In the previous post, I discussed how Jay Z’s “My 1st Song” expresses his own conceptions of the American work ethic, individualism, and merit.  Although Jay takes pride in his own accomplishments, he also gives props to the luck he’s been handed and the talent he’s been given.

In other words, we could say that Jay doesn’t glorify the individual and the individual’s efforts.  He doesn’t make the claim, as many Americans do, that every individual has the opportunity to succeed in our capitalist society as long as he or she works harder than others.  At the same time, he doesn’t downplay the importance of having a strong work ethic, or of “staying hungry.”  Indeed, the chorus of “My 1st Song” emphasizes this point, using a brilliant chiasmic line to encourage the listener to approach every project, whatever it entails, with determination and dedication: “Treat my first like my last and my last like my first /. And my thirst is the same as when I came.”

He also places his rise to fame and fortune within a communal framework, drawing our attention to the friends and associates that played a role in his success.  Metaphorically calling himself a schoolboy, Jay describes his rise—or “education” in pedagogical terms, and notes that he had “to lay way in the cut, till I finally got my turn.”  In other words, his time to shine was preceded by an era of other gifted students, who not only taught him, but also established a foundation upon which he could write his own success story.

This system of communal education, labor, and success appears in other areas of hip hop culture and, as many scholars point out, in the guilds of the Middle Ages.  Like the apprenticeships that medieval master artisans offered to young protégés, “internships” are often offered by master graffiti artists, major MCs, and prominent b-boys to promising, yet callow, candidates.  Although these candidates must develop their own talents by serving their superiors, they are also given the opportunity to observe their “masters” at work, thereby gaining valuable insights into the “trade” as well as motivation and future connections—not to mention the right to eventually take on their own apprentices.

This cycle of education, which combines individual talent and labor with a communal scaffolding, belies the myth of self-determination and meritocracy.  Suggesting that individuals’ success stories are often authored on a solid slate comprised of a community of teachers, shared knowledge, and fellow students, Jay Z and hip hop attempt to redefine American conceptions of the individual, accomplishment, and labor.