And sometimes the words we use, n***a, b***h, motherf***er, and the violence of the images overwhelms some listeners. It seems so straightforward and personal and real that people read it completely literally, as raw testimony or autobiography. On people who misread hip-hop: The art of rap is deceptive. The problem is that so many people don't even know how to listen to the music. The problem isn't in the rap or the rapper or the culture. Which is the other reason hip-hop is controversial: People don't bother trying to get it. It leaves s**t rattling around in your head that won't make sense till the fifth or sixth time through. On why hip-hop is controversial: Hip-hop has always been controversial, and for good reason. Below, 20 of Jay-Z's biggest revelations from his first tome: (Go to /JayZ to enter.)īut for any hip-hop fan, the ride contained in 'Decoded's' pages is exhilarating enough. The grand prize for a fan who 'decodes' all the pages online: a lifetime pass that grants them free access to every single Jay-Z show on earth for the rest of their lives, and lets them bring a friend along for the ride.

He also ruminates on politics, race, and what it means to be successful in America.Īmbitious man, ambitious book, ambitious marketing campaign: Jay-Z teamed up with the search engine Bing to create a scavenger hunt that 'hid' all 305 pages of 'Decoded,' which goes on sale today, in 200 locations pivotal in his life. He reveals who he was before he sold 50 million albums, scored 10 Grammys and established himself as a fixture in Forbes (current net worth: $450 million) as well as music history. In it, Jay-Z (real name: Sean Carter, aliases: many) paints the portrait of his life by delving into his lyrics, unwrapping his metaphors and opening up his ideology. His first book, 'Decoded,' is not your typical celebrity memoir. 16, 2010 — - Jay-Z is not your typical celebrity.

Decoded memoir