Somewhere between the infamous Marcy Projects and Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical practices lies Jay-Z's "Decoded." Hov offers up explications of some of his most noteworthy songs, tying in personal experiences to great effect and giving readers a better understanding of the self-proclaimed God MC's rhetoric. Aesthetically pleasing and surprisingly well written, Decoded will appeal to diehard fans and newcomers alike. In accordance with the cover Rorschach, the book maintains unbiased and (sometimes) painfully honest narrative from Jay, leaving interpretation of events transpired to the reader.
One excerpt I particularly enjoyed involved the late, great Biggie Smalls and his favorite means of self-medication:
I hadn't been on vacation since I'd gotten serious about music, so I was happy to go to Miami to shoot the video for "Ain't No Nigga" with Foxy. Big was touring, but he took time out to fly down and make a cameo. Big loved to smoke, but I could count the number of times I'd smoked trees. Champagne and the occasional Malibu rum were my thing back then, but mostly I liked to stay sober, the better to stay focused on making money. I come from that class of hustlers who looked at smoking as counterproductive. We used to judge niggas who smoked as slackers, or workers. When I did smoke it was on vacation, in the islands.
But when Big asked me to smoke with him, I told my self "Relax, you're not on the streets anymore." It was happening and I had to admit it. I was out of the Life. So I smoked with Big--and he smoked blunts. The last time I smoked, whenever that was, I'm sure I was hitting a joint. A couple hits later and I was high as shit, sitting there, feeling outside of time, slightly stuck, and laughing uncontrollably.
Big leans in so only I can hear him.
"I got ya."
Scoreboard: Biggie - 1, Jay - 0