Jay-Z has his hands in so many pots — from music streaming with Tidal, to a sports agency, artist/entertainer management, even a Jet uberesque service. But he’s not stingy with the game, as his perspective on building Black wealth and independence was strewn all over his highly regarded 4:44 album. Dame heard the buzz about Jay’s late career opus, and he told Complexthat he heard a lot of his own lessons being projected.
“It seems like everything I’m speaking about got reflected in that album,” he said, even suggesting that he saw his album rollout strategy used with 4:44’s ubiquitous, ambiguous marketing. Indeed, Dame has spent the better part of four years on different internet platforms offering advice on the importance of independence and building a Black financial infrastructure via the entertainment business. His unflinching perspective and hyperbolic “your boss is your daddy” condemnation rubs many the wrong way, but it’s hard to argue he doesn’t know what he’s talking about with his past accomplishments with Roc-A-Fella records.
Dame even went as far to call Jay-Z his “best student,” because “he listens” and is saying “the right stuff.” It’s probably breaking news — or not — to Jay-Z that Dame considered him a student back in the day. I guess it’s better than “coward.”
While Dame hasn’t listened to 4:44, he says, “I think it’s a great thing that he can still rap at this age. I think it’s great that at this age he’s saying the things that a man this age should say, because most people his age don’t rap, and if they do they’re usually on some silly shit.” Indeed.
