Decoded page 80-140
1. According to Jay Z, in what ways did Russell Simmons change the business side of not only music, but an entire generation?
2. How did Jay Z compare Russell’s world to that of a hustler’s world?
3. What dilemma did Jay Z have when he first met with Russell?
4. What 3 things did he learn from Russell?
5. How did Jay Z respond to Cristal’s blatant disrespect of hip hop culture?
6. How does Jay Z explain his response?
7. According to Jay Z, how are rappers “hypercapitalists”?
8. How does Jay Z describe hip hop to Bono?
9. On page 87 Jay Z explains how he used hip hop. How?
10. Who was Jean Michel Basquiat?
11. What connection does Jay Z have with him?
12. Explain Eminem’s famous line “...superstardom’s close to post-mortem” as it relates to the reason why many rappers fail.
13. What Jay Z’s secret to long term success and how was he better prepared for it?
14. How has Jay Z used Basquiat as motivation to succeed?
15. How does Jay Z use the game of Guts as a metaphor for his business dealings?
16. On page 111 how does he explain the logic in violence in some of his songs?
17. What lesson does Jay Z learn though?
18. Even though “Big Pimpin’” was a song about “getting high off the thrill” Jay Z says the couplet at the end teaches a valuable lesson. What is that lesson?
19. What life lesson did Jay Z learn after the trials of himself, and Puffy?
20. According to Jay Z, what is the tension between art and commerce? pg 128
21. What song is an example of the various layers Jay Z is capable of bringing to a particular song?
22. What other song has a sweet sounding chorus, but adult lyrics?