“Victory Is Finally Ours…History So Long”
AUDIO By MZ on November 12, 2008 at 10:15 am
I listened to Jay-Z’s “History/Victory” (whatever) almost exclusively over the past weekend only giving way to the occasional run through of Kanye’s leaked tracks thus far. This all came about by wanting to have something new to bump on the way to the club on Friday, coupled with driving around aimlessly/waiting forty minutes to get out of an over-packed parking lot that rivaled rush hour traffic. While still feeling the effects of a good nights worth of drinks, the lyrical content and complexity of his words clicked. While Hov gets criticized for the simplicity of his rhymes as of late, it’s hard to fault him for this song.
Sure he put this out while many were reveling in Obama’s historic victory. But outside of maybe the closing lines, this is about Jay coming to terms about what his own place in Hip-Hop history will be. He looks into the internal drive that fuels one to greatness and needs to keep focus when early fame and money can sidetrack you from greater heights. The way he personifies death, success, history, defeat, and victory is exquisite and begs to be dissected and analyzed the way we do for work by the likes of Thoreau and Whitman.
Back when I was in 9th grade we had to do a project where we used music lyrics to find literary devices like metaphors, similes, personification, and what not. I used The Score since it was heavy in my rotation at the time. My teacher pulled me aside and told me she was pleasantly surprised how I (and others in the class) was able to find all the devices in Rap music. Since music is an oral art form, the lyrics aren’t always given their proper due (especially Hip-Hop) and it makes me wonder how the art form we know and love will be perceived by future generations Will the words of our favorite artist’s be looked at and respected for the weight of their words or will they brush it off as noise that pacified a generation? I believe it can be the former, as I’ve seen how Hip-Hop can be viewed through different eyes when in written form.
Véronique Sanson – Une Nuit sur son épaule (Sample source for “History”)
Previously Posted — Jay-Z – “History” (Full/CDQ)
Posted in AUDIO, GENERAL, MUSIC, SMOKE BREAK — Tags: Barack Obama, Blueprint 3, Henry David Thoreau, History, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Walt Whitman
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22 Comments
Dope post.
Well Said
Interesting post. I had the same assignment but in 12th grade doing Jay’s Volume 1 album.
“Back when I was in 9th grade we had to do a project where we used music lyrics to find literary devices like metaphors, similes, personification, and what not.”
I had to do the same thing when I was in high school. Black Star’s “Respiration” helped me get the only ‘A’ I received in that class.
lol
Lyrics>beats
Gotty had the same assignment, but the album he used was “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
@ teeph: The old jokes never get old.
Hov need to drop that Swagga like us Remix before the song gets too stale.
OB4CL 2 is coming,!! So Jiggaman’s
BP3 needs march 2009 ! 2 ! rae the chef Also.
fo december yea da swagga like us part 2 !!!
january first official singleNvideo! then february the second and 1 march da album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!owww!!!
Funny thing is people has been saying that Jay’s lyrics on this were weak but clearly it’s not the case if they actually listened. If Lupe had did this they would be calling it the greatest song ever because a young dude did it cause it’s Hov they hate. I love this joint it’s in the same vein as “Beach Chair” to me. I can’t front i listen to both every morning to get me motivated.
i had this assignment and used Gil Scott Heron. so there… teef.
véronique sanson
french artist ! oww,
kanye’s fresh iz french !
YEahh !
production sounds like stevie wonder in the 80’s. Jay knows better. Getting tired of this half assed bullshit from him.
Loved this song from the first time I heard it. I got a homie back home that’s “BK all day”, LOVES Jay, understands his angle for the most part, HATES this song though. I don’t get it. I feel like you gotta let that man grow and change. I mean his rhyming style since Reasonable has changed, sheeit, it’s changed since Blueprint, but I feel like half of his fans grew with him, the other half- maybe he went over their heads a lil’ bit. He DOES have the tendency to do that…
aint about growth. the production is weak. No excuse for that shit.
Production has nothing to do with his lyrics…
But the beat aint that bad either.
I love when I bump tracks like this and aggins start looking at me like im bout to teach a class or some shit. Step your lyrical appreciation game up.
Half a song in my opinion
Lyrics are coo but the beat falters
J been in the game too long not to know cats fiend for a tight beat
J still losing, effin his legacy up like J did kinda with the Wizards
Thank you! theres no excuse for an artist like Jay to spit over this garbage. Production flow and content. I demand all 3 in my music especially from an artist on his level. Anything less is unacceptable.
@ Mr.IHateRappers
I got the same vibe from this as Beach Chair, which was criminally slept on imo.
@ Nadine G.
“his rhyming style since Reasonable has changed, sheeit, it’s changed since Blueprint, but I feel like half of his fans grew with him, the other half- maybe he went over their heads a lil’ bit. He DOES have the tendency to do that…” Thanks for the vindication. I can see why people want him to sound like he used to, or rhyme the way he did on their favorite album of his. I think he’s past what people expect of him to a certain extent. He still gives them what they want. Just not as much as he used to. 60% of his albums are allotted to his personal artistic growth. I’ve enjoyed him growing from a drug dealer/hustler to a business man/artist since he came out of retirement.
At first listen I thought the only thing I think they could have done better is the hook. It doesn’t sound very victorious or historic. I thought why not use John Legend or even Matthew Santos for a more grandiose sound. After a few more listens I realized the hook is actually perfect. The way Jay is trying to sound reflective, almost tired even, on his verses is what I picked up on.
Here’s a look at the song Luda has w/ Nas & Jay on it. This shit sounds monumental. You get to hear all of Nas’ verse and the about 8 bars of Jay’s. He rips it btw.
http://2dopeboyz.com/2008/11/11/ludacris-i-do-it-for-hip-hop-f-jay-z-nas-live/#comment-46679
im getting plastic surgery to construct my face like jayz’s. i believe he is my illegitimate father. until he fesses up i will grow into my 30’s holding his balls idolizing him with posters of him all over my bedroom wall so when i do get lucky enough to have a lady over when my mother is out of town i can tell her yeah baby thats my daddy