This was a mostly enjoyable account of Jay-Z’s life and work, narrated by him (and? through?) dream hampton, which is why I’m counting it for this monThis was a mostly enjoyable account of Jay-Z’s life and work, narrated by him (and? through?) dream hampton, which is why I’m counting it for this month’s female authors challenge. The format of this book is really interactive, and it often reads more like a picture book or liner notes than a formal memoir.
This is another book for my “Unpacking the Elevator” course, and so a lot of the themes I found relate to our class conversations, which currently focus on the interiority Solange and Jay-Z’s art creates for oft-pathologized black folk. In Decoded, Jay-Z shares some worthwhile thoughts about rap’s narratives of the hustler, Che Guevara and Brooklyn revolutionaries, the importance of an “inner sanctum” to ward off artistic insanity, and his musical embrace of everyday people. He sees his art as a way to explain “the interior space of a young kid’s head, his psychology,” because “to tell the story of the kid with the gun without telling the story of why he has it is to tell a kind of lie.” This conceptualization of hip-hop, as a soul-searching, healing artistic process is all the more believable being explained by one of the genre’s best.
I won’t lie—these themes were about as much of his “decoding” as I could stomach. I skipped past most of the song lyric footnotes, which are easily a third of this book! Explaining his lines with such detail was an impossible project on such a grand scale, and after a couple of song “decodings,” Jay-Z’s “insights” had the same magic-ruining effect as explaining a joke.
I definitely think hip-hop heads, music nerds, and bigger Jay-Z fans than myself would still find a lot to appreciate in this book. While the first hundred pages were nice, by the end, I personally felt like I’d spent a bit too much time with somebody's long-winded uncle. ...more
This short book (120 mini-pages) is a gratifying introduction to the 33 ⅓ series, as well as Donny Hathaway’s life and work. As a result of my “old soThis short book (120 mini-pages) is a gratifying introduction to the 33 ⅓ series, as well as Donny Hathaway’s life and work. As a result of my “old soul” musical tastes, Hathaway is one of my favorite artists, specifically given his duets with Roberta Flack. Except the obvious facts (his daughter also makes great music and he tragically died at 33 years of age), I didn’t know much about his life, and tried to see if there were any books out there to help me.
We’ve been reading a lot of Emily Lordi in my Beyonce/Solange/Jay-Z class, and I enjoyed the way she talks about black musicians, so when I saw she wrote this one, I knew it’d be a perfect Spring Break read. If Donny Hathaway Live is any indication, the 33 ⅓ books take a critical look at a notable album of a notable musician, and how it fits into their broader legacy.
I say “critical” because it’s clear that Lordi is an academic. It’s equally clear, however, that she’s a great fan of Hathaway’s, and her love for his work is palpable through each song she discusses. One praise of the series called “each [book] a work of real love,” and I can’t find a better way to put it. This is a deliciously biased take on Hathaway’s 1972 album, by a woman who wants to remind us all of his lasting imprint on black music. Lordi focuses on Hathaway’s employment of the black church’s musical traditions, his promotion of the “genius” and technical rigor found in all black music, and his influence on many of your faves.
I think she had some first-hand interviews with Lalah Hathaway, and if not, she employs Lalah's outside quotes with an impressive level of intimacy. Anyway, in these interviews, Lalah mentions how Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder both told her Donny was their favorite musician. Stevie Wonder is my mom’s favorite (secular) artist, so I’d always sensed some connection between the two. Lordi’s explanation of how Donny Hathaway Live inspired Talking Book, Innervisions, Song in the Key of Life, and beyond helped me to see exactly why Hathaway’s work feels so familiar to me. I’ve talked about my upbringing in the church in a couple of other reviews, and I wished Lordi talked more about the specific musicians he drew from there, but I’m not sure of her own religious background, so maybe that’s asking for too much.
This book will convince you of Hathaway’s genius, but also contextualize his tragic passing. I think a lot of people see Donny Hathaway in the same way they do Phyllis Hyman, projecting the burden of their death onto their life’s work, and deeming it “too sad” or “heavy.” Lordi finds a way to not minimize Hathaway’s mental health struggles, but maximize the incredible, often joyous work he was able to create in spite of these difficulties. Pick it up if you’re interested in learning more about the 33 ⅓ series format, and of course, if you’d like to spend some literary time with a masterful musician.
End Note: I am interested in trying to read more music books this year, and would love to pick out some more in the collection. Does anyone have any favorites? If so, please share in the comments! :)...more
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