The first thing we notice is the AMAZING artwork. You can't tell as much from the cell phone pic, but it's an aerial picture of a park-like setting with people going to and fro. On the pavement in HUGE black letters it reads: "Part I: One Eye Open" (Yes, that's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" peaking out from underneath. We're working on that one too) ...
Flipping through we noticed a lot of familiar moments. When we saw this pic of Kobe and Shaq, we knew we'd found home. "Thanks, Jay!"
(Sighhhh) If only he'd signed it...
And, to the critic who wrote a piece in an attempt to defame Decoded: Pick it up and read through it and then ask again if we need it. Your critique about the concept alone doesn't hold water. First of all, Hip Hop didn't follow any rules, so why would Jay-Z? You say poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge didn't need a book to break down their metaphors and rhyme schemes to earn legitimacy. See there's your disconnect, right there. Jay's a Black man who's always had to prove everything. Wordsworth and Coleridge didn't earn their greatness until post-mortem. We're in a much different age now. One that affords most instant gratification. What's wrong with Jay being great, knowing it, and sharing his truths with his fans via a hardcover coffee table book all in the same era?
