While this of course says nothing about the kinds of “bling, bling” posturing that has proliferated in the last five years, it does speak of a radical different terrain that hip-hop currently inhabits, as witnessed on daily doses of TRL or 106th and Park. Whereas earlier hip-hop artists were forced to “cross-over” to reach the widest audiences (see Whodini, LL Cool J, MC Lyte, and Hammer as seminal examples), like my man Todd Boyd (that Detroit Nigga) suggests, Jay Z, Eminen, Juve and DMX were on the cutting edge of a historical moment when the audiences instead crossed-over to hip-hop instead of artists being forced to water down their narratives for mainstream consumption. (“flow infinitely like the memory of my nigga Biggie.”), Jay Z has claimed the position as the flagship product of East Coast hip-hop. In the aftermath of the murder of Notorious B.I.G. It was Jigga’s understanding of the commercial value of the anthem like theme “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie that propelled him to legitimate cross-over artist three year ago with the release of Vol. Thus the song appropriates elements of Nelly’s breakout “Country Grammar” with its sing-sing children’s lyrics and with its same-same sample of The Jackson Fives’ “I Want You Back”, while referencing his real life drama with the judicial system (“not guilty, ya’ll got to feel me”).
“Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” encapsulates Jay Z’s brilliance as a commercial artist, with his astute ability to read musical trends within pop music while re-animating a wealth of semi-autobiographical narratives about his life as street hustler “Shawn Carter” and hip-hop icon “Jay Z”. “Fo’ Shizzle My Nizzle” is of course a lyric taken from “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” the lead single from Jay Z’s latest release The Blueprint. Opportunist yes, but the good reverend knows a hustler’s talent-game recognizing game. While Jackson’s blatant opportunism has often been indefensible, he can never be accused of misreading public opinion, whether it be as the skeptic looking askance at the 2000 election results or recognizing the commercial brilliance of a hip-hop artist like the self-described “J-hova”, that “Nigga Jigga”, the hustler Sean Carter, or more plainly the commercial phenomenon known as “Jay Z”. Although my colleague Michael Eric Dyson described Jackson’s appearance as evidence of his “continuing relevance to our nation, especially black youth” in the pages of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jackson’s appearance smacked of the kind of political opportunism that has dogged his reputation for much of his public career. Jackson was on hand the present the “Sportsman of the Year” award to Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Jesse Jackson as he “graced” the stage at the recent Source Awards. The album was so impactful that other rappers were inspired to name their projects in a similar fashion, and here, XXL highlights a few.“Fo Shizzle My Nizzle.” These were the words the dribbled out of the mouth of the Rev. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, even with the world being in turmoil and reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attack in Jay's home city of New York. The Blueprint sold 427,000 units in its first week and cruised to No. With Just Blaze-"Song Cry," "U Don't Know"-and Kanye West-"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)," "Takeover," "Never Change"-both coming into their own here as producers, this was a pivotal time in Roc-A-Fella Records history for not only Jay but the company surrounding him. He fired back at then-foes Nas and Mobb Deep on "Takeover," showed off his hitmaker muscle on "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," sparred with Eminem on "Renegade" and created timeless classics like "U Don't Know," "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and more. The effort, which is now 20 years old, put him in a whole different space as a well-respected artist. Released on Sept 11, 2001, The Blueprint is considered by many to be Hov's magnum opus. Some art just stands the test of time, reverberating from the minute it's released into the world.
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