Ever wonder if Jay-Z got that “what, what” he was asking for, or if he ever solved any of those 99 problems he had? Have you ever watched him perform and marveled at his master swagger and asked yourself how someone not only becomes a music icon, but also an icon for walking like a badass mofo? The details behind his most famous and provocative lyrics will be revealed as well as the story of his rise to from Brooklyn's Shawn Corey Carter to international superstar rapper Jay-Z, when his autobiography, Decoded, is released this November 16.
According to Rolling Stone, the 336-page urban tale is an in-depth account of the 40-year-old’s life as told via first person memoirs penned by the man himself and interviews with people close to him. Decoded chronicles Jay-Z’s childhood years spent in the Brooklyn projects, follows him through his drug dealing youth-turned-rapper days, and examines how he eventually ended up becoming the Grammy winning, genre-defining, musical mastermind he is today.
Apparently, the book is an extensive tell-all, with Jay-Z openly admitting to RS that the autobiography was complete a few years ago, but he was reluctant to release it until now because of how thorough the details are. Jay-Z explained his hesitation to RS this June:
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.