty and racism and gun violence and hatred of women and drug use and unemployment. People can act like rappers spread these things, but that is not true. Our lives are not rotten or worthless just because that’s what people say about the real estate that we were raised on. In fact, our lives may be even more worthy of study because we succeeded despite the promises of failure seeping out from behind the peeling paint on the walls of every apartment in every project.
This is part Jay-Z’s intro in Mr.Dyson’s new book, “Know What I Mean?(Reflections of Hip Hop).
Know What I Mean? addresses salient issues within hip hop: the creative expression of degraded youth that has garnered them global exposure; the vexed gender relations that have made rap music a lightning rod for pundits; the commercial explosion that has made an art form a victim of its success; the political elements that have been submerged in the most popular form of hip hop; and the intellectual engagement with some of hip hop’s most influential figures.
Thoughts on what Jay-Z is saying?
Suggestion Box
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:05 pm
1st i guess lol..but i aint understand jay-z whole paragrahp deadass..yes im a dropout
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Granny I told you I would be first, but thatis beside the point.
It is good to see som =e good intelligent crique of our culture. I hope this introspective look will lead to more positive changes in th culture.
Later Granny, get my soup ready
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Magnet to some it up, Jay-z is saying his music is a product of his environement, which is a bigger reflection of what America has done, and that is to ignore the plights, poverty pain and struggle of the urban youth, more speciically the young balck inner city youth…
Sorry Granny, the dropout beat me…
One day I will make you proud
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:19 pm
lol
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:23 pm
bet his thoughts are gonna go over most peoples heads…
its some knowledge tho
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Im in college, but I think I would of understood it better if he put it in a rhyme over a Premo track…lol.- But its DA ROC ALL DAY!!
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Dat nigga Jay on a whole notha level wit his shit. He went over my head wit dat, but just goes to prove aint no one fuckin wit him in da game right now. Nigga on some genius shit.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
^^^^
He’s on some “genuis shit”? WTF?
You idiots – and I use that term STRONGLY – need to put down the headphones and pick up a damn BOOK.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Loso wrote on July 3rd, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Dat nigga Jay on a whole notha level wit his shit. He went over my head wit dat, but just goes to prove aint no one fuckin wit him in da game right now. Nigga on some genius shit.
MY BROTHER YOU NEED TO ABUSE MY TAXES BY USING THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. TRUST ME THE MYTH IS A LIE THEY DON’T KILL PEOPLE IN THERE IT IS ACTUALLY FILLED WITH BOOKS, AND READING TOO MUCH DOES NOT MAKE YOU BLIND.
I STAY SCHOOLING THE YOUNGINS GRANNY AREN’T U PROOUD OF ME, THANKS FOR THE SOUP
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Why can’t we read the Outro by Nas???? I want to read that one!!!
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
good shit!i know nas pose to come out wit tha outro but that shit finna be contradictory like a muthafucka
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:42 pm
good intro,but i highly doubt he wrote it. this is he same guy that said he dropped out of high school and sold drugs.and he’s not this articulate in his rhymes or interviews probably paid an assistant to write it. nas was pretty good too but u can tell he wrote his, that brother is very well read and he proves it time after time in rhymes and interviews.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:48 pm
^^^^Just cuz you drop outta high school dont mean you dont/cant read. If u listen to Jays albums you can tell hes a smart dude.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
i agree on what he said, hip hop is truly the reflection of what goes on in the inner communities all around the world… politicians over here in france held the rappers responsible for the riots in 2005 but they didn’t understand mc’s are actually like live reporters of whats goin on in our hoods… anyways that was a great intro by jay, very articulate…
“Dyson stands up for poor folks and for street culture when other African Americans treat us with the same disdain that white society used to have for all of us”
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Whoever started this is retarded and clearly does not read. That is not the intro by Jay-Z this is:
http://michaelericdyson.com/knowwhatimean/intro.php
What’s on there is a brief synopsis of the book.
And as eny (#12) what the hell you talkin bout. You don’t have to graduate from school to be sound educated or articulate. Jay read all the time you can tell in his raps. Damn its no hope for “Our” people.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
^^^^ that sentence must be directed towards oprah… just my opinion…
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
SMH instead of trying to understand what the man is tryna say…yall stay on that negative bullshit that have nothing to even do with the post…Now as far as what Jay saying he has a valid point, it always gets to me when politicians and people with power want to censor the music or hate on it. The time and energy they put in criticizing the music could be put into more serious issues. Instead of really listening, taking in the lyrics, seeing how its grimey and using that to better America they want to censor it and hate on it.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
LOL what I posted was from the same link. Damn people don’t even read and what to call people retarded, Fall back sir.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Loso, that is not ‘genius sh*t’…
He is a well spoken man and this is just a sample of that. There is nothing in there that should be too difficult to comprehend for any person born and raised in this coutry. If you pick up a newspaper and actually read though it, not just the sports section, you will see basic examples of writing. Now if you just don’t understand what a certain word means, then bro.. PICK UP A DICTIONARY.
It’s not cool for some of you to say this is too advanced and just laugh it off. It’s a basic intro to a book. Not even that great of an intro either. Jay-Z wrote what 98% of the business executives write everyday, all day.. and they do this as a routine. Jay-Z wrote this specifically for this book.. It’s no big deal.
The problem is, when someone in hip hop does something so standard in the business world, we as minorities see it as something strange and different and that is a reflection of our state of mind. We should be used this type of thing, we should be exposed to more of this.. be we aren’t. Because far too many times does someone say ‘that’s too advanced for me.. lol’.
..sigh..
Nice to see Jay-Z moving forward and upward. Play on playa.
WEST!
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm
What was Eny thinking when he wrote this
“good intro,but i highly doubt he wrote it. this is he same guy that said he dropped out of high school and sold drugs.and he?s not this articulate in his rhymes or interviews probably paid an assistant to write it.”
Just because someone dropped out school does not mean they are not intelligent. It is just this kind of ignorance that the book is trying to address. You should try and listen more closely to “Minority Report” , check out the ghost writing for greats such as Dr Dre, the work Jay has done for the Un and his work with the Princes Trust, The power moves he has made at Def Jam including convincing Nas to come to the label after having an afair with the mother of his child, Owning his masters and holding down an influential woman like Beyonce. If you can’t recognise the significance of a black male achieving these milestones there must be more than a little hater in you. My point is game recognize game.
a heads up for those who like these type of books look out for Nelson George.
July 3rd, 2007 at 5:36 pm
It’s really sad that some of you negroes never utilized what was tought to you in grammar school. It’s sad that some of ya’ll can’t even decipher what Jay-z is trying to say, when it’s only that simple. *shaking my head*
July 3rd, 2007 at 8:43 pm
The Goat in mor wayz than 1
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:13 pm
we’re use to some much ignorant ass rappers that we cannot respect one that is not ignorant. lots of you guys would be surprise of types of book Jay z reads. he may not finish high school but this is a guy who use to study the dictionary when he was a kid.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Malcolm X say it best, “ignorance is worst than poverty”
July 4th, 2007 at 1:18 am
thats depressing hearing people say “it went over my head”
what? its not like hes using big words. sit down, pull out ur dictionary, and read it again. or maybe ask someone to read it for you.
how you on the internet and cant read?
sHUD he hAve ROTE it lYK dis?
July 4th, 2007 at 1:49 am
Jay-Z is a smart man
July 4th, 2007 at 6:08 am
RTNY you should also mention that the outro is by Nas!
July 4th, 2007 at 6:46 am
lol i agree with #25
i wanna read the nas one
July 4th, 2007 at 7:24 am
jay-z need to sit his ass down he was saying a bunch of nonsense disguised with big words that some people might not understand for those who didnt understand hes basically saying nothin is anybody else tired of seeing this nigga he everywhere but aint really saying shit
July 4th, 2007 at 7:56 am
^^^ Aamarian you’re just a ignorant hater…and for anybody that said this went over your head, you have serious issues. i’m a sophomore in high school and i understood it after reading it one time. Hov is one of the most influential people in hip hop.
July 4th, 2007 at 8:11 am
I respect dis nigga jay Z. Our worth in urban neighborhoods shouldn’t be neglected due in part to how and where we were raised. Rap artist dat come from dat kind of environment go through more in there life experiences than those fortunate enough to be raised in the suburbs. We have to learn to fend for ourselves everyday, more so than those who are born wit a silver spoon in they mouth. It’s a part of life for niggas in da hood and we cant help the fact that we were raised under such brutal circumstances. In regards to dat we should be uplifted and respected from all people more so than those that are given opportunities
to the successes in life. Instead we get over looked as being inferior and a product of our envronment, in a negative nature.
Now maybe you bird ass niggas can take my lead in deciphering Jay Zs intro on this thread, instead of worryinbg bout my comment. You niggas so concerned wit my opinion, you quoting shit from me rather than Jay Z. It makes me wonder Where da fuck your heads are at? Follow my lead & focus on da nigga Jay z giving the
message of reason, & hop off my nutsack ladies and gents. SMH
July 4th, 2007 at 8:30 am
where my comment at RealtalkNY?
July 4th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Test
July 4th, 2007 at 10:53 am
i’m 100% french & i understood everything hov meant in his intro… so how u come u guys were born in the U.S. & y’all dont??!! it’s kinda confusing…
July 4th, 2007 at 10:54 am
This is truly a sad day… The man is simply defending hip hop from the critisms it’s been taking over the last few months and expressing his love for the art form that has not only brought him out of poverty but many others also, this is how we respond to the statement he’s made… Sad, so sad… I hang my head low… This is why hip hop is dead.. The minds of it’s people are dead… Truly a sad day…
July 4th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Michael Eric Dyson never does shit but talk. Kevin Powell, now that’s a nigga who talks the talk AND walks the fucking walk. Fuck Dyson.
July 5th, 2007 at 3:45 am
That nigga HOV is the TRUTH, in every aspect of the word.
July 5th, 2007 at 8:52 am
to number 30 if u read it i didnt say it went over my head i said it might have went over some people head for your info im in school with a major in law and a minor in forensics so that shit is really nothing he was just using big words to throw some people off who might not have understood what the words meant so before u start talking think befor u speak youngen bottom line he wasnt talking about shit what r u jay-z bodyguard or some so me never ignorant and hov one of the most influential people in hip hop get real he is a swagga jacka people are really all on this man nuts fall back lil homie when grown people are talking LOL
July 5th, 2007 at 9:01 am
^Who let pappy in the house..?
July 5th, 2007 at 9:21 am
intro basiclly shuts down da media,,jay explains why we rappers [yes im a raper],,say wut we say in our rhymes,da struggle and from were we come from,,da media doesnt seem 2 get dat we dont cum wit dat silver spoon in our mouhts,,intro was really tuff,,,im feelin it,,
July 5th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I think we need Dysons and Powells. I’ve been to some of Dyson’s speeches in places where Powell could not enter, so let each one play the roll he’s called to play.
As for Jay-Z’s intro it was well written. I appreciate that he has read Dyson’s book and is deepening his own awareness of his roots. Hopefully, his music will evolve with his mind.
NAS’s outro was also well-written and slightly more subtle than Jay-Z’s. I read it on Amazon since I haven’t had the chance to purchase the book yet. Go to Amazon.com and click on the book. Type in Outro and it will take you to the outro.
July 6th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
#38 first of all i never said that u said it went over your head. i was talking to the people that did say it went over their heads. and your major means nothing to me you still could be the dumbest person in the world for all i know. and i might be a youngin but you responded to me. and like i said before you are a hater. hov is the one of the most influential people…he got people like you commenting on him. if you believe he’s a swagga jacka, then why waste time commenting about him? fall back youngin when intelligent people are talking