Beaumont Mark - Jay-Z: the king of America

Copyright 2012 Omnibus Press
This edition 2012 Omnibus Press
(A Division of Music Sales Limited, 14-15 Berners Street, London W1T 3LJ)

Cover designed by Fresh Lemon
Picture research by Jacqui Black

EISBN: 978-0-85712-792-1

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A s previous Jay-Z biographers will attest, writing a book about the worlds biggest rap star is a lonely business. As one of the most powerful men in music, only those with long-rusted axes to grind are willing to talk about him and his history without his say-so, and my intention in writing The King Of America was never to revive buried beefs or air one-sided grievances. This, primarily, was to be about the music. So, in putting together the first comprehensive, in-depth biography of the man, the mogul and his music I had to rely on largely unconscious help, from those hundreds of journalists whove interviewed and reviewed him and from the contributors to such websites as rapgenius.com whove taken time to enlighten the world about the meaning behind the more obscure of Jay-Zs lyrical references.

In addition, Id like to thank David Barraclough and Helen Donlon at Omnibus Press, my editor Lucy Beevor and my wonderful agent Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors Ltd, to whom the author politely directs any publishers of fiction who have enjoyed this book.

M TV Video Music Awards, 2003. Host Chris Rock steps up to the podium. Whats going on in the music business? The same thing thats always going on in the music business. Black man does something; 15 years later, white man does the same thing. And makes a lot more money. Cue camera cut to an embarrassed Eminem, cringing in his seat.

Glastonbury Festival, 2008. A screenful of static, news footage broadcast on an imaginary channel, JZTV, and the voice of Oasis Noel Gallagher. If it aint broke dont fix it, if you start youre gonna break it, people aint gonna go. His words splashed across the screen as they tumbled from the speakers. Sorry, but Jay-Z? No, Im not having hip-hop at Glastonbury, no way man. No, no, no, no, no-no-no. Newsreel spooled through headlines of the spat Glasto Blasto At Noel then to a flurry of comments from public, politicians, celebrities and broadcasters. I think Noel Gallagher definitely has a point Jay-D? Ive never heard of them; is it a pop group? This is one step closer to equality Glastonbury and Jay-Z is like jam and Marmite Noel Gallagher, youve had your time, give it to somebody else How do you mosh to Jay-Z? Quotes on totally different subjects from Tony Blair, President Putin, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Prince Charles, David Beckham, Kim Jong-il, Liam Gallagher and Hillary Clinton were culled to the cause. Gwyneth Paltrow stated: Hes the best rapper of all time, I think hell knock it out of the park; shots of Noel looking humiliated over a dreary, slowed-down All You Need Is Love. The clips rushed ever-faster: the Queen, Gordon Brown, Kanye West, Tom Hanks, Nelson Mandela, Kate Winslet, the whole world made to appear to be talking about this controversial event, about the one final quote of the film. Noel again, summing up the feelings of a dead and dislocated old guard. Jay-Z? Fuckin no chance.

The lights went down.

A roar like the earth opening.

A man in a black hoodie and reams of baggy scarves sauntered out from the wings onto Glastonburys Pyramid Stage with an electric guitar around his neck. The song being played was familiar to all 180,000 people crammed into the field to see him; guitar chords, the opening to Oasis Wonderwall. He was clearly miming. He bawled out a casual attempt at singing along, Today is gonna be the day that theyre gonna throw it back to yeeeeooooow The entire first verse reeled out, played by a backing guitarist, the full band kicking in, the frontman wailing along with the words as best he could, the crowd picking up the famous refrain. There may even have been some at the back who thought hed given in to the pressure, bowed to Glastonbury tradition, gone rock for the night.

Then, as the chorus wound to its leisurely close, Jay-Z dropped his guitar, waved his arms to stop the tape, perused the monumental crowd for a moment to decide if it smelt of adoration or lynching, concluding adoration was rampant. He finally spoke.

I just got one thing to say! he said, and pointed at his DJ. If you having girl problems, I feel bad for you son

A roar like a barrier shattering.

As Jay-Z dropped 99 Problems in all its filth and fabulous fury upon Glastonbury 2008, the musical landscape cracked, shifted and changed forever. Word of poor ticket sales and trad rock dissatisfaction with organisers Emily and Michael Eavis decision to book a rapper as their Saturday night headline act had looked to reinforce the (largely white) rock worlds prejudices, distrust and dislocation from the (largely black) hip-hop world. Then Jay-Z, the self-proclaimed greatest rapper on the planet, killed the entire festival in the space of half a dozen rap-rock power chords, and emancipated pop culture on the spot. Two seemingly opposing cultures clashed so hard they merged. The UK rock mainstream exposed its acceptance nay, adoration of the worlds best hip-hop, and Jay-Z proclaimed his universal crossover appeal and credibility. For decades hip-hop had sold millions but been denied the huge event status and significance of the rock dinosaurs, kicking at the fingers of new genres and generations as they clambered up into the stadium league. Now Jay-Z had shattered raps glass ceiling. There was none of Noels us and them at Glastonbury 2008, there was only us. And we loved us.

I think its beautiful, Jay-Z said when I questioned him the following year about his part in making hip-hop as huge as rock. Not the rap part, I love rock music as well, but I think its beautiful, I think thats fantastic. Its humbling because if youd asked me 10 years ago would I be here, I probably would have said (Id achieve) half of the things, maybe a quarter of the things that Ive achieved and done. Im not jaded by the process, I enjoy it and love it and appreciate it all the time.

For Jay-Z it was the culmination of 30 years of pushing at boundaries. Boundaries of what a poor ghetto kid could make of himself, what rap music was capable of and who it could reach. His incredible story, his impossible journey, has been beaten out in countless of his rhymes, whether to inspire aspiration, awe, respect, social re-evaluation or empathy. How he started out a fatherless child of poverty, another projects statistic earmarked for jail or the grave by the age of 21. How he was inexorably drawn into crime as his only means of escape or survival, and how it brought him his first addictive taste of wealth as well as his first brushes with death and custody. How his precocious, inimitable rap talents saved his life and changed the genre. And how his immense popularity and die-hard entrepreneurial brilliance made him the head of a sprawling multimillion-dollar business empire, a friend of presidents and the most successful rapper in history with 50 million album sales, a $450 million fortune, 13 Grammy Awards and the record for the most US number one albums by a solo artist, beating Elvis into the dust only The Beatles are bigger. Not to mention his standing as one half of the worlds most influential and loved power couples, alongside one of musics most stunning and talented women.