Feature

The Jay-Z Effect: Is Jay-Z Hip-Hop’s Version of Oprah?

Monday Jun 8, 2009 – By Natalie Nichols

jay-z_575 If you had not yet heard, the Oprah effect is very real. Oprah is the daytime diva, who controls masses of minds from her cute little couch. With more authority in most of our lives than our own parents, CNBC has dedicated an entire hour of programming to review what major companies go through to get their product on Oprah’s show. Just the mere mention of a brand has sent many upstart and established companies from obscurity to celebrity. There is no greater gain for a business than an Oprah endorsement. Instead of who has more money, God or Oprah, a better question is who has more influence?

Yet, when it comes to hip-hop, a central and sole voice of authority has been severely lacking. Following Friday’s release of Jay-Z’s newest track, D.O.A. (Death of Autotune), the Jigga Man once again took the industry on his own shoulders. Credibility is everything in hip-hop. These days Jay-Z is the only viable artist out there whose credit is good and long standing. As announced by Mr. Cee and Funkmaster Flex when they premiered D.O.A. to the world, auto tune in music is an issue that the hip-hop community has been beyond derelict in addressing.

“Stop using auto tune as a crutch and get back to rapping.” — Jay-Z

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Jay-Z has requested that music get away from the likes of Lil Wayne’s Lollipop, Kanye’s 808’s and Heart Break, and the phenomenal body of work provided to us from the uber-talented T-Pain- while still acknowledging that without auto tune, these songs had great melody at the roots. He told Hot 97, this track was all in the interest of “moving hip-hop forward.”

Thank you Jay-Z. It’s sad that in order for hip-hop to move forward, it needed to be said that rappers needed to start rapping. Hip-hop has long been wandering in the desert. My hope is Jay-Z is the Moses who will lead us back to a quality of musicality that has been all but dead. Auto tune being the noose around the neck of hip-hop just waiting to strangle out any remaining signs of its true existence as it flails for dear life. For real lovers of the culture and the music such as myself, I can’t take another 40 years of this BS.

What remains to be seen is if this clarion call will be taken seriously within the industry. The other thing about hip-hop that is so undeniably unfortunate is the industry is built on trend. When Jay-Z said jerseys were wack, EVERYONE started rocking button ups. Hip-hop is also a very male dominated, egotistical arena, which means some clown is bound to challenge Hov in the name of promoting his own career and to also justify the falsified musical success he has achieved by robotic vocal assistance. Jay-Z is shining a spotlight on what most of us have known or thought for years: If you can truly rap you don’t need any vocal modifications. In the beginning it sounded pretty cool, but dammit, enough is enough.

If a true Jay-Z effect were to take hold of the industry, this could be the tipping point we have all been waiting for. More so, as the lead track from Jay-Z’s eagerly awaited Blueprint 3, this album without a doubt will set the tone for what the corporate heavies will be demanding other artists get in line with. Because as we all know, if it’s hot, music companies, will manufacture it, market it, and shove it down our throats. Props to you Jigga, for stating the obvious; once again you’ve stepped in as hip-hop’s savior. If Oprah had any respect for hip-hop, she would know that she owes you a favor.

LB says:

June 8, 2009 at 10:12 am

I hope “uber” talented T-Pain is a joke. Nice Piece.

↑ Reply

Royal K. says:

June 8, 2009 at 11:00 am

Kinda wack with the Oprah comment everyone doesn’t subscribe to her opinions … Jay is more like, and to quote him “the Michael Jordan of rap”

Nita says:

June 8, 2009 at 11:40 am

Oprah! No but the” Mike Jordan of rap”yes.
Get it right.

girlygirl says:

June 8, 2009 at 1:35 pm

nice article…fb upload worthy. Had yet to hear the track, so that was a good look..

Raushanah says:

June 8, 2009 at 4:59 pm

LBJ you are the greatest!!! I certainly hope the robot voice crap is on the way out…but while its leaving can it take that dang Halle Berry song with it!?!?!? Jay isnt called HOVA for nothing, he really is the hip-hop savior!!

keke says:

June 8, 2009 at 5:43 pm

I’m sorry but it isn’t much of a diss if his highness excuses T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Kanye. I love Kanye but let’s be real, I prefer Kanye without the track ridden auto-tune. Those 3 artists are the individuals who have really put autotune at the forefront of hip hop right now; everyone else is just pretty much following suit cause they realize that it sells. So Jay disses the second grade rappers using autotune….what good is that? Those rappers would be C and D level without hits if they didn’t use autotune. If you gonna diss autotune, then diss it altogether; don’t give passes!

Clnmike says:

June 8, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Big fan of Hova but I aint giving him credit for this, anyone with ears could tell auto tunes was played out after Kanye did his whole album techno up. Jay is just stating the obvious. As for his album chaning the game, not going to happen, to do what Jay does you have to have TALENT, something that is lacking with most rappers out an about here. The corparations are about money and as long as a catchy hook, dance beat, and simple lyrics sell there going to back that up.

Goldangel says:

June 8, 2009 at 6:53 pm

and folks should be listening to a former drug dealer by the name of sean carter aka jay z exactly why, again?

needs to go sit his ugly ass down somewhere.

June 8, 2009 at 9:12 pm

^^^Hater.

China says:

June 8, 2009 at 11:00 pm

Autotune didn’t hurt R&B/Funk when Zapp & Roger, Stevie Wonder,or Teddy Riley used it. So how is it hurting hip hop? Its a creative tool. Music changes. Times change. For example being a 40 year old rapper who could dictate what was cool was unheard of a few years ago. Why is he mad about autotune? Good music is good music regardless of how its made. I know DOA’s track shines brighter than Jay’s lyrics, that’s what gets the song over.

William H. Strafe says:

June 8, 2009 at 11:03 pm

Great article, Natz.

I think Nita is right, he’s more of a MJ than an Oprah but I see where you’re going with this. Jay jumps, we measure how high.

But what if this time, we don’t measure?

http://seveneighteen.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/doa-and-the-legacy-of-jay-z/

Mr.Nice says:

June 9, 2009 at 12:59 pm

“If you don’t move your feet then I don’t eat so, we like neck to neck” _3000

We help pay for his lifestyle he gives it back to us in double entendre…

its his creativity that makes him spectac.

hip hop allows us all to be critical of each other without physical violence … Remember “Ether” by, Nas? Remember “Black President” by, Nas AND Jay Z?

to diss is not to diss forever

MBRoman says:

June 11, 2009 at 3:34 pm

So to all of you who diss the Oprah refernce… The only reason you compare Jay-Z to MJ is cuz he did. U doing it again only proves Nat’s point about the Oprah Effect.

I like the song alot. Great beat, great point. Yes, auto-tune is played. It’s played BECAUSE the B & C & D rappers caught on use it cuz they know it’s the trend right now. You can’t blame the actual “creative” artists who use it as a tool, not a crutch (T-Pain is the only exception, but he has his niche, even if i don’t agree with it)

It’s T-Pain’s gimmick so i was willing to let that slide cuz he was the only one at the time. Lolli-pop was hot, i must admit, but it would’ve been just as hot without the autotune. I actually REALLY like Kayne’s 808’s & heartbreak, but it could have been SOOO much better if Kayne could get over himself for a minute. I saw a live performance of “Amazing” where he brought out a woman to actually sing the hook “no matter what you’ll never take that from me, etc…” and it was, for lack of a better word, AMAZING. Imagine if he had written and produced the album, but gotten real singers to perform.

Hopefully the Jay-Z effect will take hold simply by listeners realizing what they were missing. But we do need the younger artists to step up. Right now, all i can think of is Wayne and Lupe, as far as younger artists who are CAPABLE of carrying the torch. That Kayne protege dude has some nice stuff out, but i can’t remember his name right now. I actually like the Clipse but all they talk about is drugs and violence, and my grown man married self is basically over that. Glad Hov’s come back to feed our addiction, but we do need some new quality pushers.

June 15, 2009 at 8:30 pm

When I have a son he will never be ANYTHING like Jay Z and, if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t let her ANYWHERE near the likes of him if only for the fact that I wouldn’t want to chance having an ugly granddaughter. But this thing of clapping and celebrating when a murderer like OJ gets acquitted; calling R. Kelly’s teenaged victim “fast” or a “ho” then continuing to put money in Kelly’s pocket by purchasing his CDs or attending his concerts and sitting back while BET and the NAACP nominates him for awards; and, now, hailing Jay Z? Ridiculousness!

If people are going to continue to big up, congratulate and forgive black American men for the trifling shit they do then support, finance, sex, baby or love on them (those who do the community the most detrimental harm), then they may as well support, finance, sex, baby and love on white dudes in the Ku Klux Klan.

Thank goodness there is no real ‘Jay Z effect’ and any reference to it is either wishful thinking, concocted crap, or a rightful ticket to prison. Jigga was good at selling dope and poisoning his own people; HOVA was good at calling females bitches and hoes and ooh it was just so wonderful and profound when he did that, right (sarcasm)?

A few years ago Jay Z signed on to do that Best of Both Worlds tour with R. Kelly after the tape and news of his vile abuse of young girls was well known. REPEAT: JAY Z SIGNED ON TO TOUR WITH A PEDOPHILE, so I hope Beyonce never gets pregnant with one child by this ugly opportunistic fucker, let alone pregnant with a female child, as I’d question that type of judgment and both he and she will have some serious explaining, backtracking, lying, excusing and fudging the truth to do if their future children were to ask serious questions.

Did Jigga even graduate high school? Does he have a certificate from a trade school? College degree? No to all 3! Yes, he may be a ‘successful businessman’ NOW. Yes, he may have gone on to throw a couple of million at the effort to bring clean water to certain parts of Africa (hell, gotta ‘tax shelter’ some of those millions somehow), but Jay Z once shot his own brother over some piddly jewelry and was once popped on gun charges, arrested for allegedly stabbing somebody etc.

And somebody want THIS to have some “effect”? For real? If so, that is indicative of LOW standards and begs the question of why anyone would want to big up or celebrate an asshat that thought so little of his own people and females. Just because he became rich and married one of the most beautiful, talented and rich female entertainers in the world (I am a Beyonce fan but will never understand what she sees/saw in Jay Z nor why she got with then married him. I’d much sooner vomit before letting Jigga’s ugly black ass near me)?

Jay Z can’t endorse a presidential candidate and, shortly thereafter, witness millions of intelligent self-thinkers consider and reconsider, take a look, ‘see’ then vote.

Jay Z can’t big up a book then watch it jump to the ‘best sellers’ list.

Jay Z can’t speak of a movie he dug then even remotely expect it to top the box-office over a weekend.

Jay Z can’t feature a small business (i.e. Carol’s Daughter owned by an African American female Lisa Price) then smile as her sales double, triple or quadruple and she goes on to hire others.

Jay Z raps (something a 1st grader can do), stupidly called out Cristal and upped Roederer’s sales without a paid endorsement, opened up some 40/40 clubs and served their wares and put mo’ money in their pockets – then went whining like a bitch, wanted the black community to fall in line and boycott because HE was offended, erroneously played the race card and called the company “racist” because they wanted no association with a former drug dealer (turned rapper) who called females awful names on wax.

June 15, 2009 at 8:42 pm

^^^ Professional hater.

June 15, 2009 at 9:20 pm

I was just going to laugh this off but there is something seriously wrong with your views here.

1- How does Jay-Z relate to OJ?

2- WOMEN are the ones running out to support R. Kelly not men.

3- As I recall that tour was signed before the video came out about and Jay-Z bowed out of the tour afterwards and didnt promote the album.

4- How the hell is Jay or more importantly his past a representaion of all black men? Or are women like Karrine “Super Head” Steffans, Omarosa and the entire cast of Flava of love represenatives of black women by your logic?

5- Yes there is a jay-Z effect that why he has cameras in his “ugly” face all the time, people ask his opinion, and he sells records,

6- Drug addicts fuel the drug trade and the goverment makes prisoners out of dealers. Thats how it works.

7- “Did Jigga even graduate high school? Does he have a certificate from a trade school? College degree? No to all 3!”

Seems to be doing pretty good without those three and i am going to go out on a limb and say better off than you. And thats ignoring all the people who have done all three and still managed to be scum of the earth.

8- “Yes, he may have gone on to throw a couple of million at the effort to bring clean water to certain parts of Africa (hell, gotta ‘tax shelter’ some of those millions somehow)”

What would you like to do with the money? Im sure those Africans are happy, what have you done for them?

9-”but Jay Z once shot his own brother over some piddly jewelry”

He expressed remores and his brother the victim forgave him, whats your problem?

10- “I am a Beyonce fan but will never understand what she sees/saw in Jay Z nor why she got with then married him. I’d much sooner vomit before letting Jigga’s ugly black ass near me?”

Dont matter what you think, as of now she is HAPPY. Or would you prefer something pretty like Chris Brown? Or judging by your tone maybe a young Robert Di Nero or Bill Maher? (provided that you can get them to stick to one black woman).

11-”Jay Z can’t endorse a presidential candidate and, shortly thereafter, witness millions of intelligent self-thinkers consider and reconsider, take a look, ‘see’ then vote.”

He did endores him and many people who wouldnt have voted at all did. And Oprah didnt change shit.

12- “Jay Z can’t big up a book then watch it jump to the ‘best sellers’ list.”

How many people can?

13- “Jay Z can’t speak of a movie he dug then even remotely expect it to top the box-office over a weekend.”

Yeah which movie was that?

14- “Jay Z raps (something a 1st grader can do)”

Than there should be a lot of well paid 1st graders if it’s that easy.

15- “called the company “racist” because they wanted no association with a former drug dealer (turned rapper) who called females awful names on wax.”

No they could give a rats ass what he called women, they were more concern about maintaining an image of exclusivity which HIP-HOP which is inclusive did not lend to. That was the reason.

16- Exactly when does a mans past stays in his past? Or are they not allowed to evolve?

You defeated your own agenda when you made personal attack on his looks, refered to his skin tone, (as if he is that BLACK), and drudged up his past dismissed his “now”.

This country happens to like the underdog who came out of the gutter and made it big their way with little to no negotiation with people like minded as your self.

Big up to Oprah but her way aint the only way.

June 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm

Clnmike could you stop name-calling (I think that’s twice that you’ve done it [“hater”] so far)? I’ll be 25 next year (and I know hip hop from top to bottom) but calling names is what grade-schoolers, and those over the age of 18 who dislike other’s opinions yet can’t disprove them, do.

You asked “How does Jay-Z relate to OJ?” when I’m pretty sure I clearly communicated *my POV* about the correlation I saw with deifying, congratulating or big-upping the likes of OJ, Kelly and Jay Z. Things all 3 share in common? Ethnicity, country of origin, place in popular culture and all 3 have committed criminal acts and should have either served considerable time on lock or be in jail right now. So, trying to plant some halo on their (or that of any number of dudes’) heads and questioning if they are some “authority” or should hold some “effect” over the world or hip hop (music or culture) is mind-boggling.

#1) Jay Z ain’t no “Moses” or “savior” nor does Oprah owe him “a favor” [terms from the opening article] and why does society or successful females always gotta be owing black men something? Are they perpetual children in need of everybody’s neverending care, money, support and attention? Jigga is not profound and when he whined “stop using auto tune as a crutch” seems HOV needs to really study music and understand that back in the day it was called a vocoder or talk box. Almost 40 years ago Stevie Wonder popularized its use with Superstition way before rocker Peter Frampton, funk/RnB’ers Zapp & Roger Troutman, rapper T-Pain etc. jumped on the train. # 2) When rapping first began in the late 70s-early 80s, the Sugar Hill Gang, Afrika Bambatta, Grandmaster Flash, Kool Moe Dee, Dougie Fresh, Run DMC etc. weren’t a bunch of drug dealers calling females “bitches” on wax (like Sean Carter). Quite possibly Jiggaboo’s reasons for blabbing against “auto tune” are to stir up beef and drum up sales for some upcoming CD but still it tickles me that his ugly ass has the nerve to tell somebody to “get back to rapping”. I’d rather hear someone rock out on a vocoder than hear another black male rapper yell “ho” or ask females to show their asses or drop it – as they’ve sent that shit worldwide for years and shown those in Europe, Asia, Africa etc. how badly they disrespect their own women. And since when did saying “nigger” and calling females “bitches” morph into some any type of “musicality” [term from the beginning article] – quality or otherwise?

You stated “women are the ones running out to support R. Kelly not men”, so prove it!! Putting aside those like Jay Z, Fat Joe, B2K, Nick Cannon etc. (need I go on to list more who chose to work/collaborate with or honor that piece of shit pedophile after February 2002 when the tape of his filthiness hit the streets), provide a credible link that breaks down R. Kelly’s earnings via concert and CD sales for the last 4 or 5 years by gender. PROVE females are the ones that primarily continued to financially support him after he was indicted, or shut the fuck up.

You asked “how the hell is Jay or more importantly his past a representaion [sic] of all black men?” Learn to read and comprehend then realize that I never wrote that Jay Z was a “representaion [sic] of all black men”. Any former criminal that has truly turned their lives around should be allowed to move beyond their past and evolve, but no former criminal, dirty violent asshole and/or drug dealer like Jay Z that made a mint calling females out their names on wax will ever be deserving of being labeled a “Moses”, “savior” of anything, looked up to as a role model, emulated, honored or held in high esteem.

“…he sells records…”

So did Milli Vanilli and the Backstreet Boys so was there a point somewhere in your statement? Jay Z may have some sort of “effect” on a few thousand ignorant, dumb or low-thinking hoodrats, thugs and ghetto-dwellers, but he has no real power, effect or influence over a worldwide 6 billion people.

“…and i am going to go out on a limb and say better off than you.”

Well hang on to that branch because you ARE, indeed, way out on a limb and so dead wrong that no more need be said on that. CONSIDER HOW WEIRD AND DESPERATE IT IS TO TRY TO TALK ABOUT *ME*, INSTEAD OF STICKING TO THE SUBJECT OF THE ARTICLE. Focus, little boy, focus!!

“Or would you prefer something pretty like Chris Brown? Or judging by your tone maybe a young Robert Di Nero or Bill Maher? (provided that you can get them to stick to one black woman).”

Well, I am not American, ain’t a “black woman”, and I’m a mixed chick, so what do I care? Tall, good-looking or “pretty”, intelligent, built and monied men are par and a must (I’m married to one) but maybe Jay Z would be, like, 1/8th less ugly to me were he not a former drug dealer, shooter and stabber who’d spit such disrespect for his own race of females. Of course Beyonce is free to do as she pleases and I could feel her had she got with a Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Zac Efron, Wentworth Miller, Justin Timberlake or even Robert De Niro (were any of them single) but I DO NOT and NEVER WILL see what she sees in an ape thug negro like Jay Z. Got that?!

If you ain’t OK with it, please know that I could care less!

June 16, 2009 at 7:52 pm

1- You who have through out your post commented on Jay-Z’s look should not be worried about name calling.

2-Last Time I check Jay didnt kill or molest anyone so there is no relation.

3- Who said Oprah owed him anything? In fact how did you read this article and find away to turn it into a man vs woman issue at all? This was about Jay’s influence on pop culture and the minds of Americans. The article stated the man has pull, you cant deny that.

4- Autotunes has been done to death Jay stated what every one was thinking but not saying.

5- As for his choice of language Im grown I know the difference between B and Hs and ladies if it offends you dont listen.

6- “You stated “women are the ones running out to support R. Kelly not men”, so prove it!!”

You serious? You been to his concerts? I dont see dudes flooding arenas and throwing their boxer shorts on stage. You show me were men are supporting him or take your own advice.

7- “Putting aside those like Jay Z, Fat Joe, B2K, Nick Cannon etc. (need I go on to list more who chose to work/collaborate with or honor that piece of shit pedophile after February 2002 when the tape of his filthiness hit the streets)”

I dont listen to any of them except Jay and as I stated before Jay left him alone once the tape broke, thats fact.

You lady are full of it, you came on here and turned this into a battle of the sexes and when some one challenged you turned internet gangsta.

And than got the nerve to telll some one to focus on the topic?

Did you?

The only thing you have proven here is that the bitch word wont be retired anytime soon.

Rashida says:

June 16, 2009 at 7:53 pm

Goldangel,

You seem real bitter and salty – no one likes the taste of bitter and salty.

If you are so disgusted by Jay-Z, why click on an article about him?

Just looking for another excuse to blame black men for the misery in your life, right?

If a black man called a black woman an “ape negro” you would call for his lynching. So fall back with all that RACIST GARBAGE.

SMH @ sisters losing their minds these days.

Oh Im sorry one more thing……YOUR A HATER.

That will be all thank you.

June 16, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Love Jay, just had to put that out there.

T-Pain really IS talented and one of the few acts to debut in the past five years who has had real influence on music. A lot of folks have come and gone and left us with nothing. Even if T-Pain falls off, he has left us with auto-tune.

Anyway, Jay isn’t say anything that music bloggers and fans haven’t been saying for years. Only CERTAIN people can get away with auto-tune, the rest have not proven they have talent OUTSIDE of auto-tune. This is the huge difference. Kanye gets a pass because he made three solid albums without auto-tune. Same with Wayne.

But the rest of these knock-kneed clowns are using it to get a hit because it’s catchy and they crash and burn like they rightfully should.

In two years it will be something else.

June 16, 2009 at 8:54 pm

*spraying CHICKENHEADBEGONE® at that Rashida critter*, next…

“You who have through out your post commented on Jay-Z’s look should not be worried about name calling.”

*I* stuck to the subject (Jay Z) and called HIM ugly etc. *You*, on the other hand Clnmike, came with the name-calling at *ME* because you didn’t like my opinions but could not disprove them. Grow up! This ain’t the ghetto so how difficult could it be for you to distinguish between the two in a debate?

“Who said Oprah owed him anything? In fact how did you read this article and find away to turn it into a man vs woman issue at all?”

Geez, how obtuse can you be? If you can’t read and lack the intelligence to follow along, then stay ya ass out the game but, had you read and comprehended the opening joint, you’d have noted this lil tidbit at the end of Nichol’s article….“If Oprah had any respect for hip-hop, she would know that she owes you [Jay Z] a favor.”

“You show me were men are supporting him or take your own advice”.

Aaaaaaw whatsa matta, likkle Mikey-Wikey? Can’t prove your claim that “women are the ones running out to support R. Kelly not men”? Boy, bye!

“The only thing you have proven here is that the bitch word wont be retired anytime soon.”

I agree! It won’t be retired because it will be needed to describe wimpy punk ass males who ride Jay Z’s nutsack like fairies and – when they get angry, all else fails and they can’t control a situation – like to call females out their names! That’s the ticket but thank you, Clnmike, for displaying a prime example of why I never dated black American men, don’t find the majority of them attractive, and look forward to the day the lot of em are all locked up for life in a maximum security prison on a remote island somewhere.

*I am joking, so no one should trip*

June 16, 2009 at 9:58 pm

Lol, no patner aint no joke here, just you showing your true colors.