"I'm trying to give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99"- Jay Z, 'The Story of O.J.'
There's nothing new under the sun. So, sometimes, it's not what's said, but who's saying it that makes something resonate and receive the desired response.
Jay Z released his 13th studio album "4:44" Friday to critical acclaim. On "The Story of O.J.," the rapper-turned-mogul alludes to O.J. Simpson, using the Pro Football Hall of Famer's path from the projects to the penthouse and ultimately prison as the inspiration for a nearly perfect cautionary tale packed with sage financial wisdom.
Though he may have never uttered the words verbatim, Simpson certainly lived the phrase, "I'm not black. I'm O.J.," a famous line delivered by actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," a 10-part series that aired on FX last year, and quoted by Jay in the song. Those words illustrate Simpson's struggles with identity and entitlement that played a huge part in his downfall.
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Wednesday, the public learned Clinton Portis, another former star NFL running back, contemplated murder after being swindled out of nearly all of the $43 million he earned during his nine-year career. The same day, Tim Duncan's former financial adviser, who reportedly defrauded the five-time NBA champion out of more than $20 million, was sentenced to four years in prison and forced to pay $7.5 million in restitution.
Jay's bars, over a beautifully sparse No I.D. beat, are eerily timely, especially for athletes. They often beat the odds, rising from humble beginnings in reaching the height of their profession and earning riches that could change their entire family's trajectory for generations only to become statistics, losing everything they worked for because they failed financially, an important aspect of the game of life.
If director Billy Corben's 2009 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Broke" wasn't a stern enough warning, maybe the words of one of Forbes' five wealthiest hip-hop artists, a man with an estimated net worth of $810 million, will stick.
If you can get past Jay's affinity for using the the N-word (an issue you've likely already wrestled with and come to a conclusion on if you listen to much mainstream rap), he's got valuable gems for folks from all walks of life. From real estate investors — "I coulda bought a place in DUMBO (New York City's fourth-richest community) before it was Dumbo for like $2 million. That same building today is worth 25 million. Guess how I'm feelin'?—Dumbo" — to hustlers — "Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood. That's how you rinse it" — to artists — "Y'all still taking advances, huh?" — he really is gift-wrapping the game.
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You can peep the track, in its entirety, here, but beware it contains explicit language.
Jay's talking about creating generational wealth by investing in artwork that appreciates in value over time and can be passed down as a family heirloom. He's encouraging his listeners to build their credit as opposed to throwing away money at a strip club and preaches against unneccessarily flashing cash. He even makes a subtle allusion to Jesus' Parable of the Ten Minas, which teaches the importance of good stewardship. It's the type of responsible guns-and-butter discourse (Remember that scene from "Baby Boy?") you'd expect from a married, 47-year-old businessman and father of three.
"Financial freedom my only hope," he raps.
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He's come along way from the guy who touted frivolous spending along with Jermaine Dupri on "Money Ain't a Thang" in 1998 and was on set when former business partner Dame Dash poured champagne all over women in the "Big Pimpin'" video.
"The Story of O.J." is really a song about us as a culture, having a plan about how we're gonna push this forward. We all make money, and then we all lose money, as artists especially. "But how, when you have some type of success, to transform that into something bigger," Jay said in his song-by-song breakdown for iHeart Radio:
NBA players such as Kings guard Garrett Temple, Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler and Suns veteran Jared Dudley showed on social media that they were picking up what the OG put down.
If others fail to do so, they can't say they weren't warned.