Jay-Z was inducted the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a historic achievement which marks the first time in history that a rapper has been accepted into the prestigious organization.

Here is what Obama, a friend of Jay-Z, had to say about how he was inspired.

Personally, I do not care for awards and recognitions, recognized by whom? Another human being or group who probably did much less work and contribution than the person being recognized?

The only good thing about these recognitions is that it could provide a platform to spread wider, impact more people.

Jay-Z was already inducted into my personal influencers Hall of Fame years back.

Here is an example why I believe he is a great songwriter.

Album Magna Carta… Holy Grail

A little context:

Blue is the name of Jay Z’s daughter, and her birth gave him new energy, and he imagined his daughter telling others that he is “the one”.

MC Hammer, known for the song “U Can’t Touch This,” quickly lost the money he amassed in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Jay has referenced him earlier as well, and MC retaliated, etc.

Tyson had to go through several hardships. Conviction, bankruptcy, drug addiction, divorce, the death of his daughter, etc. Jay was so devastated when Tyson lost his to Buster Douglas in Tokyo; he said that he felt “physically hurt” himself.

Tyson’s earned $30 million in one night twice. In 1997 for his fight against Evander Holyfield and 2002 against Lennox Lewis.

Mike Tyson is a noted fan of pigeons and has compared women to pigeons various times in his interviews.

In an interview, Jay Z says “That whole song is about fame and the way fame is fleeting…so that whole first verse is me complaining about it. The fame, she cheats on me. She hangs out with Kanye and Drake and J. Cole. What I do, I took her back; you know so when it’s my turn I take her back”.

Jay notes that his return to fame on Kingdom Come – following his post-The Black Album retirement – was self-inflicted. – Alluding to the phrase “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,”

Jay Z stabbed a man, and he talks about it in several of his songs. My fav line is “ no sympathy for the king eh?” where his broken ribs and ruptured spleen during the fight was never the point of any importance. The lyrics – “ If I shoot you I am brainless if you shoot me, you are famous” – might also have some link to this.

In his suicide note, Kurt Cobain asked himself, “Why don’t you just enjoy it?” and then answered, “I don’t know!” It’s amazing how much of a mindfuc* success can be. Jay-Z talked about Cobain’s suicide in his autobiography, Decoded

Now the actual verse

Blue told me remind you niggas
Fuck that shit y’all talking ’bout, I’m the nigga
Caught up in all these lights and cameras
But look what that shit did to Hammer
Goddamn it, I like it
Bright lights is enticin’, but look what it did to Tyson
All that money in one night, thirty mil’ for one fight
But soon as all the money blows, all the pigeons take flight
Fuck the fame, keep cheatin’ on me
What I do? I took her back
Fool me twice; that’s my bad, I can’t even blame her for that
Enough to make me wanna murder
Momma, please just get my bail
I know nobody to blame; Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself

[Bridge: Justin Timberlake]
And we all just entertainers
And we’re stupid and contagious
And we all just entertainers

You can listen to it here:

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