Jam of the Week: Jay Z "Roc Boys (And the winner is)"

Every week I will be uploading the jam of the week. This week comes to us from your friend and mine, Jay Z. Also, each week, two p1edges volunteer to send me their thoughts on the video of the week. Here's what they thought on Roc Boys:


"The latest entry in the MTV Jam of the Week collection is Jay-Z's "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)" from his 2007 album American Gangster. Based on the Denzel Washington movie with the same name, the album recalls Jay's difficult childhood growing up in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. Throughout the album but especially on "Roc Boys," Jay rhymes about his early experiences with vending drugs and gang-related violence. Jay's status as a living-legend in the hip-hop world salvages the cliché message, and the result is a strong track/video combination that demonstrates the maturity that he has gained from years in the business.

Jay credits many of the influences that he had early in life that led to his eventual success. Sarcastically, he credits corrupt cops ("boys in blue who put greed before the badge"), competitors ("thanks to the lame ass niggas with bad aim") and, more seriously, his suppliers and customers for his start-up in the game. His matter-of-fact approach elevates his style above East Coast thugs like Jada and DMX who choose to rap about the merits of imaginary criminal adventures. Rather than using gangster-rap to gain fame, Jay knows he is at the top and rhymes instead about perseverance and strength in spite of disadvantages.

In "Roc Boys," Jay's effortless delivery and lyrical skill sets him apart from today's rappers. Whereas other hip-hop icons deliver forced rhymes (eg.50's "My Gun Go Off" when he says "Do the math or get blast/Bullets go through the glass/Go through your ass fast/And the leather seat sitting Ave"), Jay's rhymes are natural and innovative. Early in each track, Jay establishes a strong rhythm and continues the pattern throughout. This is a sharp contrast to past MTV Jams of the Week that resort to random staccato or multi-line sentences to get a rhyme (see Flo-Rida's "Low").

The video for the track juxtaposes the success that Jay realizes later in life with a young Jay that can only dream of such things. The rapping of adult Jay and young Jay (played by Samgoma Edwards) in the dark hallway creates the sharp distinction between what was and what is. Rather than drinking from plastic cups in abandoned houses, the adult Jay hosts extravagant parties while guests sip champagne from glass flutes. While guns, girls in bikinis and violence appear in the majority of his videos, Jay extols his high-class lifestyle. His finely-tailored suits, premium cigars and his characteristic fur overcoats cement his position at the top. He has moved past the hip-hop obsession with Hennessey and $200 a bottle Cristal (the latter of which Jay promotes in "Dead Presidents II" and "Brooklyn's Finest") and opts instead for $800 a bottle Ace of Spades Champagne.

Jay and director Chris Robinson ("One Mic" by Nas, "Bonnie & Clyde" by Jay and Beyonce and other projects with The Game, Diddy and T.I.) draw on their considerable influence to make the video a star-studded performance. Rick Ross (who also appeared in Flo-Rida's "Low" and again didn't say a word), Swizz Beats, Jada, Just Blaze, Mariah Carey and Young Gunz are just a few of the celebrities who make appearances. The most surprising appearances belong to Nas and Diddy, former rivals of Jay who fought for the position of most-influential rapper in NYC following the '96 death of Notorious B.I.G. Although Hot 97 declared Nas the winner, all appear to have buried the hatchet in the interest of collaborating for our benefit.

The video closes a la R. Kelly with a "To Be Continued" sign after an apparent assassination attempt on Jay's life. The simple interpretation is that a continuation video will indicate if Jay's persona survives. But the vague ending may also suggest that Jay does not know what is next. He acknowledges that he is susceptible to the new up-and coming stars: In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. The video details Jay's experiences from his childhood to now. He has conquered the music world (6 Grammys), the fashion world (Rocawear), music production (Roc-A-Fella Records) and the club scene (his NYC hangout The 40/40 Club). Where does he go from here? In the end, fans can only hope that Jay continues to eschew his retirement and continues to produce hits with his effortless delivery and clever rhyming.

itb"


"Jay-Z aka Jay Hova has released hs 10th album, a concept album called "American
Gangster" based on the movie by the same name (which is badass. Denzel is
almost on par with Sammy J for BAMFBM-Bad ass motherfucking black man). Roc Boys
(And the Winner is) is our Jam of the Week, the second single off the new album.



The video opens with a surprisingly well casted younger version of Jay-Z in
1988. A voice over from Jay-Z says that he and two friends decided to become a
crew called the "Roc Boys" back in that year, saying "we had no idea where this
would take us, but we would soon find out." The beat comes in with a sampled
track from The Menahan Street Band over a more solid beat, but over all the
music in the song is nothing special. This song is made by Jay-Z's smooth and
always classic lyrics and voice. The rest of the video shows Jay-Z in a club
celebrating with other hip hop celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Nas, Ditty,
Jadakiss, and others. These shots are contrasted with shots of the Joc Boys
going out together such as when Jay is toasting with a fresh bottle of Crystal
and the Joc Boys are toasting bad liquor in an less than Jay-Z classy club.
This continues until an ominous man looms in the corner with his hand in his
coat, which can only mean one thing. People try to run and stop him, but he
pulls out a gun and takes Jay-Z out. People start screaming and running while
Jay-Z lies on the floor and "to be continued" comes up on the scream.



Jay-Z has always been a leader in hip-hop style. He is one of the classiest men
in the business and he affirms this through out the video. The Joc Boys are
very Run DMC/LL Cool J with their Adidas sweat suits and gold chains while the
present day Jay-Z wears thousand dollar suits and fur coats that make him the
most important man in the video. He pops crystal like it's nothing and smokes
Cubans better than Tony Montana. The style in this video sets it apart from
other rap videos because of how Jay-Z emphasizes classiness over flashiness.
Jay-Z's style along with the other people in the club complete the video
visually and shows


Jay-Z is a master of creating videos that can stand independent of the song;
there are stories that follow the song, but go deeper and build more. Jay-Z
does this with Joc Boys, he brings these Joc Boys alive and makes us wonder how
he got from those 3 kids to where he is today, the life of the party at the
nicest club in town. Then in a sudden twist he brings it alive again with his
shooting, thickening the plot. I personally give this video an A-. The song
itself is one of my new favorite songs because of how Jay-Z's voice flows with
the horns in the back without using a big bumping beat like shitty Crank That
rap; Jay-Z actually has something to say. The video itself stands out because
of it's cinematographic excellence, directed by Chris Robinson, the video gives
us a feeling for how far Jay-Z feels as though he has come. But still, at the
end it seems like he has come far, but not so far as to escape the violence that
he comes from. The only reason this video isn't an A in my book is that the end
is too confusing. Why is there a woman booting into a toilet and then stumbling
down a hallway. This is just a minor point because Joc Boys is a great video
from Jay-Z that starts with a great song, which is only improved by a top notch
video.


itb

Lbro"

The Landord with Will Ferrell

Skiing

FNL viewing has been unexpectedly delayed this week due to technical difficulties and program viewing issues. More details to follow. In the meantime, please view previous episodes here

http://www.nbc.com/Friday_Night_Lights/video/episodes.shtml

AMDAL_FINAL.v2.pdf

Friends,

This is it - the beginning of a potentially beautiful thing. We (arguably) do some big, important things during the day. This is our chance to relax, express ourselves, share funny stories, whatever we want.