“Sweet” Jay-Z American Gangster
Let me start off by saying that this is going to be a forum for me to get out the things that I think about rap lyrics on the daily. Whether on the train, in my house or out on the street, breaking down these lyrics and deciphering the inner meaning is a skill that most casual hip hop listeners lack and often, it prevents them from truly appreciating the scope and value of the song. Hip hop is not all about violent imagery and illicit themes. Though the words often portray very graphic pictures, the story is often one of swagger, struggle, triumph and persistence. Jay-Z has always been excellent at embodying these themes in his music, but American Gangster seems to shine the brightest light on them with “Sweet” perhaps being the most introspective of the songs on the album (it’s a big statement because this album is not short of rich content).
“And still there’s pain…”
Throughout this entire song there is a perpetual feeling of guilt and responsibility, irresponsibility even. The character Jay chooses to follow in this song seems to have a lot of weight on his shoulders especially considering he has a young nephew who is following his every step and looking for guidance in his corrupted uncle’s movements. Where it gets difficult it seems is the challenge of separating his therapy and his influence: music and the harsh street life he grew up on while still “walking down a hall of mirrors in Versailles” and remaining “satisfied when he looks himself in the eyes.” Still, instead of accepting the challenge of trying to separate and conquer them both separately, he chooses not to and blends them to form something like an amalgam of street and sensibility. Take this out of the standard criminal-turned-rapper dichotomy and you could apply these words to anything. Picture the high powered defense attorney with a 95% acquittal rate. How many criminals has he helped free? How does he find the strength to look his children in the eyes, to look himself in the eyes an hold it up? Simple answer: you try your best to separate what you’ve learned from what you know to be right. And survive.
“…one day you’re up, next day you’re down…”
Probably my favorite verse in this song is the second one which starts by echoing the same theme found in the first. “I make no apologies…so a G a nigga gotta be…” What you find here is a man who is defiant, maybe to a fault, about the man he has become, thanks in large part to the life he’s lived. This defiance is somewhat betrayed, however, by that same reluctance to show his nephew the harsher side of the game, this hip hop game; this hustle game that formed Jay-Z. He makes an allusion here to the bible, similar to the allusion that he makes in Kingdom Come’s “Beach Chair:” “they say the child shall lead/so I’ll take him far as I can and then we shall see…” This line bears a striking resemblance to the aforementioned lyric in 2006’s “Beach Chair:” “if the prophecy’s correct the sins of the father/the child shall have to pay/so I barter my tomorrow’s against my yesterdays/and hope that she’ll be okay…” It’s not necessarily the words here that matter, but the meaning. It would look as if Jay-Z is at a stage in his career, in his life, where he is in conflict between what he knows to be right, for the sake of his family the way that he’d lived his life in the past. The main thing to understand is the level of maturity that Jay is rapping with at this point in his career. This is certainly not the same dude who put out the abominable “Sunshine.”
There’s no doubt that there is more to this song to be dredged, but if I keep going, this entry will end up being thesis length and for the first entry, I just wouldn’t think that to be right. So the next time you cue up a crazy track or your favorite rapper spits something that blows your mind, don’t just bob your head, open your ears, son.
--K.T.
5 comments:
There is nothing I can say about the content of this article. Do ya thing man. On a structural level, this sh** is so beautifully written. It was like the "Sweet" of hip hop articles.....On a whole ya'll are really doing it with this blog!
Very much appreciated...we're trying out here, dig me? That kind of support is very welcome...
Yes, please forward this entry to Don Imus, Oprah, Bill O'Reilly and Al Sharpton.
thank you,
management
This blog had me go in the car and put "sweet" on repeat over and over and zone out. The maturity exemplified on this song shows that there are actually artists that tell both sides to the story. The Blog was written like no other.. Good to see we still have educated people in the world.. "SWEET"
First off, I dont even know where to begin with this post except to say that is is exceptionally written. But one of the first things that I have to acknowledge that while Jay's dichotomy represents a evolution of his character, yes, it also represents a greater tie to the religiousity of the greater black community. He is both apologizing to himself and his nephews for his past acts but to those nameless rogues that helped me acquire his status.It is more than a "genesis of a nemesis," it's an apology to all of those that he smighted that remained nameless.
For as long as the black community has existed within the United States there as been connection to religion as a means of staying humble. Jay does not cease to acknowledge this connection on every album that he's released thus far. Everytime he drops a religious reference he is redeeming his character, but in many eyes Jay represents a demonic figure. Why would he not try to get back into the good graces before the rapture?
Everytime he drops a religious reference he finds himself getting closer to the path, but neither his nephew or even he himself knows when that road will be complete. I have a sneaking suspicion that every album will contact such a song, and it will continue to tie him to his indiscretions so that he both doesnt forget but can gain those wings back that the dust took from him.
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