The House That Hova Built

The NYTimes just posted an interview that author Zadie Smith did with Jay-Z and it’s totally worth the read if you’ve got any interest in Jigga…or hip-hop…or fish sandwiches?

The article brings to light a couple of points about Jay-Z such as:

• he’ll totally order for you at a restaurant
• he’s prompt
• he’s probably a vampire (she says that he looks 12 years younger than he is so I’m pretty sure that’s all I need to deduce that fact)

Also this:

…he’s a generalist. Biggie had better boasts, Tupac dropped more knowledge, Eminem is — as “Renegade” demonstrated — more formally dexterous. But Hova’s the all-rounder. His albums are showrooms of hip-hop, displaying the various possibilities of the form.

In essence, Jay-Z is Mario to hip-hop’s Super Mario 2 (or Mario Kart, if you’d prefer). And as a kid (and an adult), I pretty much always played as Mario* so I suppose that explains why Jay is usually in my iTunes rotation. I feel like now would be a good time for the NBC “The More You Know” title.

*Super Mario 2 character breakdowns: Luigi was too unwieldy, the Princess made the game too easy, Toad was too Toad**, while Mario was just the right amount of challenge.

**Honestly, who played Super Mario Bros. and thought, how come I can’t play as that guy that apologizes a bunch of times?