Jay-Z - "The Story of O.J." LYRICS REVIEW

It's been a long time since I get excited about certain recreational muses.  Such as video games (which aren't as fun as they used to be, with all their technical RPG elements), but I digress.  However, in spite of the decline of the musical quality today, as I'm typing this, a rose grows through the cement.

It takes a living legend to speak, in order to grab the attention of the masses.  Enough to even provoke me to dedicate my time and energy to write this blog article.  So let's proceed to expounding on the elements of this song and it's context to the album of Jay-Z, the living musical legend, called "4:44".

video may be blocked by youtube...don't sweat it.  :(

THE LYRICS

Chorus: He decimates the word "nigger".  Popularly endeared in Black America and Hip-Hop, by relating to it's original context of slavery in Historical America.  By default bringing consciousness BACK to the word.  Relinquishing any crafty uses of the word.  I FUCKING LOVE IT!!!

Verse 1: He titles the song after the fallen football legend, yet only dedicates a few bars to him.  BRILLIANT!  So many entendres.  Saying so much with so little.

He then distinguishes from "House Niggers" and "Field Niggers", exalting the latter.  An inverse to what was widely considered to be preferable for an African slave in Historical America.  Yet a juxtaposition to today's capitalism.  A way of saying it takes a level of grit to be successful, that some "comfortable" black people just don't have.

He then addresses drug dealing, which he's done throughout his career.  Enlightening as to how gangsterism is counter-intuitive to capitalism.  Whereas it makes no sense to die over something you don't own.

He even applies it to himself, whereas, he metaphorically dies economically to missed real estate opportunities, by splurging on his ego and image.  Like most contemporary black people.  And then closing by stressing his regret to being subject to his past economic inferiority complex, by calling himself..."Dumbo".

Verse 2: It's considered an interlude, like the O.J. statement, but I don't.  He now goes from microeconomics to macroeconomics, in another attack on the frivolous financial behavior of Black America.  Although he addresses the problem, he offers a solution, in the slightest manner.  It fucked me up because I was expecting him to give the key in the next bar, yet he'd already done it in the previous few bars.  Which is why you have to listen so much closer when Jay-Z raps like this. 

He now expounds on investing and earning interest and appreciation.  Using an example of art collecting.  However, he attacks the disinterest of black people in such sophistication,  exposing their unwillingness to invest in what they can't show off.  And in this exposition, he displays the meager settling of black people in business, taking the wing, when they should be getting the whole chicken; for sheer lack of education and confidence.

And in this stupidity, comes the crippling antics, which he distinguishes from again, by alerting his stance on such behavior.

THE VIDEO

The video has been far too exhaustively dissected on the web...or maybe it hasn't.  But the "Sambo" references and retro-stylistic animation relating to early 20th century cartoon depictions of black people are highly evident.  In other words, he's saying...

"Invest in the brand!"