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Product Description
From Amazon
Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2010: Like its multi-hyphenate author, Jay-Z, Decoded is many things at once. At its core, Decoded is an eloquent and candid memoir detailing the story of a man who was born in a Brooklyn housing project, spent his teen years dealing drugs on the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, and grew up to be one of his generation’s most successful artists and businessmen. But Decoded is much more than a memoir: it is an intensely personal homage to hip-hop, as written by a man who so clearly adores the art form; it is a rare glimpse of the unexpectedly deep meanings behind the most recognizable rap lyrics of the last decade; and it is a truly moving collection of essays on topics ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the decline of the music industry. Unconventional type design, line drawings, and photographs visually emphasize the author’s message that rap is a form that transcends and defies easy categorization. There’s not much in the way of celebrity gossip here, but what we get, instead, is a gritty and enormously compelling look inside the cultural phenomenon of rap, from one of the men who contributed so much to its shape. --Juliet Disparte
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
“Compelling . . . provocative, evocative . . . Part autobiography, part lavishly illustrated commentary on the author’s own work, Decoded gives the reader a harrowing portrait of the rough worlds Jay-Z navigated in his youth, while at the same time deconstructing his lyrics.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“One of a handful of books that just about any hip hop fan should own.”—The New Yorker
“Elegantly designed, incisively written . . . an impressive leap by a man who has never been known for small steps.”—Los Angeles Times
“A riveting exploration of Jay-Z’s journey . . . So thoroughly engrossing, it reads like a good piece of cultural journalism.”—The Boston Globe
“Shawn Carter’s most honest airing of the experiences he drew on to create the mythic figure of Jay-Z . . . The scenes he recounts along the way are fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly
“One of a handful of books that just about any hip hop fan should own.”—The New Yorker
“Elegantly designed, incisively written . . . an impressive leap by a man who has never been known for small steps.”—Los Angeles Times
“A riveting exploration of Jay-Z’s journey . . . So thoroughly engrossing, it reads like a good piece of cultural journalism.”—The Boston Globe
“Shawn Carter’s most honest airing of the experiences he drew on to create the mythic figure of Jay-Z . . . The scenes he recounts along the way are fascinating.”—Entertainment Weekly
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Decoded,
This review is from: Decoded (Hardcover)
Decoded was delivered to me within two days of my order,Decoded was exactly as I expected, and in perfect condition. :)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love him or hate him, Jay is fascinating man,
By
This review is from: Decoded (Hardcover)
I've never appreciated Jay's work very much or been to interested in hip hop in general, but this book really transcends that for me. Well written, detailed and even profound at times "Decoded" is an essential to any book collection. The lyric pages may not interest those who aren't familiar with specific songs, but they're really cool if you know the song(s).
5.0 out of 5 stars
a good read, informative and fun,
This review is from: Decoded (Hardcover)
This book's aesthetics really reminds me of Rem Koolhaas' S,M,L,XL. I'm still in the middle of it, but I think it's surprisingly well written and very entertaining. I'm a relatively recent fan of his, and I'm still appreciating it. At times I find that he toots his own horn a bit to much, but nothing too drastic. Every 5-10 pages or so there are cream colored pages with lyrics to his songs and he annotates them with footnotes. It's kinda like the director's commentary in a movie, if the movie's good, you're interested. And Jay-Z is good.
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