Jay-Z Covers TIME
April 18, 2013 @ 8:31 AM EDT
News
“TIME’s most influential was impressive’, specially since I wasn’t in the artist section…”
Hov’s back with builders and titans. As one of seven covers, Gloria’s Warrior rubs elbows with the 99 most influential people on Earth. You can check out his feature written by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg here. Y’all gon’ read today.
Jay-Z won. There is no debate that this man is the greatest rapper of all time.
No debate. Sorry mac Diesel.
They couldn’t find a black man that never sold drugs, never stabbed anyone, and never shot anyone? Crack single handedly killed our communities and Jay-Z was one of the pushers. The Black Panthers use to chase drug dealers off our block now people in our communities rather be rappers than lawyers and doctors, because the media pushes this image of what they think a black man should be and we are falling for it. Mimicking these rappers is only reaffirming that we are an inferior race. Kenneth Frazier, Kenneth Chenault, and Ursula Burns should grace these covers, but you guys don’t even know who they are.
“Times Most Influential was important, especially since I wasn’t in the artist section…”
Yep
this nigga on rap radar talkin down on rap culture … bruh don’t u got school to go to or something
He represents the epitome of started from the bottom, over came tremendous adversity, accomplishing what many others, in the same environment, strive to obtain and with that said the TIME cover feature is well deserved.
Salute my G.
@ Izzy_Ballin
^ sonyounrather focus on ALL the negative that occurred in the past, which lasted a short time (pun intended) in comparison to his ascension to legendary/good.
It it means nothing else, this will make people who never picked up a TIME magazine, do so. “Y’all gon’ read today.”
I don’t understand the human culture, no matter how much a person thrive to change their past, there’s always that one person that say “oh, I remember he stole my bike as a kid.” Come on get over it. This is generally speaking.
Congrats to Mr. Carter !
Damn.
Props.
@JustMyOpinion
You guys sound stupid. Change his past? Jay never showed an ounce of regret for what he did. He openly says the only reason why he left the crack game was because rap was more money not because it was wrong. Listen Malcolm X sold drugs in his past but he told the truth of the evils about it so other people won’t do it. Jay-Z is in his mid-forties still saying he might flood the streets with coke he bought off of Cheif Keef. C’mon guys! And look who wrote his article, MR. STOP and FRISK Bloomberg. But Jay would never write a song about how we are unjustly targeted because people like Jay-Z promote stereotypes of black man. You brothers are lost.
Izzy Ballin is speaking that real shit.. But y’all not listening. Chief Keef line gets NO love from me.
@Izzy_Ballin:
I’m from the streets where the
hood could swallow a man, bullets’ll follow a man
There’s so much coke that you could run the slalom
And cops comb the shit top to bottom
They say that we are prone to violence, but it’s home sweet home
Where personalities crash and chrome meets chrome
The coke prices up and down like it’s Wall Street homes
But this is worse than the Dow Jones your brains are now blown
all over that brown Brougham, one slip you are now gone
Welcome to hell where you are welcome to sell
But when them shells come you better return ’em
All scars we earn ’em, all cars we learn ’em like the back of our hand
We watch for cops hoppin out the back of van
Wear a G on my chest, I don’t need that for damn
This ain’t a sewn outfit homes, homes is about it
Was clappin them flamers before I became famous
For playin me y’all shall forever remain nameless
I am Hov’
Everything in that song explains the harshness of the environment he gad to endure, to make it to where he is now… You my friend are a jealous, disgruntled, non achiever. I happen to personally know one of the three ‘more deserved’ names you mentioned… And that person couldn’t walk a blck in Jay-Z’s shoes. They won’t even deny it.
So go buy some drugs from your neighborhood dealer, sit down, get high and chill the f*ck out!
@ Bugging_Out!
^ not that you are speaking for me, but thanks. That explains it.
@Buggin Out!:
I grew up in that environment on Vernon ave off of Marcy ave down the street from the corner store that they are turning into a condo because they were selling drugs out of it. This is glorification at its best. People had a choice and Jay choose to sell drugs and now he’s making a living glorifying it. I named several successful African-American business man and woman who got to the top through education hard work and not rapping about weight so how am I jealous of success? I’m a hater because I say Jay promotes stereotypes in his music? Am I wrong? That makes me jealous? You are like a white guy who yells reverse racism every time a black man points out the truth. So your best rebuttal is to call me a hater and quote a bland Jay-z verse filled with violent rhetoric?
A rapper on Time Magazine…….
Enough said.
Congrats Hov
@Izzy_Ballin
I guess haterz gonna hate. Jay-Z said a lot of times that selling drugs is not cool at all.
“Ain’t nothing cool about carrying a strap/Bout worrying your moms and burying your best cat/ Talking ’bout revenge while carrying his casket.” “The day Obama got elected, the gangsta became less relevant.”And that chief keef line for me was more about that street dude saying to the politicians dont fuck with me i’m not one of you, i’m one of them. Can you just appreciate the fact that a black man whose odds and statistics predicted him death or jail by 21 on the cover of one of the most important magazine of the world (i’m french and we got Time here)? Because if he did it, imagine what you can do, if you spend less time hating.
Izzy_Ballin said “Jay never showed an ounce of regret for what he did. ”
Obviously didn’t listen to Reasonable Doubt. SMH.
And let’s be clear, a lot of the wealthy businessman who you look up to did a lot of foul, illegal shit to get there or their wealthy grandparents did a lot of foul, illegal, exploitative shit to get where they are so calling out Jay-z for being honest about his past while celebrating Bill Gates (who stole the Windows operating system from Macintosh) or Mark Zuckerberg (who stole large chunks of the idea from the Winklevoss twins and Eduardo Saverin) or any random billionaire who’s profited off the exploitation of workers, and the failures of businesses and entire communities is the height of hypocrisy.
But Jay-z used to sell crack in Marcy so let’s throw shots at one of the very FEW extremely successful black businessmen out there. SMH.
I swear black people are the only people that LOVE to tear down their own people and don’t celebrate the success of other black people.
@Dashing
“I swear black people are the only people that LOVE to tear down their own people and don’t celebrate the success of other black people.”
I call out Jay-Z because he is tearing down the image of black males. Jay is worth a bill, owns business and still raps about sterotypes. He has nothing to lose, but he continues. He is already rich, but he refers to himself as Lebron’s drug dealing cousin and talks about flooding the streets with coke. As I said before we went from chasing drug dealers out of our blocks to loving them. I’m all for giving people a second chance, but this guy is the poster boy for glorifying hustling and pushing weight. Ursula Burns grew up in the PJ’s in NYC. Didn’t get into illegal activities, worked hard and got into NYU. Now she is the CEO of Xerox and the 14th most powerful women in the world according to Forbes. She should be on the cover, not Lebron’s drug dealing cousin.
“who Jay Z the rapper, that skinny nigga on the boat, fuck outta here… that in my life time nigga….. fuck outta here”
To stop arguing with this nigga about Jay. U can’t make someone like someone, Jay is my hero and if it wasnt for his music and seeing his rise I would be a different person. I’m offended this nigga saying Jay doesn’t deserve to be part of the 100 most influential cus he has inspired so many kids around the world. I know business owners who never sold drugs and sight Jay as their influence. U dont listen to every album and feel the lyrics cus u don’t care to. U dont care to understand that man’s struggle. Jay dont owe no nigga an explanation, he doesn’t have to show remorse for shit. He did what he had to and wanted to do and has suffered losses and dealt with losing family, friends, seen his boys killed, almost lost his own life. Fuck outta here judging that man. He is the epitome of the American Dream.
Either love him or leave him alone
Why do u keep saying “we glorifying a drug dealer”? The man hasn’t sold drugs in over 20 yrs my dude! And I totally agree with you about the CEO of xerox and how she should be honored but are u to tell me she’s more influential then JAY Z… U are the epitome of a hater bruh
Can’t knock the hustle..I have much more respect for him as a hustler and businessman than I do for him as an artist. Dude is talented without a doubt, but most of his work is just not my cup of tea. I remember Bobbito saying that of all the artists that came to him before they broke he was the one who seemed the most self assured. Of course Jay came to him a little later in life, you wouldn’t expect a 16-17 year old Nas to be as self assured as a mid-twenties Jay.
I keep telling people. Jay is far more important and dope as a businessman in comparison to him as an artist. The Open Letter song isn’t even an incredible record BUT like Jay always does, it got everybody talking including The White House and the Prez answering questions. Mission Accomplished for Jay! That’s why it’s stupid when fans get overly caught up in comparing him and Nas. They are running 2 totally diff races with 2 diff agendas. Nas wants to stay as far away from the spotlight as possible, Jay wants all of the spotlight. Yet they are 2 of the best ever. You can have both!
Guiliani would never had wrote about B.I.G.
case closed.
This is more than just a win for Jigga, this is a huge win for hip hop. Salute!
@The boss
You need to pick up a book and read about yourself value and then you would understand where I am coming from. A lot of things about blacks have been erased from society’s memory with the exception of the stereotypes. These were created to instill an inferior mind set in blacks. Shortly after reconstruction we already had blacks in office (read about Blanche Kelso Bruce) and were voting in high numbers. There were many forms of high level oppression that weighted down our community and one of those forms were stereotypes created about us and used as entertainment to the masses having whites in black face. Unfortunately we have been brainwashed to believe in these stereotypes and devalue or own self-worth. Now the whites in blackface have been replaced by blacks selling their integrity for money. Now if Jay talked about his past like Malik El Shabzz I would respect him, but because he is owned by Bloomberg and Bruce Ratner he doesn’t.
I thought it was” Got a G on my chest, I dont need Daper Dan” /This ain’t a sewn outfit Holmes, Holmes is about it.”
I rather congratulate someone on being successful and being at the highest point of his craft and culture than hate on him cos he isn’t “the kind of black man” we want
@Izzy_Ballin , give a good listen to the positive black awareness behind Murder To Excellence on the Watch The Throne. One only has to go listen to that very recent song to declare that you sir have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about, and like everyone who would rather tear an imperfect but successful man down, you’re point is biased and plain untrue. Fuck outta here with your Fox News level of enlightenment.
Proud of you Jay
@Izzy_Ballin
I cosign Donn
I’m a freshman at Williams College, the top liberal arts school in the nation, the #2 college/university in the country according to Forbes, and Jay Z is one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I’ve never touched crack in my life.. I aspire to be a lawyer, and I don’t think that I’d have the same high ambitions for myself if it weren’t for Jay’s success story. Knowing that another Black man – a Black man who creates art that speaks my language and i am able to relate to – was able to achieve the American dream has done so much for me and my own self-confidence. You have to salute this man’s positive influence.
Izzy_Ballin speaks the most truthful stuff ever on this website and yeen even kno it
this guy stays winning
i hear what u trying to say @ izzy_ballin
u assume those other influential black brothers and sisters didnt practice some illegal or unsatisfactory methods to get to the top. i dont think u can reach the top of your career path without stepping on a few toes. so in comparison yes jayz did sell drugs, and his chosen profession of rap allows him to speak freely and clearly about his past without being demonized. but those u speak of could never speak publicly about their rise to the top and the bad things they mightve had to do to get there, in their positions if they spoke on it, they would lose their jobs instead of be promoted.
the difference between rapper/drug dealer and other successful people is rappers can use rap as a confession to speak freely about things that they did that were bad. those other ppl take their skeletons to the grave.
i’m not saying your wrong i hear what u sayin but in the land of thieves i cant say one is worse than the other.
look at how the gun laws were voted on this week, politicians being held hostage by the gun lobbyist scared of not being reelected and branded as enemies to the second amendment so they voted against some much needed gun control laws. can you say jayz is worse than them? they are demons in my eyes for their cowardice. but if one of them was on this cover would u voice your concerns?
@Tef
I did listen to Murder for Excellence. Jay said, “You gon’ end up pulling down n____ that look just like you.” And that is what he is doing with his music. Plain and simple. The main problem is Jay is so successful he can stop his bosses from running the young black male image through the mud, but he turns a blind eye for greed. If you can honestly prove Jay’s music is not filled with sterotypes of black men I’ll listen, but all this hater this and hater that sounds like people who can’t commnuicate a valid arguement so they take a term Diddy used in 1995 to justify their opinion. You are better than that.
God of rap
@izzy I understand what u tryin to do its positive but U goin about it in a negative manner erases your whole purpose.. don’t try to tear this man down to educate people what Jay is doin is positive and he deserves that cover he has shown kids it’s way bigger than being just a rapper they don’t wanna just be signed they wanna own their own labels and get into other businesses based off of rap.. how possible it is that they do it like him is another question but its like havin a black president.. it is possible
ALL HAIL JAY-Z AS THE KING OF HIP-HOP!….BOW DOWN BITCHES
@County Of Kings
Homie I’m not saying Jay is worse than some of the people you mentioned, but for someone to have experienced the ghetto and KNOWS how to effectively help but chooses not to because it’ll mess up his endorsements gets no love from me. Jay is already rich and powerful. Take that power and help the communities that help build you. Jay knows if he spits that real talk he no longer have the mass appeal of Middle America. He knows he won’t get that Justin Timberlake Suit and Tie money and that’s why he stays silent while the system keeps pulling down the brain washed youth.
Ok what a few of you are missing in. IzzYballin statement is,,,stereotypes,,,is the only way for a African American can get on time,,is to have a nigga background,,,people tend to forget that when you speak that street life,word is your bond and or being born,,,so is jay really doing what he spits,as for as street hustling goes. NOOO!,,,,so why the line,, I might just flood the streets,,because someone wants to keep that so called street cred,,,duke raps about a lot of shit,,,,,but if he is,,supposed to be the god mc jay hova,,,he need to be held to higher standard,,,straight like that. If you got that work jay-z. Sound like the man,,,,if you love other people because they are successful then he might be your guy,,,izzyballin is saying. There are greater African Americans that we can be inspired by,,,that won’t sell you a drug life fantasy,,,,,,hope I simplified this for some of you
@Chilithrills
You guys take the lines out of context. He said “OUT OF SPITE I MIGHT FLOOD THESE STREETS”
They tried to bring charges on Jay-Z for going to Cuba, seeing if he had clearance to travel there and he was saying that if their gonna charge him for something so minor, then he might as well commit a real crime that is justifiable punishment. He’s not glorifying anything. U guys can’t wait to drag another man down. JAy-Z is so successful at this point it comes with a cost of having people find reasons to discredit you. I can only imagine what that feels like. No matter what you do you gotta be dragged down by SOMEONE
Not dragged down,,,, held to a higher standard,,,we can’t drag that man down,,,but we can check him on his ways and actions,,,if he representing hip-hop,,that’s all
If we as consumers and supporters of hip-hop don’t,,,check the product we copping,,and let niggas just shoot the gift,,,and just say any ol,,shit what is the value of the art form,,,it becomes watered down’,,,like now a days,,,,nigga will dis the consumer in the record,,,but sheepskin won’t catch it,,,,,,
I love this hip-hop shit,,,,so I will fight for it,,,,fuck a nigga money,,you get on that mic,,,you will be checked’,,,fuck that!
@Izzy_Ballin
brother, you have jay z terribly out of context. what a useless stereotype hov promotes…
a black man who sold drugs in his teens during the crack epidemic, who cathartically chronicled his past and present through music, and gave his autobio in detail from his childhood, all the way up till now. the main group of people jay mocks in his music are wealthy racist white supremacist idealists who hate that to see him making something out of less than nothing, envious peers, and rap critics. he’s actually constantly highlighting what kind of will it took to climb how he climbed. he gave his scars over the music, but jay never promoted selling drugs. it’s no vice to talk about what you used to do, the psychology behind it, and what you did to distance yourself from that life.
and for god sakes, the chief keef line was a literary device. it’s rap wordplay. (when did niggas stop understanding the art form they grew up listening to?). he was saying “damn… as far removed as i am from a criminal life, y’all tryna lock me up over an educational trip to cuba? well shit, i may as well commit a real crime.” if you think for a second JAY Z… with his Black family and multi-million dollar brand, is gonna buy a kilo for anybody, or flood the streets with caine in 2013…. yeah…
@Donn
why do niggas act like they can’t interpret rap lyrics? didn’t we all grow up in this shit? Decoded was not for you, niggas! it was for these suburbanites. whew… i can’t believe jay be goin’ over niggas heads so far. it’s unbelievable.
“he said mother fuckers say that i’m foolish i only talk about jewels! he’s promoting having sex with your mother! stereotypes!” <———- my advice?: plug back into the culture, brothers. we miss you.
@ izzy_ballin This guy has been giving real talk in all of these comments and I agree with him a lot.
Few Points
1.) I love Jay always have. I was hooked when I first heard “It’s the thought of a ride, that makes my eyes wide…” I love the idea of a guy from Marcy being “big”.
2.) We need to redefine “big” or “coming up”- it’s not just sports and entertainment. I could name a laundry list of people who started in poverty, NEVER sold drugs, and made it “big”. Start with Ben Carson.
3.) The media giants (Time magazines, MTVs, etc.) are only interested in promoting a certain type of black man who made it big. This ties in with number 2 and leads our children to see their life as “ball, entertain, or bust”. White people have a thousand images of them shown-from Eminem to scientists, it’s more balanced.
4.) Jay does glorify drug dealing! Anyone, who says this isnt listening! Sure I could off the top of my head list five lines about the dangers (…hit wit the R.I.C.O., they repo you vehicle, everything was all good just a week ago). But for everyone line like that I got 20 that try to make drug dealing look cool (…turn that 62 to 125, 125 to 250, 250 to half a man). Part of his allure which he actively promotes is that he really did it, he really sold drugs, and he was good at it. So he last hustled ( I guess, dont know the man) in what 94 or 95, and he still is talking keys and chief keef.
5.) Time is in to sell magazines and Jay-Z does that.
6.) Jay is no Nas or Bob Marley…and thats COOL, everyone choses their path: What I mean is people like Nas or Marley or Ben Carson or Lupe or me if I rapped couldnt sleep at night if I promoted ills to my community. Some people sleep just fine. Some people spit lyrics that glorify this, encourage this, and retreat to their gated communities because it doesnt affect them, it affects us!
7.) I cant believe I wasted 20 minutes on this.
8.) He’s a rapper, not God: He shouldnt be your leader or your child’s parent.
9.) While he does glorify the wrong things, he’s not relevant to the youth today. People in my generation (born 1983) listen to him. My newphew and his friends wouldnt listen to Jay-z if I made em.
10.) The title is correct: He is influential. But is it for the good?
He couldn’t get a line up?
@Nathaniel
Jay never promoted selling drugs? Jay made an effort to let people know that he sold weight not to warn people of it dangers but to get respect in the rap game. He proudly said all the videos from Reasonable Doubt were paid off of crack deals. From his crappy ass Streets is Watching movie to his music it was all about selling drugs, power, and getting money. And this wasn’t a young misinformed youth, this was someone in his late 20’s mid-thirties saying this garbage. so why must I respect someone who doesn’t even respect us or himself? And why does he refer to himself as LeBron’s Drug Dealing cousin if he is so ashamed of his past of pushing weight?
@real talk,,,how do you know he was good at selling drugs,,,the product sold it self,,,,,,he got lucky,,,,
Shit niggas is still locked or on there way back home,,,,,real drug dealers never admit shit,,,,now that’s some real talk for your ass,,,lol
[…] a snippet from the article below (via RR), and check out Jay-Z’s TIME Magazine cover […]
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@Chilithrills: I said Jay (not me-for all I know he never sold a gram) tells us how good he was at it. Sure crack is easy to sell. Sure crack in the Regan era with addicts everywhere is easy to sell. Nevertheless, there are always different degrees of success at everything. Even drug dealing.
The last line was too incoherent for me to respond. Too many “..” and using “lol” is like coloring on a legal brief: it just bring the convo down from an adult level.
@Izzy_Ballin
You and your hype man, Real Talk, are missing the point. The cover for time is for most influential. Period. It’s not for most righteous or most ethical. Time picked the right man for the cover. Hov’s influence is undeniable. It’s the reason President Obama invited him to campaign with him in Ohio, the most important state for his re-election, the night before polls opened..
What is up for debate when considering Jay’s success is whether or not “the ends justify the means.” The fact is Jay’s story is deeply rooted in The American Dream (i.e. rags to riches, self made, etc.) and, I believe, that’s why most people admire him. He was born into corruption, did dirt, and luckily, had a talent that allowed him to break the chain of poverty most people in his situation are unable escape. I can’t speak for others, but it doesn’t seem to me like he’s glorifying drug dealing in an of itself, but rather the overall narrative of overcoming the odds.
No ones is anyone’s hypeman. Its just people that share similar opinions and agree. Like I’m sure someone will agree with you. It doesnt make them your hype man or groupie or any other fourth grade thing you say.
Damn, I feel like the president. President Obama: “We can have a vibrant discourse without it descending into pettiness with the Republicans. Or so I hope.”
@Ray
I was enjoying this thread, until your post. This is my first time here and everything was pretty civil until your comments.
To me Jay is obviously incredible and maybe the greatest. But his subject matter is not one of man who looks back on his past with regrets (yes I know he had one song called that on RD), but with fondness, nostagila, justifications, and yes pride to the point of flaunting. Not his wealth but his drug dealing past. I’ll still listen to Jay if the song is dope. But he’s in the same ilk as Jeezy, Pusha T when it comes to making a coke dealer look cool.
@Real Talk, dat was a very insightful post and I bet most of these muppets wont get it either because their stomach is too weak to swallow it or they just always be on their stan mode. Keep it up on.
@New Here does this make drug dealing sound cool – Nonsense, none of you niggas know where the swamp is
None of you niggas have seen the carnage that I’ve seen
I still hear fiends scream in my dreams
Thanks Tbones.
@pointgodkg
Yes. Listen to the whole verse.
as already been pointed out. We can cherry pick positives or negatives.
See I’ll play ….not cool: “…damn I’ma be a failure, surrounded by drugs, thugs, and drug paraphenlia” Cant Be Life
Cool: “Hustler, nigga move weight like Oprah, drive wide body, 20 inches big motor…” Things that you do w Mariah
Not cool: “They tryin to give you big numbers you got math to do” NYMP
Cool: “I’m ringling brother Barlem and Baily with the pies/No matter how you slice it I’m your muthafucking guy
Not Cool: ” My life was nervous/You havent heard stress/Till you heard the cries of my momma/me giving her drama
I could do this all day with Jay’s rhymes. But the total body of work-not plucked-rhymes do point to this was my struggle, this was dangerous…but this also makes me cool and if you matched my exploits you would be cool to (“see the shit I seen growing up/maybe you can take a look at these boobs”). I dont think he’s evil, so I dont think he’s doing this on purpose. I just think sometimes he cant help himself.
One of my favorite scenes in Fade to Black is when Jay is talking to the big guy in the studio. Jay argues his honesty with a line from Dead Presidents and the guy points out thats a song.
edit
..points out that one song.
Great point.
Everbody know Jeezy talk dope, dope is cool.
Just cuz he occasionally says ” A lot of blood a lot of guns dog the shit aint fun” from Go Crazy that dont make him KRS one.
MOST rappers unfortunately glorify (yep-not talk about the harsh conditions of their environment) negative shit.
@Real Talk
I hear you, bruh. I actually don’t think you’re a hype man and I respect your opinion. It’s rapraday so…when in Rome. But, that aside I just don’t think anyone who claims Jay glorifies drug dealing and/or likens him to Pusha T or Jeezy hasn’t truly listened to his entire body of work and digested it properly. I could sit her and site line after line of lyrics from songs where he explicitly says something to the tune of “I felt like crap doing this, but I had to survive; don’t do what I do; etc.” but I’ll pass. If you listen to his catalog though, you can see his evolution as a man on a lot of issues.
We’ve all made bad decisions. We all have sinned. That’s part of being human. That doesn’t mean we have to run from our past or give a watered down, moralistic account of what happened. You tell your story as you see fit. All of it – the good and the bad – and let the chips fall where they may.
It’s time for the mind to chime in…@REAL TALK and @Izzy
One part of me want to chastise and insult you both for feigned arrogance “as if Jay…” I HEAR what your point is but in a debate about influence it holds NO weight. Ask your self, since you’ve both just wrote paragraphs on Jay’s do’s/dont’s…you both make statements as if you’re better than that man.
And @Izzy you’re trying to interject the moral issue…EVERY man is blessed with God given Free Will…Jay has told us in his music a million times “don’t follow me young’n/follow my moves/I’m NOT A ROLE MODEL”…I’m from these same streets you’re from and its unfortunate that most of our heros are entertainers BUT that’s where self discipline and self awareness are key. If you can’t rap like Jay or dribble like Mike, draw like Ernie or take a photo like Gordon…YOU need to figure something out to make your life worthwhile. What happens is people take the easy way out and want to sell drugs, rob, etc. That’s easier than sitting in a class learning, going to a trade school, etc.
The irony is I SEE these cats up EARLY before I leave to go to work, up early enough to fill out an application but to lazy, scared and ignorant to do so. Everyone WANTS Jay’s level of success but don’t want to make the sacrifices to get there…@Izzy (bc I’m still addressing you)…You want to blame Jay for societies ills…systematic issues that has plagued America since our unionization? GTFOH!
It’s unfortunate that the US only celebrates “bad behavior” and the lowest common denominator of people…ALL reality TV, Media’s obesssion with violence, drugs, etc. TV aside, these ills were here before Jay, you and I…and will be here after. Respect the fact that they are FINALLY acknowledging OUR culture and good, bad or indifferent Jay is the cultural ambassador.
@Ray
I wrote a long response that got deleted some how.
But great points and respect, bruh.
@Ray
i agree with you… which is exactly why i bowed out. there’s a lot of context to his story, and his catalog, AND his brand, and the Black experience 1555 – present day that these brothers are grossly ignoring. or maybe just unaware of. we can’t be surface dwellers, and i mean no disrespect to those guys. i’m not about to debate this, though. it’d take a verbal conversation.
@Megamind
I hear you. I never said I was better than or smarter than or more moral than anyone. My posts was just a bunch of random musings (hence the number format) about Jay and the posts I saw.
But your post (like Ray and others is really good) opens another can of worms. How do we define morality? I dont think a doctor (Ben Carson) is inheriently “better” than a former drug dealer. I dont think that portion of Jay’s life outweighs all the good he’s done. But I do think the occupation of a doctor trumps a hustler on a moral level.
In a sense we’re agreeing with each other. Because I wrote as my final point that he is influential. No doubt. I never thought the people I work with would know the guy I listened to in Jr. high and nobody knew him.
The question (or least i think it was, it’s been a long day) was good or bad influence? and are there better representations of influence out there? This of course is all opinion and cant be answered.
@Nathaniel
I hear and respect you too, bruh. I’m done too. Not because this isnt interesting, but typing all of this is getting exhausting. Like you said, verbal would trump this format.
Peace
It’s great to hear grwon men disagree like grown men
To all the Jay dick riders getting their panties up in a bunch as if Times Mag list is gospel, Mario Balotelli made the freaking list too. For the close minded ones that dont follow the real football that you all call soccer, Mario despite being a talented 22 yr old footballer is one of the most ill mannered footballers in the game and is hardly influential both on and off the pitch. http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2013/04/18/3913803/balotelli-named-in-times-100-most-influential-list
The morale of the story is that its just a list that a some people made based on their own opinion on what influence is or isnt.
Mario Balotelli is not even in the top 30 footballers in the world right now.
He keeps pushing the hip hop culture to new heights…
Nah, he keeps pushing his own brand to new heights, the Jay is not the hip hop brand, stop claiming.
NO One said anything about the Picture tho! haha Jay Looks very funny.
@RealTalk – thanks for a clear headed rebuttle…look at people like T-Bones…hahah…he’s finished before he even started LOL…I said before and I will say it again – I don’t suffer fools gladly.
@RealTalk – check this out…i JUST read this on NYMag.com Vulture page – this is from Baz Luhermann, director of The Great Gatsby, Romeo & Juliet, etc.: when ask about Hov. Peeps Jay’s insight…
This past weekend?
About ten days ago. I was in Australia, doing the final mix. I mean, I’ve had versions of it, but Jay-Z and I just finished the soundtrack. I put all the final music in, and I just tweaked it. And also, you can’t finalize 3-D until it’s all done. There are lots of great artists involved. Florence [and the Machine] did a great new song [called “Over the Love”], the xx did a great new piece, and Lana [del Rey] did a beautiful piece [called “Young and Beautiful”]. They’ve all worked very intimately on the film, playing to the footage — old-school. My big job was to try to illuminate the book. It’s fascinating to me, the power of that book. And the revelation of Jay-Z, who saw the film very early, and his observation was so crystal clear.
Why? What did he say?
He said, “It’s an aspirational film. The thing about Gatsby is not whether he made his money illegally or not; it’s whether he’s a good person or not.” Because he had a cause. Jay-Z really summed it up, that the story is aspirational. Gatsby’s a sign, a symbol, for us all. To Nick Carroway, he’s going, “I’m going to make money on Wall Street,” and then it’s, “No, I want to make my mark; I have a cause.”
So why pick Jay-Z to score the movie?
Actually, I made that decision because Fitzgerald puts African-American [jazz] music in his novels. It’s a fad, everyone says, but it lasted. Fitzgerald put popular culture in his books, and I wanted you to feel like you were reading the book in 1925. The idea was, jazz was African-American street music, and it suddenly informed the times. And hip-hop is the African-American street music now. If that was the jazz age, this is the hip-hop age. Bryan Ferry is also doing traditional jazz with an orchestra, and the music is very woven in. I like to think this is a coming together, a maturing of all those things.
oh ok
I was gonna give @IzzyBallin a good cussin out but @JustMyOpinion, @Stan, @BugginOut, and @Donn took care of that for me. If he has not learned today, he never will.
As for Mr. Carter….I’m so proud of you; you took the lemons the world handed you and made lemonade…that’s something to be proud of. I’m proud of Ursula Burns too but she is not a household name; her influence is not global. We all have our place in life and Mr. Carters place is on the cover of the Time magazine. As a Mother who raised 3 sons successfully through good times and bad, I’m here to tell you that Mr. Carter’s progress is something to rejoice about.
@Megamind, stop ranting about nothing son, my point stands, its just a list and stop acting like its the 8th wonder of the world. I gave u an example of the footballer that made the list who is more notorious than influential. Miss me with all that essay writing about nothing.
please remind me of the time jay-z volunteered to become yall fathers.
he doesnt have to be a role model for anyone.
he came into the rap game telling yall he was just coming for the money and now that he’s got it yall acting like he should be martin luther king or something.
if u dont like what he’s so-called ‘promoting’ in his music then dont listen to it.
and LOL at this Realtalk idiot who said jay rapped ‘take a look at these boobs’ as if he’s trying to glorify drugs in exchange for gettin a look at some tits. smh
he said ‘take a peek at these boo’s’
get it? so u just contradicted urself.
@JMW – Salute to you as well!!! As a mom and progressive thinking PERSON…idk if you’re black or white…and it don’t matter…but SALUTE!
Cat act like they are holier than thou…I salute ALL progessive, forward thinking people. No one is perfect but God…idolize him and him ONLY! But have reverence and respect for our fellow man who are positive influences to the world…Jay is that…this is a cat who comes from the dirt and if on the cover of Time, etc
@Tbones – ahhh you mad! LOLOLOL
For the fans of Jay-Z’s music, he’s growing his hair so we no what that means. In the studio workin on another album.
@remarkoble1
@MegaStan, why you getting moist for another womans hubby? its just a list woman. Henceforth no more essays about nothing from your ass.
dam my nigga,,,,couldnt get a shape up?
Looking like a real homosexual.
The only thing influential about this cover is:
If the day comes and I’m on the cover of a magazine making “big money moves” having lunch with warren buffet like it matters..
To atleast look clean and like I shower. Oh and Also that I like woman.
, Hov’s that dude, and any of you hating ass black (or white) folks can jump off a building
i Totally Agree with what @Izzy_Ballin
OH GOD NOT AGAIN
MR BEYONCE