美国国家公共电台 NPR In 'Jay-Z: Made In America,' Michael Eric Dyson Contextualizes A Rap Giant

 

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE (REMIX)")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) I got it from here, 'Ye, damn. The chain remains¹. The gang is intact. The name is mine. I'll take blame for that.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Jay-Z turns 50 this week. It is hard to sum up his career in a sentence, but Jay-Z himself once tried. He described himself as a former drug dealer² who transitioned to musician.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE (REMIX)")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) I sold kilos of coke. So? I'm guessing I can sell CDs. I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man. Let me handle my business, damn.

INSKEEP: I'm a business, man, which is true. He is now a billionaire who has extended his brand into alcohol, clothing and Internet firms, among other things.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE (REMIX)")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) The dynasty, like my money, last three lifetimes.

INSKEEP: A new book argues Jay-Z's lyrics³ deserve serious study. Author Michael Eric Dyson should know.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON: Well, I've been teaching a class on him for the last 10 years.

INSKEEP: A Georgetown University class where Dyson analyzes⁴ the words that Jay-Z raps.

Do you ever speak them out in class and you got students who'll say, no, you're inflection is all wrong? You should be...

DYSON: (Laughter) No, they're pretty amazing. An old man like me has studied so long to try to make myself cool to them, so they're laughing at me (laughter).

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HARD KNOCK LIFE (GHETTO ANTHEM⁵)")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) From standin' on the corners boppin' to drivin' some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen for droppin' some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard from the dope spot, with the smoke Glock, fleein' the murder scene.

INSKEEP: The book "Jay-Z: Made In America" says why Dyson cares. Jay-Z's lyrics, both prophetic and profane⁷, as we will hear, reflect his life. His life reflects America. Dyson contends that Jay-Z made his career as a hustler. A historian once said hustling⁹ was the dominant¹⁰ measure of the American character. You hustle⁸ when you dive for a loose basketball on the court, though that is just one of the word's many meanings.

DYSON: The constant desire to be better, to be on the make, trying to do a new thing, find a new project, always with a new enterprise, also a new scheme, also somebody who's trying to be a - you know, to kind of take you, a scofflaw, somebody who's trying to rip you off.

INSKEEP: Dyson says Jay-Z's story demonstrates the different meanings of hustling. Growing up poor in Brooklyn, his first hustle was selling drugs. Later, he pursued his ambition to rap.

DYSON: But he was still hustling on the side because he couldn't make enough money rapping. He was making more money selling drugs. But as he memorably¹¹ says on one song is that I came into the game 100,000 strong, 900 to be exact. And he got that money from hustling, from drug dealing¹², and he and his partners, Kareem Biggs and Damon Dash, formed a record company, Roc-A-Fella Records - you know, Rockefeller - Roc-A-Fella - R-O-C - rock - cocaine¹³, rock - and built a business empire on that hustling.

INSKEEP: You quote some lyrics that I think speak to this.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOW SOME WAY")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) Whether we dribble¹⁴ out this mother, rap metaphors¹⁵ and riddle¹⁶ out this mother, work second floors, hospital out this mother, somehow we gotta get up out this mother.

DYSON: Someday, the cops will kill a [expletive]. I don't always want to be this drug dealing [expletive]. Damn. Then he says, look, I'm going to dribble out of here - right? - play basketball. I'm going to rap metaphors and riddle, so you're going to be a comedian¹⁷ - riddle - or rap metaphors and be a rapper. So you got, you know, either a ballplayer, a rapper or a comedian. And then he doesn't forget, however, the ordinary people, the everyday people, work second floors, hospital out this place, so, you know, second floors of businesses and enterprises or, like, public spaces and hospitals. But we got to get out of here because someday the cop is going to kill a guy like me, and I don't always want to be this drug dealing person. So he's expressing remorse¹⁸, regret, feeling a sense of tension, of pressure and feeling forced into, coerced¹⁹ into, doing some stuff he's got to do in order to survive. But he know there's no retirement²⁰ plan for that kind of enterprise.

INSKEEP: You've got some lyrics on page 67 to 68 where he literally²¹ says what he's doing.

DYSON: I mean [expletive] perception. Go with what makes sense.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MOMENT OF CLARITY")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) Since I know what I'm up against. We as rappers must decide what's most important. And I can't help the poor if I'm one of them, so I got rich and gave back. To me, that's the win-win.

DYSON: And so Jay-Z is saying, I figured it out. I can't help poor people if I'm poor like them.

INSKEEP: Does he help the poor?

DYSON: Oh, absolutely. Jay-Z has been on the front line of doing charitable and justice-oriented work.

INSKEEP: He gave money for criminal justice reform. He co-produced a documentary about a young black man held for years in a New York jail without receiving trial on seemingly minor²² charges. He spoke²³ up for Colin Kaepernick, the pro⁶ football quarterback who was sidelined after he took a knee during the national anthem. Jay-Z then drew criticism by going into partnership²⁴ with the NFL. Though, for Dyson, that's another example of hustling, critiquing pro football while also profiting from it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MOMENT OF CLARITY")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) Music business hate me 'cause the industry ain't make me. Hustlers and boosters embrace me. And the music I be making I dumbed down...

INSKEEP: Let me turn back to Jay-Z's lyrics and something that you say about him as a writer or I suppose I should say as a speaker because, as you point out, he doesn't write it down. You say he is Robert Frost with a Brooklyn accent.

DYSON: Yeah.

INSKEEP: Now, I thought about that statement, and at first, I thought those two figures are so different and their writing is so different that Michael Eric Dyson must just be telling me he's a really good poet. But then I thought about it some more. Is there something essentially²⁵ American about both of those figures that connects them?

DYSON: Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though. He will not see me stopping here to watch the woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse²⁶ near. Between the woods and a frozen lake, the darkest evening of the year.

God forgive me for my brash delivery, but I remember vividly²⁷ what these streets did to me. Imagine me allowing you to nitpick at me, portray²⁸ me like a pickany (ph).

And all the teachers couldn't reach me, and my mama couldn't beat me hard enough to match the pain of my pop not seeing me. So with that disdain²⁹ in my membrane³⁰, got on my pimp game, blank the world, my defense³¹ came.

Now, the first two stanzas³², Robert Frost. And Jay-Z's, you know, lyrics are from his "Black Album." And if my memory serves me correctly, I'm saying that from memory, so you all forgive me if I didn't get it all right. I see tremendous parallels - pace, rhythm, cadence³³, simplistic imagery that contains deeper thoughts underneath³⁴ the water, underneath the skin, subcutaneous even, things that are mixed up and jabbing and stabbing that arrest us because the writers say it with such calm and such dignity. That's the parallel I see.

INSKEEP: Michael Eric Dyson is the author of "Jay-Z: Made In America." Thanks so much.

DYSON: Thank you for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IZZO (H.O.V.A.)")

JAY-Z: (Rapping) H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A, what else can I say about dude...

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

3 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

4 analyzes   

v.分析( analyze的第三人称单数 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• This approach analyzes management by studying experience usually through cases. 这个学派通常从实例获得经验，用以分析管理。 来自辞典例句
• The econometrician analyzes statistical data. 经济计量学者要分析统计材料。 来自辞典例句

5 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

6 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

7 profane   

adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污

参考例句：

• He doesn't dare to profane the name of God.他不敢亵渎上帝之名。
• His profane language annoyed us.他亵渎的言语激怒了我们。

8 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

9 hustling   

催促（hustle的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Our quartet was out hustling and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over. 我们的四重奏是明显地卖座的， 而且我们知道在天亮以前，我们有把握收入一大笔钱。
• Men in motors were hustling to pass one another in the hustling traffic. 开汽车的人在繁忙的交通中急急忙忙地互相超车。

10 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

11 memorably   

难忘的

参考例句：

• The book includes some memorably seedy characters and scabrous description. 这本书包含了一些难忘下流的角色及有伤风化的描述。 来自互联网
• Horowitz could play Chopin memorably. 霍洛维茨可以把肖邦的作品演奏得出神入化。 来自互联网

12 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

13 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

14 dribble   

v.点滴留下，流口水；n.口水

参考例句：

• Melted wax dribbled down the side of the candle.熔化了的蜡一滴滴从蜡烛边上流下。
• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。

15 metaphors   

隐喻( metaphor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I can only represent it to you by metaphors. 我只能用隐喻来向你描述它。
• Thus, She's an angel and He's a lion in battle are metaphors. 因此她是天使，他是雄狮都是比喻说法。

16 riddle   

n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜

参考例句：

• The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
• Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。

17 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

18 remorse   

n.痛恨，悔恨，自责

参考例句：

• She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
• He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。

19 coerced   

v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• He was coerced into making a confession. 他被迫招供。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

21 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

22 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

23 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

24 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

25 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

26 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

27 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

28 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

29 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

30 membrane   

n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸

参考例句：

• A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
• A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。

31 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

32 stanzas   

节，段( stanza的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poem has six stanzas. 这首诗有六小节。
• Stanzas are different from each other in one poem. 诗中节与节差异颇大。

33 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

34 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。