JAY-Z

Description

NOW A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY BESTSELLER "Dyson writes with the affection of a fan but the rigor of an academic. ... Using extensive passages from Jay-Z s lyrics, 'Made in America' examines the rapper s role as a poet, an aesthete, an advocate for racial justice and a business, man, but devotes much of its energy to Hova the Hustler." ”Allison Stewart, The Washington Post "Dyson's incisive analysis of JAY-Z's brilliance not only offers a brief history of hip-hop's critical place in American culture, but also hints at how we can best move forward." ”Questlove JAY-Z: Made in America is the fruit of Michael Eric Dyson s decade of teaching the work of one of the greatest poets this nation has produced, as gifted a wordsmith as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Rita Dove. But as a rapper, he s sometimes not given the credit he deserves for just how great an artist he s been for so long. This book wrestles with the biggest themes of JAY-Z's career, including hustling, and it recognizes the way that he s always weaved politics into his music, making important statements about race, criminal justice, black wealth and social injustice. As he enters his fifties, and to mark his thirty years as a recording artist, this is the perfect time to take a look at JAY-Z s career and his role in making this nation what it is today. In many ways, this is JAY-Z s America as much as it s Pelosi s America, or Trump s America, or Martin Luther King s America. JAY-Z has given this country a language to think with and words to live by. Featuring a Foreword by Pharrell (Source: Google Books API)