Essay: Jay-Z/Africa

Jay-Z’s Africanisms HIS 1110 G. J. Giddings

“How we still slaves in 2016?” – Jay-Z (DJ Kahled, 2016)

You might wonder, why read about MC Jay-Z in an African American history course, or

anywhere at all in a University, where Jay-Z has never even committed to attending as a

student like yourself. Well, since I believe that “anything goes” when it comes to learning,

Jay-Z’s work, through analysis, reveals excellent insights about how African culture persists

among African Americans. And it helps me demonstrate the Afrocentric perspective we will

take in this history course.

I wrote the essay, “Jay-Z: A Cultural Agent?” (Bailey 2011) to help illustrate how one can

find African cultural characteristics, or Africanisms, in African American cultural forms such

as Hip-hop. Like most African Americans, Jay-Z seems unable to avoid exhibiting and

engaging Africanisms – which are cultural traits that originate in Africa and persist in the

descendant African Americans. Part of this persistence is explained by the fact that

throughout most of U.S. history, African Americans were not allowed to fully assimilate into

so called “European American culture.” You might consider the fact that African Americans

were enslaved (1641-1865; 224 years) for a longer period than they were free (1865-2017;

152 years). And after enslavement, African Americans were aggressively segregated until

the mid 20th century. But in many ways, African Americans are still segregated in urban

areas. One result of this separation from “whites” is the maintenance of a distinct African

American culture, with such cultural expressions as Hip-hop.

Although not as “conscious” or Afrocentric as Naz, J-Cole, Kendrick Lamar, et al., I chose to

use Jay-Z’s oeuvre (body of work) to argue and illustrate that even Jay-Z exhibits

Africanisms (African cultural core values), namely: oral, communal, matrifocal and spiritual.

(Giddings, 2003) Focused mostly on Jay-Z’s lyrics, this essay is organized in 4 sections

corresponding to each of these Africanisms. The goal is to argue that Jay-Z might be

considered an African American cultural agent or leader because of his status and the

cultural lessons his lyrics seem to communicate/teach.

Do read the entire essay, focusing on 2 of the 4 sections. Some of the words I use in this

essay might be unfamiliar, so I encourage you to look them up and expand your

vocabulary! After reading the entire essay, you are ready to engage your classmates and

me on our Jay-Z related discussion forum assignment.

If you have any questions about this course resource or the related assignment, remember

that you can post a question on the “Help Me!” forum in the eClassroom.

Sources:

Gidding, G. J. (2011). “The Authentic Cultural Agent” in Julius Bailey’s Jay-Z: Essays on Hip Hop’s

Philosopher King. McFarland Press. 2011. ISBN 978-0-7864-6329-9.

Giddings, G. J. (2003). Contemporary Afrocentric Scholarship: Toward a Functional Cultural Philosophy. Lewiston,

New York: Mellen Press. 2003. ISBN: 0773466592

DJ Khaled. (2016). “I got the Keys.” Major Key. Epic Recor