Top Of The Roc

You know you’re a gargantuan deal when the hyphen (or lack thereof) in your name can make headlines across the world. In June, a statement was released that the hitherto “Jay-Z” would be known henceforth simply as Jay Z. Cue a million blog posts and plenty of over-the-top Twitter chatter. Perhaps it would have been easier, and more fitting, for the star to settle on his long favoured nickname of “Jayhova”. Certainly Jay Z occupies a lofty position these days. Quite apart from his own music- and with around 50 million records sold and 17 Grammies on his mantelpiece, you dare not brush that aside – he’s big business, acting as President of the legendary Def Jam Records for four years, owning the Rocawear clothing line, buying a stake in the Brooklyn Nets and setting up his own Roc Nation Sports agency. And yet, even when he’s hanging out in the Oval Office, he seems somehow above it all.
It wasn’t always so. The rapper came into the world on December 4, 1969 as Shawn Corey Carter. It was a rough landing. Abandoned by his father, his mother raised the young Carter and his three siblings in Marcy Houses, a tough project in Brooklyn, NYC. His upbringing was littered with familial strife, local struggles and the temptation to earn a living hustling on the streets. Instead, he found himself tapping out rhythms on his kitchen table, then getting lost in the boombox his mother bought him for his birthday, then writing lyrics, before bringing his already disarming freestyling rapping talent to the streets. From there, it seems that he had an inexorable through the lyrics he’s spat out in the studio (they are rarely written down), that success was anything but a sure thing.
That’s why Budweiser came to Jay, lauded in 2013 as the greatest rapper of all time, as the man to kickstart their Made For Music campaign. Directed by Mark Romanek and featuring Mr. Carter alongside a host of artists, the black and white ‘Dreams Are Made’ spot hit TVs in August, a feel-good clarion call to get creating. To ignore the obstacles that get in the way. To persevere. All soundtracked, naturally, with Jay Z’s ‘Public Service Announcement’. It was a PSA the world could get behind. In Jay Z, Budweiser have the personification of their aspirational message.
Through sheer ability and force of will, he’s gone from looking over his shoulder as a Brooklyn kid, to being on texting terms with US President Barack Obama. He’s a celebrity on merit, papped every time he steps out with his wife Beyoncé. He’s an activist, combating racism, raising awareness of global water shortages, and appearing alongside Rihanna, The Edge and Bono on Haiti charity track ‘Stranded’. He’s a family man, welcoming daughter Blue Ivy Carter into the world last year. Also, as he smiled on Kanye West’s ‘Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)’, “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!” And still, he remains a musician at heart. It’s apparent whenever you see him live. In July, Sasha Frere-Jones wrote in a New Yorker piece: “When I saw him a few years ago on the ‘Watch the Throne’ tour, I couldn’t help being delighted by how much rapping delights him.” Anyone who caught him alongside Kanye in Dublin’s O2 last year could only agree.
He revels in his rhymes, and recognises that his formidable skill on the mic is the reason he’s now commanding such huge stages. Throughout his rise, there have been many key moments that signalled his next move up the ladder.
The first came with the release of his classic debut, 1996’s Reasonable Doubt. The reason he established his own Roc-A-Fella label with Damon Dash, it featured easily the finest material the 26-year-old had put his name to at that point. Also featuring his late friend and fellow rap icon The Notorious BIG, Biggie’s sad passing the following year cleared the way for Jay to become the dominant force in the genre.
In 1998, the Annie-sampling ‘Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’ brought the commercial success to back up the critical adoration and he began to develop that bulletproof aura he carries today. The Blueprint cemented it. Released on September 11, 2001, the same day his beloved New York came under attack, it played a small part in getting the city back on its feet, as Jay rolled some of his greatest lyrics over Kanye’s jaw-dropping beats. Jay must have loved it so much, he couldn’t think of anything else to do but announce his “retirement”, with 2003’s supposed-swansong The Black Album.
In retrospect, pretending he would leave the game at the top only strengthened his hand – he was away just long enough for everyone to realise how much we’d miss him. His collaborations have elevated him further. During his supposed “retirement”, he brought rap and rock together when he teamed up with Linkin Park for Collision Course and, more recently, on his Watch The Throne album and tour with Kanye West, he has taken on the world – and won. He continues to affect and influence music at every turn. The best example, and one of the towering achievements of his career, was his imperious appearance at Glastonbury in 2007.
Becoming the first hip hop artist to headline the predominantly rock-orientated festival, his booking caused much controversy, not least when Noel Gallagher sniffed, “I’m sorry, but Jay Z? No chance.”
In typically nonchalant fashion, Jay Z began his set by walking on stage with a big smile and a guitar, strumming and singing along ironically to Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’. It was the response of someone who grew up hearing “no chance”. Someone who has had to make his own luck every step of the way. To do so, he made his own music and changed the world. Now with Budweiser’s Made For Music, he wants others to follow his example – and strike out on their own path...