Résumé en français : Le célèbre rappeur Jay-Z vient de publier un livre dans lequel il revient sur sa vie et décrypte les paroles de ses compositions.

After releasing an incredible 11 albums in 14 years, rapper Jay-Z has now released a new book entitled "Decoded". For those who are expecting a tell-all memoir revealing his inner most secrets and private anecdotes, such as his marriage to singer Beyoncé, will be sadly disappointed. Instead what you will find is that each chapter features Jay-Z decoding his lyrics while discussing some aspect of his life from his childhood to his rap career, his views on politics to his street life to big business. "Decoded" is a lyrical anthology, a biography, and a fancy art-book which features Andy Warhol's 'Rorschach' print on the book's front cover. The interior art ranges from Michelangelo's 'Pietà' to a vintage Little Orphan Annie button: the book is visually stunning.

Jay-Z , whose given name is Shawn was born in a public housing project in Brooklyn, New York known for its extreme poverty and violence. At the age of twelve he began selling crack-cocaine to help support his mother and his family. He speaks frankly about this " You know, at 14 years old you're thinking about sneakers. You're thinking about paying the extra light bill. So at that young age, I wasn't thinking about the destruction that I was causing my own community."

It was while hustling drugs that he began to write his first rhymes (raps) on scraps of paper and paper bags, which often got lost. It was then that he began the process of memorizing his lyrics. He says " When I got to record my first album - I was 26 - I didn't need pen to paper. My memory had been trained, you know, just to listen to a song, think of the words, and then just lay them to tape."

From that point on the rest is history as he has parlayed his success as a rapper (selling 50 million albums worldwide, while receiving ten Grammy Awards ) into an entrepreneurial career ( a co-owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team) with a net worth of over 450 million dollars.

So with all of his success, why would he release a 'vanity' book?
On this subject he explains, "The trouble is that while many enjoy listening to hip-hop, oftentimes they don't pick up on the stories being relayed in the songs. You may know the words and you may dance on it, but you don't really understand what you're singing."

"Decoded" is part memoir, part lyrical deconstruction, with Jay-Z analyzing parts of his younger years that would eventually influence his later life. He says that deeply embedded experiences that become written word are exactly why rap should be considered poetry.
The book is a powerful personal tribute to hip-hop, as written by a man who so clearly respects the art form and is a rare view of the unexpectedly deep meanings behind the most recognizable rap lyrics of the last ten years. "Decoded" is a beautiful book designed to appeal to an upscale, trendy crowd, but without forgetting the street sensibilities of hip-hop.