someone who is both wise and blessed in that particular field.Īdditionally, Jigga enlightens listeners on the methodology, or perhaps we can say ideology behind his music artistry. And that is to “analyze” all he has witnessed throughout his “hard knock life” and put it into song. And concerning his rap music peers, he’s not really interested in befriending them. Rather his mindframe is to take the industry over and destroy anyone or anything that gets in his way. He then proceeds to tout his abilities as an income generator, i.e. And that is that the same business-minded mentality he developed as a drug dealer is the same one he practices as a professional musician. So it’s like he got his work ethic from the streets.
a rough background. For instance, whereas now he may be a professional musician, other individuals he grew up with are incarcerated. But even they, within the confines of their imprisonment, are doing their thing.īy this juncture of the song, it also becomes apparent what Jay is trying to get at. The second verse buttresses the notion that if there’s one main point which Jay-Z is trying to get across, it’s that he came from a “hard knock life”, i.e. In fact this song is not meant to be entirely biographical. Rather in that regard its purpose is to serve as a character study, if you will, of the type of tenacity it takes to overcome the ghetto.īut anyway, readers who are really interested in learning about the types of the activities Sean Carter was engaged in pre-music industry should check out Jay-Z’s written memoir, 2010’s Decoded.Īnd with that in mind, the verse ends with Jigga highlighting the type of monetary ambition that fueled the pursuits of individuals in the ‘hood such as himself. But more to the point is his intention to use incomes generated in the name of chillin’. Or, let’s put it like this – the primary purpose of making it big, from the perspective of popular rap music, is to afford one the opportunity to enjoy the finer things in life. The rapper also uses the first verse to poetically allude to another peril of making money the street way, which is being incarcerated. But to note Jigga himself has never actually been to jail, as implied in the lyrics. Rather he interpreted it as being indicative of the persistence of the vocalist, a down-and-out child, to make it in the world despite the impoverished circumstances in which she and her ilk live. And such can also be gleaned by some listeners as the thesis sentiment of this track also.įor instance, the first line of the first verse points directly to Jay-Z’s come up. He uses a good portion of the passage to reminisce on back in the day when, most simply put, he was a street-based drug dealer.Īgain going back to our exposition on life in the ‘hood for a moment, usually when shots are being fired in such communities, it is drug dealers or similar types of bad boys who are doing so. That’s our roundabout way of verifying that yes, if Jay-Z was engaged in such a profession, it is very much probable he may have witnessed a murder or two. In fact concerning the aforenoted chorus, Jay-Z did not choose to utilize it based on the message it is relaying on the surface per se. Carter gives a shoutout to in the first verse, the lyrics of this piece can at least be partially interpreted as exercises in positivity thinking. So as with some similarly-themed tracks by the Notorious B.I.G., whom Mr. Jigga comparing his earlier days on the streets to the here and now. And let it be known that whereas Jay was already a rap star by the time he wrote “Hard Knock Life”, this was well before he became the mogul we know him as today. That said, we all know that Jay-Z is someone who did in fact make it from the ‘hood to the boardroom (without going the college route), as such has been perhaps the most consistent topic of his music.Īnd it is that idea upon which this song is based, i.e. Or resolve one’s self to a job which probably isn’t going to pay much. So when it comes time to generate paper, it’s either hit the streets for an ideological shot at one day making millions.
By virtue of this, the average child doesn’t really come up thinking about the university.
But also rampant in city communities like the one Jay-Z grew up in is gun violence.Īlso, there is this ruthless ambition to make it big amongst many young men. In other words, the ‘hood is not an environment generally populated by college-educated people. No matter where the road may take one afterwards, individuals who grew up therein are forever affected by the experience. Some, as implied by the chorus, may be victims of child abuse.
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