In an interview for Rolling Stones, forty-year-old rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z talks about aging in the Hip-Hop industry. He says that rap has always been a “young game” and it is becoming harder for aging rappers to achieve the same success as the young minds of Hip-Hop.
Furthermore, Hov also talks about LL Cool J, but the way and the context he mentions him sound more of a diss than a compliment: “We've seen people like LL Cool J have longevity and we respect the heritage of what he's done but it's not like right now he's competing on the same level as Lil Wayne so for me to still be able to compete at that level at my age, that's rarefied air, it's never been done.”
It is universally acknowledged that to-keep-it-real in Hip-Hop is pivotal, and this seems to be Jay-Z’s key of success. He asserts that: "I think the problem with people, as they start to mature, they say, 'Rap is a young man's game,' and they keep trying to make young songs. But you don't know the slang -- it changes every day. You can visit the topic, but these young kids live it every day, and you're just visiting. So you're trying to be something you're not, and the audience doesn't buy into that. And people wonder why [they're not selling]. 'I made a great Southern bounce song!' You're from New York, and you're 70! Why are you bouncing?"
Whether Hov is dissing or not, truth is he is at the top of the game. His Blueprint 3 is selling incredibly well, his performances are always a success and he still hits sold-outs at his concerts.
- By Brunella I. Costagliola
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