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Decoded

by Jay-Z

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 3,439 ratings · 584 reviews

Updated with 3 new songs, this is the intimate, first-person chronicle of the life and work of Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter in Brooklyn's notorious Marcy Projects, now known to many as the greatest rapper alive.

Told through lyrics, images and personal narrative, Decoded shares the story of Jay-Z's life through the 10 codes that define him, giving an unparalleled insight into h...more

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Published (first published January 1st 2010)

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Apr 10, 2013 Laurel Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-the-library, rpl

Jay-Z is my favorite rapper for a reason. That reason is not just the words "We used to use umbrellas to change the weather / Now we travel first class to change the forecast." It's not just that in Allure he alludes to "All the Laurels in the world / I feel your pain." As Hov himself'd say, he can spit over any beat.

But he knows the power of the music, of the words, of the memories and the self-reliance and the heartache and the buying your nephew a car just to have him die in it.

When Jay men...more Jay-Z is my favorite rapper for a reason. That reason is not just the words "We used to use umbrellas to change the weather / Now we travel first class to change the forecast." It's not just that in Allure he alludes to "All the Laurels in the world / I feel your pain." As Hov himself'd say, he can spit over any beat.

But he knows the power of the music, of the words, of the memories and the self-reliance and the heartache and the buying your nephew a car just to have him die in it.

When Jay mentions that that tiny horn sample from Curtis & The Impressions' Man oh Man (I want to go back) in Jeezy's Go Crazy telegraphs just as much about the struggle as the words in the song, you know I know exactly what it means. And you know it too.

The best part about this book to me is that it reconfirms to me that after listening to Jay-Z for fifteen years, I do know what he's talking about. I get the verbiage, I know the references. I know Beware Of The Boys is telling me to be antagonistic to those who thought the war in Iraq was justified, not just because of the Bhangra music (which Americans may hear and think "Oh, this some Middle Eastern shit," and not know its Punjabi), but because Jay's there, guiding me through it.

I knew Lucifer wasn't proof that Hov worships the Baphomet, but that Kanye is just really good at speeding up dub samples ever so slightly. But I'm glad he mentioned it, like, "Hey just so you know, despite what 4 hour YouTube conspiracy videos claim, I am not actually an Illuminati Satanist."

I know that everyone gave him shit for that Coldplay collabo in which Hov actually sings a hook that says "Life is but a beach chair" I know we should probably refuse to acknowledge it. But Jay tries to let us know it does mean something, explaining away the haters, without resorting to saying, "I'm so rich, only Gwyneth Paltrow's husband understands me."

Jruss asked me, after reading parts of the book, "You think Jay-Z loves David Foster Wallace?" Cuz, like, footnotes boo.

My sister got this book for Xmas, even though we'd both asked for it. Does Hov ever rap about the Hollys of the world? No, but he feels yr pain too.
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Feb 07, 2012 Elena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jay-Z's Decoded is part biography, part commentary on American events and issues from the 1980's to the present, part poetry anthology, part history of rap and hip-hop music, and part sociology textbook. Don't be fooled into thinking it is going to be a quick, light read. It was interesting to read this book after Keith Richards's Life. Illegal drugs had a huge effect on the lives of both of these men; Richards as a consumer, and Carter as a dealer. Both men found inspiration and solace in Ameri...more

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May 14, 2013 Shahd Salaam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-perspective-novels

I have no feelings towards this book. It was a shrugged type of read. But it does give an inside look into the mind of Jay-Z and the meaning behind lyrics and the motives with songs. It portrays Rap and Hip Hop into a different light that sheds their stereotypical perception by majority of people. It has a memoir aspect to it and it's nice to see Jay-Z in an intimate and not critical view. It is an autobiography as well and he explains about his life growing up in Marcy Ave and the hardships of...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Jeremy added it · review of another edition

Shelves: about-music

Jay-Z and Dream Hampton put together something which is not quite memoir, not quite manifesto and not quite full-blown lyrical analysis. Instead they just sort of dip in and out of each of these things, usually for just a few pages at a time before shifting moods. As someone who has been more or less conditioned to think of Black Pop Stars as eccentrics who live in their own insular, occasionally tragic little worlds. (Prince, George Clinton, Michael Jackson, Sun Ra, Sly Stone et al), I found hi...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Susie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-biography, didn-t-finish, bestsellers

I'm continuing my celebrity memoir kick!

*Update* It was time to return the book to the library and I hadn't finished yet. It was better than I thought it would be but still not great enough to recheck out.

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May 15, 2013 Anton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Decoded” is not an autobiography. In it, Jay-Z does not chronicle his journey from the streets of the Marcy projects to the world stage. He doesn’t talk about his relationship with Beyonce. He doesn’t even say where the name “Jay-Z” comes from.

Which isn’t to say he doesn’t talk about his past or name drop a few celebrity encounters. But the book doesn’t have a strictly linear structure that takes you through his life. Instead, he shares stories from his drug selling youth and hip-hop career to...more

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May 08, 2013 Bianca Martucci rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me first say, I am not a Rap/Hip-Hop fan. Before reading Decoded, I was unaware of the history of Rap/Hip-Hop. I believed that rapping was just bad poetry put to a catchy beat. My ignorance on this musical genre was embarrassing. Jay-Z helped me gain respect for this foreign genre, while educating me on the history of Hip-Hop. I learned that Hip-Hop is a form lyrical combat against other rappers. This complex genre gave a generation hope, when everything seemed to be dark and bleak. What I’m...more Let me first say, I am not a Rap/Hip-Hop fan. Before reading Decoded, I was unaware of the history of Rap/Hip-Hop. I believed that rapping was just bad poetry put to a catchy beat. My ignorance on this musical genre was embarrassing. Jay-Z helped me gain respect for this foreign genre, while educating me on the history of Hip-Hop. I learned that Hip-Hop is a form lyrical combat against other rappers. This complex genre gave a generation hope, when everything seemed to be dark and bleak. What I’m trying to say is Hip-Hop is not just some genre; it’s a life style that kept hopeless people alive.
After reading Decoded I gained respect for Jay-Z as a businessman and I realized he was a tough human being. Decoded goes into detail about how Jay-Z was a crack dealer and how Hip-Hop saved his life. How he hustled to help his mother and to make a living for himself. Reading that story helps you to appreciate the things you have and thankful you don’t have to sling crack for a living.
Decoded is well written and is an easy read. The novel teaches you the history of Hip-Hop and helps you gain respect for the musical genre. The only horrible part of this book is 90 percent of Jay-Z’s songs. I listened to every song listed in the book. The only ones I liked were Big Pimpin’, Hard Knock Life and 99 Problems. Who doesn’t enjoy those songs? I enjoyed how each song is explained and the odd lyrics are explained as well. This aspect of the book really helped me to understand Hip-Hop’s sometime complex metaphors. At times it’s hard to believe Jay-Z was a drug dealer. Jay-Z doesn’t look like a gangster; he looks like a nerdy guy. One music video I watched, he was wearing high waisted jeans and a tucked in polo shirt. In what way is that gangster? He looked like he was going to rob my calculator or my math textbook. I guess that’s why he never got caught my the po-po(that’s slang for police). Anyway read Decoded, if you get nothing else out of this book, you will get a laugh out of it.
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Apr 06, 2013 Dee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sorry, but I just couldn't get through this book. I generally like memoirs, but this was blah at best. The only thing I really found interesting was his knowledge of poetry and the complexity of rap music when looking at meter and order. I felt like I had been reading it forever and I was only 1/4 of the way through the book. It is not a fast read unless you skim...which I found myself doing more than once. I finally decided to stop reading it after each chapter seemed to be the same.
1. He grew...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Andre rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was riding with Jay, through the whole book, and I think the videos in this enhanced edition are invaluable and definitely add to the work. To hear him explain his thought process on certain songs is a bonus to the literature.

Being a fan of Jay Z, I wasn't just interested in the decoding of his songs, I was decoding his words about the songs. So when it gets near the end and Jay offers up his defense of the word n****, everything in the preceding 300 odd pages becomes cloudy, or a hustle.

You...more I was riding with Jay, through the whole book, and I think the videos in this enhanced edition are invaluable and definitely add to the work. To hear him explain his thought process on certain songs is a bonus to the literature.

Being a fan of Jay Z, I wasn't just interested in the decoding of his songs, I was decoding his words about the songs. So when it gets near the end and Jay offers up his defense of the word n****, everything in the preceding 300 odd pages becomes cloudy, or a hustle.

You can't reduce n**** to "just a word," when you just spent an entire book talking about words and meanings of words. You can't describe situations where you heard "words" and reacted based on what you were hearing, and then reduce-arguably-the most potent word in the English language to "just" a word. Utterly ridiculous.

Because if n**** is just a word, then they are all just words, so none of it actually matters, why then try to decode anything, if the most muscular word has no meaning, then the little words have even less meaning. And I've heard all the arguments for the use of the word, the spelling, context, etc., even read the book.

For me it's about courage, if you are courageous enough to take the pain and history out of n****, then why stop there? Why not take on other words that are offensive and derogatory towards other ethnic groups. Why? Because we know the use of n**** is cheap, it doesn't cost one anything, it won't prevent your record from being released, it won't prevent you from being invited to the White House, it won't keep you from riches. There is no cost to using that word.

Now, think of a degrading word directed at any other ethnic group and imagine the liberal use of it, could any artist have achieved the heights of Jay in such a scenario? The answer is so obvious it's laughable.

I digress, back to the book. I found it potentially inspirational and his defense of the culture of hip-hop is definitely laudable. For those who don't really listen to music and lyrics, this is a good book for you to understand all the nuances that can exist in a song. And Jay is one of the best to ever do it in the rap genre, so to read about and see on the pages layers in lyrics and rhymes within rhymes, will help those gain a better or deeper understanding.

There were some surprises in the decoding of certain songs, some I heard and others I missed until I read the book. Jay takes you through a chronological history of rap, delineating how the styles changed along with the times and even providing context for the alliance with hustling.

I think it is a worthy achievement and if not for the lame excuse and explanation of n****, I may have gone higher on the rating, but that cop out is tremendous, and Jay is talented enough to offer more meaning to his use of n****, but alas as he tells us throughout he has a hustler's spirit. And so that becomes just another part of his hustle. As long as you get that, it's all good.

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Jan 11, 2013 Aleeda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read

People who think they know me will find it hard to believe I read this book, much less rated it amazing. Perhaps that is how Jay-Z feels when people write him off as a drug-dealing, gun-loving, woman-hating gangster thug.

Decoded is several books in one: a memoir, a history lesson, a social commentary, a book of poetry, and a set of Cliff Notes. First the memoir: Jay-Z gives a honest account of the life that he lead on the way to selling millions of records. His story is raw, warts and all; growi...more People who think they know me will find it hard to believe I read this book, much less rated it amazing. Perhaps that is how Jay-Z feels when people write him off as a drug-dealing, gun-loving, woman-hating gangster thug.

Decoded is several books in one: a memoir, a history lesson, a social commentary, a book of poetry, and a set of Cliff Notes. First the memoir: Jay-Z gives a honest account of the life that he lead on the way to selling millions of records. His story is raw, warts and all; growing up in the projects, with dealers as the only successful men in the community will mark you for life, but according to Jay-Z, it doesn't have to define you.

Jay-Z owns up to everything, and denies nothing, watching and learning from the early rappers, but most importantly, waiting until he could enter the music business on his own terms. He saw early artists lifted up, then cast aside by fickle music companies, saw them make fortunes then lose them, and Jay-Z took copious notes. He tells of selling crack up and down the east coast, and realizing that his rap hustle was as strong, and as profitable, as his street hustle, he is able to take the lessons he learned and repurpose them to his benefit.

In terms of social commentary, Decoded shows how drug-dealing infiltrates a neighborhood, how bad choices are made by kids who don't have many opportunities, and how the government, from social services, to law enforcement is perceived after it abandons then stereotypes an entire community. Jay-Z offers an insider's account of rap's nascent entry into mainstream music, and recognizes the artists who brought rap from the street corner to the recording studios. From his perspective, elements of rap were about protest, rebellion and freedom of expression.

Like Shakespeare, and poetry, rap music can seem like a foreign language, full of swagger, misogyny and brutality. There are also nuances that you might miss, because of bias, or misdirected focus..but... if you have a great teacher who can guide you, or a good set of Cliff Notes, it can decipher that language for you, and just might make you admire (if not love) what you once abhorred simply because you didn't understand it. Jay-Z selects certain songs and line by line, provides an annotated version.

One of the things that surprised me was the deep love of language that Jay-Z possesses. I've always thought he was a talented wordsmith. I'll admit I was impressed that someone would add rap lyrics to Hard Knock Life from the musical Annie, and I don't have to wonder how he pulled off getting the rights to the song anymore. Now that he has been 'decoded', I can more fully see why Jay-Z has been so very successful. He is all that I believed he was before I started reading; now I understand he is far more.
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Dec 28, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 1/2 stars. When Hova writes a book...it's weird. Not because he's black or a rapper...mostly because he's not old enough really to write a memoir. Especially since he just became a dad. This is ultimately my problem with memoirs: Author, you're too young to write a memoir; live some more life please.

Luckily, this is not a memoir, not really. It's really a defense of rap/hip hop, comparable to Shelley's "A Defence of Poetry," which is one of my favorite prose pieces of all time. Now I say compa...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Samantha Alvelo is currently reading it · review of another edition

I Have read up to page 35 and so far the book is really interesting. Reading this book has made me realize and see for the first time what Jay-Z has been through in his life. He got his inspiration from when he went with his cousin to the park and there was a kid there rapping continuously without stopping ; He was mesmerized about it. After that he would study the dictionary and would keep a book of what ever came too his mind, even when he was in the street if he thought of something he would...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jay-Z’s long awaited autobiography, Decoded, isn’t a tell-all. It doesn’t delve into his courtship of Beyonce or their marriage. There is very little detail about his life once he became successful. What it does detail is how his childhood and adolescence molded him into the person he is today, his perception of what hip-hop truly is and how he feels it should evolve, and his artistic sensibilities and how that shapes his lyrics and the messages within his raps.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of h...more Jay-Z’s long awaited autobiography, Decoded, isn’t a tell-all. It doesn’t delve into his courtship of Beyonce or their marriage. There is very little detail about his life once he became successful. What it does detail is how his childhood and adolescence molded him into the person he is today, his perception of what hip-hop truly is and how he feels it should evolve, and his artistic sensibilities and how that shapes his lyrics and the messages within his raps.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of hip hop. I like a song here and there, but don’t care for the genre as a whole. I have trouble understanding the words and following the slang, much less comprehending the meaning of the songs. That’s why I wanted to read this book- to try to understand how and why this music format has captivated and affected the youths of today.

The book is almost equally divided into narrative and song lyrics which are annotated with explanations of the meanings behind the words. I definitely now have a better appreciation of Jay-Z as an artist, a poet, than before. I better understand the message he is trying to put across, and the flow and rhythm he uses to draw you into what he’s saying.

He describes the events and history of his life to explain what drove him to the success he has achieved, and to explain how he got out, rather than end up in jail or dead. He had incredible drive and a rugged work ethic, as well as an innate business sense, that pushed him through where others faltered. Although I don’t agree with him on all points, I can generally understand how his background affected his perspective.

Starting the book, with graphics as interesting as the story, I thought it would be a quick read. I was wrong. I ended up reading, then rereading the lyrics with his notes in mind, and taking breaks to consider how his experiences, so different from mine, shaped his perspective of the world. Thought- provoking, interesting, insightful, I found it to be an absorbing read.
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Mar 05, 2012 Joe Arnold rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-2012

Decoded, Jay-Z

Rating: I gave this book 5 stars. I love this artist and was excited to read this book. How he tells his story in the book is very unique, i don't think there is another book like this available.

Summary: Rapper Jay-Z tells his life story through song lyrics. He chooses four or five songs per chapter that all have the same theme to them. Some are about selling drugs, some political, ect. He writes about the time in his life that the songs relate to in a few pages. Then the lyrics of...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Christina G rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobios, street-lit

4.5 stars. This took me almost 2 months to complete, and that's actually the pace that I'd recommend reading it at.

If I were to make a list of books that I wish all Americans would read, this one would make the cut. I doubt that Jay Z and I see eye to eye on all the issues, but that didn't really matter to me while I read this.

Before reading this book, I hadn't really listened to Jay Z's work (besides hearing it on the radio, but considering the complexity of his lyrics and how attentive I am w...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Jayson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 12th-grade-1st-quarter

What more can you ask for than to read about someone who astonishes you? Jay-Z's novel to me was amazing because I've always thought that he was an amazing artist and his music was deep despite what many others might believe. This novel simply tells the truth of things which I appreciate very much.

This was a very good book, possibly because I'm personally a huge fan of this man's work but to read about him and his life was amazing and rivetting. This novel is about artist Jay-Z and his life, and...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Vincent Sanchez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vincent Sanchez 11/1/11
1201 English

The criteria I choose to analyze and rate my book is how the book connects to my personal life and what I have gone through since a younger child. I chose to read the book “Decoded” by Jay-Z because he is one of my favorite rappers and I always connected with his lyrics and what he speaks about in his music. I chose the criteria because the book shows his life through his lyrics and explains a specific moment in his life that he speaks about in each line that...more Vincent Sanchez 11/1/11
1201 English

The criteria I choose to analyze and rate my book is how the book connects to my personal life and what I have gone through since a younger child. I chose to read the book “Decoded” by Jay-Z because he is one of my favorite rappers and I always connected with his lyrics and what he speaks about in his music. I chose the criteria because the book shows his life through his lyrics and explains a specific moment in his life that he speaks about in each line that he chooses to portray another part of his life. In the book, lyrics from specific songs are in the book and certain lines are bolded and explained. The book is basically a biography of Sean Carter’s (Jay-Z’s) by explaining his lyrics in depth to show what his life was like.
The fact that Jay-Z uses music and lyrics to ventilate and write about his life compares to what I actually do as a person to ventilate my thoughts. He used rap to allow himself to write about his life which is also what I have been doing for a long time. I also use music, specifically rap, to write and get my life and thoughts down on paper not caring if it rhymed or not. An example of a line that is in the book is “either love me, or leave me alone.” That specific line from the song “Public Service Announcement” relates to my life personally because I always feel that either someone loves me or hates me as he tries to get across through that line.
Jay-Z also talks about in the book how he had to be his own leader and not follow the path of any other. He makes it clear that making his own path toward success was the only way to reach the point of success anyways. He wanted to be a leader of no other but himself and lead himself to the fame and fortune. The fact that Jay-Z was his own leader also compared to my personal life because I always make commitment to be my own leader. I never wanted to follow anyone or try to be like someone else just myself. Jay-Z was also a leader of the streets since he knew how to navigate around Marcy, Brooklyn and sold marijuana to survive. He also would be out for so long he would write rhymes that come to his head on a brown paper bag from a grocery store to save it. This made him very good at memorizing and he started recording his raps straight from his head into the microphone which proved that he was very talented.
The last thing that is portrayed in Jay-Z’s book “Decoded” which relates to my personal life is that he is a very low key person. I am also a low key person where I don’t overreact and I stay mellow almost all the time. I have been through hardships and many obstacles in my life similar to Jay-Z’s. The way he uses lyrics to make his autobiography more interesting brought my attention and focus while reading the book.
Using a one through ten rating I would rate this book a eight. I believe the book would have been more of an attention grabber if it had more pictures to show visually Jay-Z in the times he was facing. I also gave the book an eight because of some of the most important events in his life being left out such as the shooting of his older brother for attempting to steal his jewelry.
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Nov 06, 2011 Jeremy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decoded is a truly unique book. The history of rap is told from the man who saw how and why it began, watched as it grew, and helped heighten it into what it has become today. He explained the origins of rap. It cleared up the misconceptions I had about it, and made me think about the music I listen to. Some of Jay-Z's stories are about the lower class, the citizens who live in the most dangerous places in America (the inner city), and the ones who deal with corrupt law enforcement. While his di...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Calvin Kenley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book came out last year and was marketed as a high end coffee table book--a compilation of lyrics, explanations, pictures, and stories. As a piece of art I would say that the book works rather well. It's fun to look at and well designed. As a memoir, there are a few great moments. Jay is at his strongest when he is telling stories. It's why his music is compelling, he rarely makes you feel like you have to agree or disagree with the narrator. When he tells stories about the industry or his...more This book came out last year and was marketed as a high end coffee table book--a compilation of lyrics, explanations, pictures, and stories. As a piece of art I would say that the book works rather well. It's fun to look at and well designed. As a memoir, there are a few great moments. Jay is at his strongest when he is telling stories. It's why his music is compelling, he rarely makes you feel like you have to agree or disagree with the narrator. When he tells stories about the industry or his childhood the images are vivid and detailed. When he begins to talk about government, social issues, or possible solutions, the logic gets clouded and he starts to become too self aggrandizing for my taste. I actually believe the Jay has certain moments in his music where he makes powerful arguments in a clear and precise way, but he seems to contradict himself a lot in this book. Even points of contention are easy to agree with him on aren't framed well.
As a lyric book, I would say the project is the weakest. I don't feel like his explanations of his lyrics do anything to deepen them or make them any stronger. Sure, to the outsider it might be helpful to understand what certain slang is referring to, but by the tenth time he talks about how the song is reflecting "the hustler's mentality", I get a bit bored. I had to skip several lyric pages just to get through the book. A good storyteller does not need to make a "making of" book. I'd prefer they tell stories that inspired the lyrics instead of talk about exactly what the lyrics are supposed to inspire.
My biggest complaint is that the book is not more personal. The most exciting parts talk about controversy in his career. He talks about the Oasis Glastonbury feud and about about his disagreements with Oprah, and about a few of his run ins with the police, but very little else is all that thick. I wanted to hear about his falling out with Jaz, his issues with Diplomat and Jim Jones, his relationship with Beyonce of course....but he offers no real information. Also, even the portion of the book where he talks about his life as a hustler is never specific. He talks about certain practices, but no detailed story telling, and that was disappointing.
I also wanted him to talk more about his transition from a speed rapper to a storyteller, because the shift in creative direction is intriguing to me.(less)

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Aug 03, 2011 Colleenish rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-books, for-fun

I know that I am an unlikely reader of this book. I don't really listen to rap. I grew up in the same country as these stories, but worlds away. I have SPF 50 skin. I sound stupid when I swear at all.

I know that I am a likely reader of this book. It's a book about words and art. It's political. It's about my country. There's a lot to learn from this sharp source. And besides, I just can't pass up a biography.

Jay-Z chooses to focus mainly on his work. Much of this book is simply footnoted pages...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very interesting look into a culture that I had no experience in. While I am not a follower of Jay-Z's music, I thought it would be interesting to see what shaped him as an artist and what makes him tick. This was a very interesting piece of work in of itself. It seemed to be organized by theme rather than time, while still managing to bounce around. It was written less like a memoir and more like a conversation. The premise of the book is that Jay-Z is "decoding" his lyrics, this par...more

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May 20, 2011 Steve Bradshaw rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow, one of my favorite all-time books!

Things I learnt from this book:

1 Jay-Z actually is from a broken home in a housing project and actually was a (highly successful) crack dealer/runner for years before becoming a rapper.

2 Jay-Z has a photographic memory and aced his way through school. He is also ADD and can't sit still.

3 Jay-Z never signed with a label (they wouldn't take him). So with a few friends they started Roc-A-Fella Records with drug money Jay-Z had saved. As a result he has always...more

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May 06, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not a biography, that was what I was hoping for. It did still contain a few stories of his life, but they felt vague, and missed many details that would have made for interesting reading. Most of this book focused on hip hop, he stated many times within the book that this was really the point of the book, what music meant to him, and how it affected his life. That being said, it was a good read, but the timeline was seriously jumpy. It would go back and forth to various points in his life too qu...more

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May 03, 2011 Roger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I finished this book, I knew that I wanted to review it, but I wasn’t sure what I had just read. I flipped through other goodreads reviews and some people called it a memoir; it is. Some called it a scrapbook; it is. Some called it a tabletop book; it is. I guess that’s why I found it so hard to categorize, because it was all of these types of books contained in around 300 pages, but what is most important about this book that the covers these different mediums is that it works in each one,...more When I finished this book, I knew that I wanted to review it, but I wasn’t sure what I had just read. I flipped through other goodreads reviews and some people called it a memoir; it is. Some called it a scrapbook; it is. Some called it a tabletop book; it is. I guess that’s why I found it so hard to categorize, because it was all of these types of books contained in around 300 pages, but what is most important about this book that the covers these different mediums is that it works in each one, and it works as a collective.

To be honest, before even reading this book, I think I was inclined to give it five stars. I mean, it's Jay Z, Hov, Jigga man, Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint...and on and on. I remember when “Hard Knock Life” came out with the little orphan Annie chorus (I was in high school). I can recite every line from The Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt, along with individual songs from other albums. I can even remembering hooking with Jay Z on the radio. So yes, I was biased going in, but I’m glad that Jay’s book was as well put together as his music is.

If I were to specifically recommend this book, it would be to two types of people: Those who love Jay Z and those that hate hip-hop because they believe it is misogynistic, violent, etc. If you love Jay, then you'll love how he breaks down the lines of his songs. You'll love the looks into his personal life, especially as a public figure that guards his private life as well as he does. The book is a glimpse through hip hop history through the eyes of one of the greatest that ever picked up a mic. This is Mozart talking about classical music, Jordan talking about basketball, Shakespeare talking about literature; you may or may not believe that Jay Z belongs in that company, but in hip hop, he stands on that mountain top.

I've always analyzed lyrics on my own so much of what he said was known to me. However, the way he analyzed the sounds and the breakdown of rhythm (such as Run and his percussion like rhymes) really got to me. I tend to listen to rap for the lyrics, so I’ve always loved the Jay Z’s Tupac’s, Biggie’s, and Outkast’s while looking past the rappers who were lyrically challenged. However, after reading this book, I have a new perspective in which to view hip hop, which is amazing because this is something that I’ve loved and studied for so long.

For the people who dislike hip hop, I think this is a book they would enjoy and a book that would clear some preconceived notions. It will not, however, make someone like hip hop if they already don’t. Instead, the book will showcase the reasons why people love hip hop, and show that it is more than just thugs talking about shooting each other and having sex. Whether or not you come away from this book liking hip hop will be relative to the individual, but after reading this book, you will have respect for the craft and for the man at its forefront: H-O-V.
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Apr 26, 2011 Monty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thanks to my son for suggesting I read this important book. I am a person who doesn't listen to song lyrics. I respond more to how the words sound, what the beat and syncopation are like, and how the overall sound feels to me. Some rap and hip-songs appeal to me and some don't. I know that poetry is part of this kind of genre, as is swearing, boasting and so on. But until I starting reading Decoded, I had no idea how rich and complex this music is. I can only guess that hip-hop devotees understa...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ummm... don't read this if quoted expletives offend your sensibilities. Gotta be true to the source material.

Exegesis - critical annotations of, and usually accompanied by, a sacred or poetic text

Housing projects are a great metaphor for the government's relationship to poor folks: these huge islands built mostly in the middle of nowhere, designed to warehouse lives. People are still people, though, so we turned the projects into real communities, poor or not. We played in fire hydrants and had

...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Newport Librarians rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

Notes on Jay-Z’s Decoded

Decoded, the lavishly printed new book by rapper Jay-Z, features the lyrics to a few dozen songs, annotations by Jay-Z to explain the lyrics, lots of beautifully bleak photographs, and many pages of the rapper’s autobiographical musings. Visually there’s a lot to look at: photos of ashen high rises in NYC housing projects and artful collages of the people, places, and happenings that inspired the words on the page.

But once you start reading, things really get interesting...more Notes on Jay-Z’s Decoded

Decoded, the lavishly printed new book by rapper Jay-Z, features the lyrics to a few dozen songs, annotations by Jay-Z to explain the lyrics, lots of beautifully bleak photographs, and many pages of the rapper’s autobiographical musings. Visually there’s a lot to look at: photos of ashen high rises in NYC housing projects and artful collages of the people, places, and happenings that inspired the words on the page.

But once you start reading, things really get interesting.

Here are the thoughts and memories of a powerful artist and widely known celebrity, yet there don’t seem to be any pulled punches or retreats behind rhetoric. Jay-Z is telling his story, plain and simple. Just like the lyrics which appear throughout Decoded, Jay-Z’s personal memoirs mix personal history with cultural and musical history. He writes about being a kid in Brooklyn’s Marcy housing projects, dealing crack on the streets as a teenager, and watching the birth of rap music as an art form. Chronology is pretty much shoved aside, and the reader is thrown into a world where the Marcy neighborhood, drug-dealing and rhyme-making are completely intertwined. He writes powerfully about the tragedy heaped on his neighborhood by the appearance of crack on the streets: “it was an irreversible new reality. What had been was gone, and in its place was a new way of life that was suddenly everywhere and seemed like it had been there forever.”

It is a way of life Jay-Z only narrowly escapes, thanks to prodigious rhyming talent, quite a bit of luck, and what sounds like incessant practice as an MC. Jay-Z has a lot to say about the power and complexity of rap, and he argues convincingly that rappers are poets, first and foremost: “great MCing is not just about filling in the meter of the song with rhythm and melody. The other ways that poets make words work is by giving them layers of meaning, so you can use them to get at complicated truths in a way that straightforward storytelling fails to do.” Like poetry, the best rap aims to provoke, or, in Jay-Z’s words, “It leaves sh** rattling around in your head that won’t make sense till the fifth or sixth time through. It challenges you.” Jay-Z’s explanations of his own lyrics, printed here with footnotes galore, show just how complex rap can be. Metaphor, symbolism, wordplay, and allusions to music, culture, art, history, film, and urban life flash in every line.

Other sections of the book focus on Jay-Z’s recording career and life as a celebrity, and the surprising final section details his officially unofficial role in Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, as well as an angry but well-argued critique of the media and government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. Other highlights, for me, included a hilarious tale of the rapper’s triumph as the first hip hop star to play England’s “rock only” Glastonbury music festival, the story of his friendship with U2’s Bono, and Jay-Z’s hands-on, “I need to know exactly where my money is going” style of philanthropy.

Decoded has a lot to offer. Fans of Jay-Z, as well as readers who are more or less terrified of hip hop, should check this out and discover the life, the words, and the brains behind the beats.

by Luke Owens, Adult Services Librarian & Guest Reviewer for the Young Adult Dept., Newport Public Library. Thanks, Luke!(less)

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Jan 30, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh yes I did read this. Well, to be perfectly accurate, I read MOST of it. I have only heard one Jay-Z song all the way through, and most of this book consists of him interpreting his lyrics, defining and defending the language and the life behind the songs. I must say, in full disclosure, that I rarely listen to rap and hardly consider it to be music; and I am someone who listens to almost every genre out there. I have dismissed rap as misogynistic, violent and derogatory. They freely "borrow"...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Ebony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hip-hop

Decoded is a delightful book. Reading Jay’s lyrical interpretations made me wanna go through my CDs and listen along which is clearly problematic because I should have the music on mp3 by now, but alas it shows how difficult it is to write about a sound and how essential it is that music accompany text like this. Jay-Z doesn’t ruin anything for the listener. His descriptions enhance his music. I was proud to know that many of my interpretations were correct and surprised by the layered complexit...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Gabby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decoded was an interesting book, and If you like rap, than this is a great book for you!(:

Well I personally liked this book, because I like rap/Hip-Hop, and this book helped me understand how the lyrics work for rappers in each of their songs. Most Songs have a story to tell, and a lot of my friends think that rap is just plain stupid, has no meaning, is always sung by "gangsters", and sounds really bad. Well this book really helps you understand the real meaning of rap and hip-hop. Rap is just...more

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Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010. He has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide, while receiving thirteen Grammy Awards for his musical work, and num...more

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“We change people through conversation, not through censorship.” — 49 people liked it

“A poet's mission is to make words do more work than they normally do, to make them work on more than one level.” — 32 people liked it

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