Jay-Z: Hip-Hop's Saviour?

‘Not only N.Y.C, I’m Hip-Hop’s Saviour, so after this flow you might owe me a favour’ so Jay-Z triumphantly proclaimed on the title track from his 2006 [return] album Kingdom Come. Back then these words may not have meant much; they could simply have been considered to be the braggadocious thoughts of one of hip-hop’s heavyweights, everyone did it, even newcomers claimed to be ‘Kings’ and ‘Mayors’ of cities or regions, so Jay-Z claiming to be hip-hop’s saviour wasn’t something to quibble over.

However with the music industry in decline and new rappers coming with a one album expiry date it is safe to say hip-hop music has being in a bad state, there is a still a debate whether it has declined artistically, but it beyond doubt that financially it is not what it used to be. Rappers used to have big budgets to shoot music videos, now studios are strapped for cash, and music video staples i.e. “shiny cars, jewellery and objectified women” are recycled to a point that it almost becomes embarrassing to watch a rapper talking about his diamonds and money in a video you know was shot by a two man team at most, probably the rappers friends or film students in university.

With declining budgets also came declining respect for hip-hop, a genre once hailed as revolutionary- as a mouthpiece for the underprivileged, and a platform for the creation of a new black popular culture soon became even more synonymous with excess, gaudiness and ignorance. Comments made by popular new rapper Soulja Boy praising the slave masters because “Without them we'd still be in Africa. We wouldn't be here to get this ice and tattoos” show how little intelligence was needed in order to become a best selling hip-hop artist.

I would argue that it is this seeming allergy to intelligence that prevents hip-hop and its artists from getting the sort of respect other genres get. It’s this perception that led to calls for an artist like Jay-Z to be prevented from performing at Glastonbury. While hip-hop was and is very popular, it is still considered ‘stupid music’, and its listeners are perceived to be as stupid as its artists.

Enter Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter. Since Kingdom Come Jay-Z has been on a mission to change the perception of hip-hop. Sure, there are many rappers who don’t fit the stereotype of blinged out, tattoed up with ridiculous slogans and from the money they always seem to be carrying either don’t know what a bank is or don’t have ATM cards, but by and large, popular hip-hop was dominated by these stereotypical figures.

By never compromising lyrically, and by refusing to be a caricature of what a ‘rapper’ was supposed to look like, Jay-Z gained admirers and ‘haters’ There were calls for him to retire for being too old, yet there didn’t seem to be anyone ‘young’ who could consistently produce lyrically and sonically astute albums.

By moving away from the gangsterism and lewdness that characterized popular hip-hop, Jay-Z began to earn the respect of musicians in other genres, actors and even politicians. Here was a rapper who could outrap the best of them but was neither vulgar nor ostentatious, he didn’t subscribe to the ‘nouveau riche’ attitudes that characterized his peers, and yes it is true that his marriage to popular songstress Beyonce Knowles did help.

For the first time in recent hip-hop we began to see a separation of art from artist as is common in other genres. A folk artist or R&B singer can take many forms and personas on their records and in real life would not be expected to be a replica of a personality on one of their songs.

Jay-Z could then rap on Say Hello ‘they sayin’ I’m a bad guy, why is that? Coz when my back’s against the wall, n**ga I react’ and still be considered safe enough for the Obama campaign team to allow him appear on their website in support of the then candidate.

The last three Jay-Z albums are the best examples of this split between Jay-Z the man, and Jay-Z the rapper, it meant that Jay-Z could do what very few other rappers couldn’t - he could be himself in interviews, he did not have to put on an act, or play up the persona he projected on wax. With Jay-Z, hip-hop was an art form, and while personal truth and honesty were still pillars of the art form to him, he did not feel imprisoned by lyrics. And it is this personal liberation and self assuredness that allowed him to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show, once a no-go area for any rap artist, Jay-Z sat on that couch laughing and cavorting with the talk show host.

Even British journalist Andrew Marr, better known for grilling Gordon Brown or David Cameron conducted a widely watched interview with Jay-Z, it became the most viewed clip on Marr’s website.

Jay-Z took himself, and by extension hip-hop to areas where it had been derided or misunderstood, and thus his personal conduct reflected on the genre- he went on tour with Coldplay, he played Glastonbury, performed at Obama’s inaugural ball, produced successful Broadway shows- it seems with everything he does he breaks down a preconception about what hip-hop is or should be.

For me, perhaps his greatest effort in the rebranding of hip-hop is his collaboration with U2’s Bono and the Edge and Rihanna- on ‘Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)’ a song produced by Swizz Beatz in response to the earthquake in Haiti. The four performed the song in London on the telethon on January 22, and helped raise $61 million dollars for the relief effort.

The strangest thing was considering the fact that while rap music is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, Jay-Z was the only rapper (apart from Haitian Wyclef Jean) who performed at the fundraiser. It goes to show that while rappers can entertain on the dance floor, when it comes to serious issues, it is best to leave out the genre. It is idiotic comments like that from Soulja Boy, and an aversion to education and intellectual improvement from many rappers that perpetuates this prejudice. Jay-Z’s music and work show that hip-hop can go far beyond the material; hip-hop is an art form as much as rock, country and soul music are. As he goes on promoting his latest album ‘The Blueprint 3’ he also promotes greater respect for hip-hop music. So yes, those words he uttered in 2006 ring true today; Jay-Z is ‘Hip-Hop’s Saviour’.