Jay-Z
Book

Jay-Z

2019
nyt:hardcover-nonfiction=2019-12-15New York Times bestsellerRap musicians, biographyHip-hopRap musiciansBiographyRap (Music)History and criticismBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHYMusicGenres & StylesRap & Hip Hop

JAY-Z: Made in America is the fruit of Michael Eric Dyson's decade of teaching the work of one of the greatest poets this nation has produced, as gifted a wordsmith as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Rita Dove. But as a rapper, he's sometimes not given the credit he deserves for just how great an artist he's been for so long. This book wrestles with the biggest themes of JAY-Z's career, including hustling, and it recognizes the way that he's always weaved politics into his music, making important statements about race, criminal justice, black wealth and social injustice. As he enters his fifties, and to mark his thirty years as a recording artist, this is the perfect time to take a look at JAY-Z's career and his role in making this nation what it is today. In many ways, this is JAY-Z's America as much as it's Pelosi's America, or Trump's America, or Martin Luther King's America. JAY-Z has given this country a language to think with and words to live by.

Sign in to add this book to your list.

What critics are saying

Verdicts use the same scale as your list: highly recommended through avoid — plus optional scores and blurbs.

Highly recommended Recommend Give it a go Neutral Avoid

Nobody on Critic, Sir! has logged a verdict for this title yet. The silence is either respectful or suspicious.

Sign in and use Add to My List below to share your own verdict.

Reading Lists

Sign in to create and edit public lists.

Loading lists…

Purchase & Discovery

Find this title on Amazon

Digital

Kindle Books & digital

Searches Amazon Kindle Books for the title.

As an Amazon Associate, Critic, Sir! earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure