Matthew+Benoit







__From Rags to Riches: The Hard Knock Life of Jay-Z __ The image of the typical American family is that of a non-violent community with a strong school system and food on the table. It is those families that are food insecure or homeless that could really make a difference in the world. Through strife and struggle anything is possible and the greatest model is that of Shawn Carter. Realizing he needed to bring light upon these issues through the universal language of music, Jay- Z reflected upon his hardships in life and how he alleviated himself from such afflictions as poverty, violence, and drugs. Today he stands among the most successful music artists and entrepreneurs. In the song //Where I’m From//, in Jay-Z’s first album he talks about where he came from and what his childhood entailed. “Where the drugs czars evolve, and thugs always are. At each other's throats for the love of foreign cars. Where cats catch cases, hoping the judge R and R's. But most times find themselves locked up behind bars. I'm from where they ball and breed rhyme stars. I'm from Marcy son, just thought I'd remind y'all.” (AZlyrics) Growing up in the main streets of Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York he was a full time hustler, and part time rapper (Chandy, Anish). A large portion of Jay-Z’s young life was spent selling crack and other illegal paraphernalia, just as many teens today that live in large cities where there is gang violence and major drug wars. “Where we call the cops the A-Team cause they hop out of vans and spray things. And life expectancy so low we making out wills at eight-teen.” (AZlyrics) At age 12 Shawn Carter shot his brother in the shoulder because he stole his jewelry, (Chandy, Anish), the mentality of these kids in the projects is much different than those who live in middle class houses. As Jay-Z began his rise to the top, his major, most renowned album was //Hard Knock Life Vol. 2,// winning the Grammy Award in 1999 for the best rap album (Miller, Matthew). Within the song //Hard Knock Life//, he describes how he started from the corner and through hard work and dedication he is making a name for himself. “From standin on the corners boppin to drivin some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen. For droppin some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard,”(AZlyrics) making it evident that he rose above the drugs and violence, procuring a future for him, and a better way of life. Growing up without a father is a very common thing in the projects, because of lack of commitment and incompetence, Jay-Z dealt with these same issues. “I flow for those 'dro'ed out; all my brothaz locked down in the ten by fo', controllin the house. We live in hard knocks, we don't take over we borrow blocks. Burn em down and you can have it back daddy, I'd rather that. I flow for chicks wishin, they ain't have to strip to pay tuition. I see you vision mama, I put my money on the longshots.”(AZlyrics) Focusing on major issues in today’s society Jay-Z points out all the flaws that he saw throughout his life, from girlfriends whom were strippers and couldn’t afford school, to all of his “homies” that were locked up because of drugs, and the most gut wrenching issue about how all these problems can cause family catastrophes. Through many rhymes and beats with other rappers and artists, Jay-Z finally reached the peak of his career, producing //The Blueprint.// The time period was right around the September 11th attack, and the album was at number one on the Billboard 200, selling more than 427,000 units (Miller, Matthew). Having a prevalent social issue to rap about Jay-Z seized the moment and began rapping about his divorce, producing //Song Cry// in 1991. Many adults around the 2000 era were getting divorced and having problems at home, and Jay-Z announced his feelings to the world through a more mellow song. “I can understand why you want a divorce now. Though I can't let you know it, pride won't let me show it. Pretend to be heroic, that's just one to grow with But deep inside a brotha so sick,” (AZlyrics) Boasting his love and taking back all of his wrongs even though he is afraid to let his guard down. Adults today do the exact same when it comes to showing emotion, they let it boil inside till they make a life mistake and it crushes their loved ones forever. Spending little time in sorrow Jay-Z wanted to better himself, even as a little boy making money and rising to the top came as second nature to him. As he got older and started to realize what money does to people, he tells it “you helped me get the keys to that V dot 6. We was so happy poor but when we got rich. That's when our signals got crossed, and we got flipped.” (AZlyrics) Money doesn’t buy happiness, but the life of young Shawn Carter was without a childhood, causing him to be excluded from the traditions of normal families where happiness is found. Coming from rags to riches is unheard of in today’s society, but Jay-Z has done the unthinkable. Hard work, dedication and self-determination were the factors that lead Shawn Carter to where he is now. The fact that children grow up with a missing parent is way too ubiquitous, and something must be done to overcome the problem. Although Shawn Carter being a successful hood rat doesn’t solve the issues that all others have to face. Education and better living conditions are the main focus that should be addressed first in order to prevail over this growing epidemic. Lacking a positive living and an education, Shawn Carter rose above the diversity and made a name for himself. Starting by selling drugs and hustling, he later became a famous hip-hop artist, and entrepreneur for clothing, shoes, and a sports bar in Chicago. All-in-all Jay-Z addresses the issues of inner-city children for the people to hear, so that one-day one person will make a difference. __ Work Cited: __ 1. Chandy, Anish. "Jay-Z Biography." //Buzzle.com//. 4/25/2005. Web. 21 Oct 2009. . 2. Miller, Matthew (May 6, 2009). " [|The Wealthiest Black Americans] ". Forbes.com. []. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 3. “A-Z Lyrics ." //AZ Lyrics Universe//. 2009. Web. 25 Oct 2009. .

W__**riting Assignment #1**__