Berlin: Crossover Appeal
I am sorry for all the people coming here and reading about rapmusic all the time… It’s a phase I’m in, next week it might be black metal or swedish female pop groups; music = music. This afternoon I read an interview of Simon Hattenstone with Jay-Z for the Guardian.
One of the most enjoyable elements of his memoir is the deconstruction of his own lyrics. He explains the scan and rhyming structure, and uses footnotes to clarify obscure street slang. Again, it’s classic Jay-Z – the more accessible he makes himself to people, the bigger the potential audience. Early on, he used to rap much faster. Why did he slow down? “In the beginning it was all technique. I was like a trickster, dribbling behind my back, just really trying to impress people. But as I started to get life experiences, I had to tell a story, so the technique had to slow down a bit. It had to make way for the story and the emotion.”
Wasn’t it also partly because by slowing down he broadened his crossover appeal? “Yes, and I was enunciating and making clear points. I think people connected to a real truth. You might not have lived that experience, but you’ve lived part of it or you connect to the ambition of it or to the resilience of that person.”
I love the way rappers deal with getting their pay, if they could sell their pubic hair for a lot of money they would do it. Rap music is so commercialised they have to think about “Crossover Appeal.” I never heard a experimental artist talk about this.
