Without a Reasonable Doubt

A tall dark figure steps on the stage draped in a cocaine white three piece contrasted but complemented nicely with the black suit scarf hanging from his neck to match the black tie. A hat to match adds to the to make his look just as clean as the old school Lexus GS300 which sits behind him on the stage. This is Jay-Z’s 10th anniversary performance of his debut album Reasonable Doubt, a show which sold out in ten minutes. As I watch the show I realize one thing, Jay-Z stands alone as a double threat, not only does this album’s showcase demonstrate his food for though like intricate approach to lyricism but it demonstrates his rich appreciation for lyrics. “Lock my body can’t trap my mind/ easily explain how we adapt to crime/I’d rather die enormous then live dormant/ that’s how we on it” says Jay and he not only tell you his train of thought but he is also willing to back track the cold, hard, beaten steel railings which led him there, as well as the brutally honest, dark, and cold truths which lay in the interior of the train carts both through the lyrics and aesthetics of the show.

As I sit and watch his aesthetically and lyrically rich performance of what many and he himself consider his best work I realize that there is a unstated aspect to what makes this performance so special. What adds even more significance and phenomenal aura to this retrospective performance is Jay-Z’s one a kind rags to riches embodiment of the American dream. A high school drop out from Marcy Projects in Brooklyn who once sold crack now sits atop of a 400 million dollar plus net worth along with ownership of multi-million dollar clothing line, ownership in a NBA basketball team, former president of a major record label, two record deals, ownership of a separate record label, ownership in a New York marketing firm, his own signature Reebok shoe line, and marriage to one of the most talented RNB performers of our time all while having lunch with Bill Gates and advising the United Nations on a global project for water, all this accomplishment simply because he could rap……very well.
Why did I give you a break down of his accomplishments? It is simply because it adds to the overall aura of a performance like this. That’s why this performance is so intriguing because it gives you a raw representation of the drive, mentality, and attitude that was responsible for the road to success he has accomplished but at the same time reminds me of the Hustler aspect of Hip-Hop that we discussed in class. It displays the initiative, the persistence, the desperation of a man who had to start his own record label because no one would sign him, a man who started a 400 million dollar clothing line in a 12 x 12 room with two sewing machines. As I watch him on stage it adds alteration to what most people expect of a hip hop hustler’s image. No baggy sagging pants, no white t-shirt, no oversized chunky jewelry, no sneakers, no overdosing of seemingly incoherent slang, why are all these aesthetics missing? As Jay-Z elegantly spits lyrics on the stage you realize HE chooses, HE trail blazes, HE pioneers the looks and aesthetics of what defines him from the crisp three piece suit, to the elegantly gleaming Lexus automobile he once rapped admirably about, to the ambient lighting, and lastly but most significantly to set him apart is the fact that he has no instrumental but rather a 50-piece professional orchestra who cover the musical aspect of all his songs during the performance. This is probably the most surprising but wonderfully chosen aesthetic of the performance. What other rapper cares enough about his performance to hire a 50-piece orchestra, it just shows how much passion Jay has towards expanding the culture aesthetically.

The first song he jumps into is the classic “Can’t Knock the Hustle” with Mary J. Blige, and I immediately notice an aesthetic discussed in class, Polyrhythm. In multiple aspects of the song this is demonstrated, you have these HARD bouncing drums over the SMOOTHly crooning horns, you have the hard hustler lyrics of Jay in juxtaposition with the soulfully smoothly singing of Mary J, and ultimately the lyrical representation of the hard realities in the street wrapped in this very nice, smooth, and elegant packaging. It really boggles your mind when you hear the audio and have to remind yourself like “this is a song about street hustling? But it is so smooth, soulful, and elegant?” That is aesthetically overwhelming. Also watching the cocky and confident body language of Jay in conjunction with the street slang filled yet metaphorically intricate, elaborate and intelligent verbatim all presented in the three-piece suit is an incredible experience.

The next song he jumps into is “Coming of Age” a melodic yet bouncy tune in which two lyricists go back and forth. Another class discussed aesthetic popped-up, Call and Response but in a more conversational back and forth way then the traditional audience involved one. It was in the form of Mentor and apprentice as Jay-Z with assistance from his own artist Memphis Bleek lyrically draw a picture of a conversation and tale between the big time hustler on the block taking a young aspiring hungry newbie under his wing. The first few bars go


[Jay-Z] Hey fella I been watchin you clockin
[Memphis Bleek] Who me holdin down this block it ain't nothin
You the man nigga now stop frontin
[JZ] Hahahh I like your style
[MB] Nah, I like YO' style
[JZ] Let's drive around awhile
[MB] Cool nigga
[JZ] Here's a thou'
[MB] A G? I ride witchu for free
I want the longterm riches and bitches

This demonstrates another experience as you are able to watch the exchanging of different sides not only in message and opinion, but voice and rhythmic style of their rapping. As the performances keep strolling through I think about how this representations from a different region tie into the contemporary scene of Southern Hip-Hop. The Hustler image is very well shared between the two regions. It is evident when you have artists like T.I. and Young Jeezy whose music both well reflect some of the aspects presented in Jay’s. The Cockiness and Swagger you see in those two definitely are reflective of the same “D-boy” persona you see Jay-Z displaying. To use my own “common sense” understanding of Southern Hip-Hop it is very well evident that you see a lot of materialism such as nice cars, and jewelry as well as females. Jay-Z lyrics intersect with those aspects because as a hustler that is what he aims for. He actually tries to make sense through lyrical explanation to those who don’t understand the glamorization of these things. “They say nine to five is how you survive/ I’m not trying to survive, I’m trying to live it to the limit, and love it a lot” he says on his on stage performance of D’evils. He also stops to add narrative during this show to add explanation when he says that a lot of people wonder why rappers always glamorize the material things to such an extent. A main point use to ridicule southern hip-hop and its lack of depth. Jay goes to explain that when you are where they are from, and you have nothing, and your always bottom on the totem pole in everything from housing, to schooling, to life in general and you’re trying to come up, that those little things you gain through hard work such as a nice watch or a car or big wins for you. This pretty much explains the “common sense” understanding of Southern Hip-Hop for a lot of people by answering criticism with ……. common sense.

Also Jay-Z is phenomenal for what he contributes, he engages the audience by showing to them and telling them of where he comes from, the struggles of where he comes from, and how those struggles effect his behavior. He shows the complexities of the art form that what society deems as negative behavior is not always associated with malicious intent. He shows this in his lyrics that what seems bad on the surface is not always bad on the inside and vice versa. He does this by lyrically explaining the rationale and experiences which led to the actions, and therefore demonstrates the complexities of the human being that lead to the complexity in the expressions within the art form. Also this performance revealed to me Jay-Z’s strong passion for engaging the audience with his desire to expand the culture. He is doing something for the culture and the world at large when he changes the perception and expands it both lyrically but more importantly aesthetically because not everyone can understand his message at surface yet but almost any human being can see what he is doing. Who would expect a “rapper” to be in a three piece suit, (a well fitting expensive one at that) . Who would expect a Hip-Hop performance to include a 50-piece orchestra? Who would expect a Hip-Hop song to have metaphorically more meaning and message than the majority of mainstream hits out now? Then the mental ideas that add to these aesthetics such as who would expect that this same crack hustler from Brooklyn would be advising the United Nations and having lunch with Bill Gates? Jay shows that maybe it is environment that causes some to hustle? But regardless he shows that growth and positive change is possible and makes the mental effort in his lyrics and physical effort in his performance to demonstrate that.