“Hip-hop’s renaissance man drops a classic. The scenes he recounts along the way are fascinating.” - Entertainment Weekly “Shawn Carter’s most honest airing of the experiences he drew on to create the mythic figure of Jay-Z. Decoded Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in. So thoroughly engrossing, it reads like a good piece of cultural journalism.” - The Boston Globe “A riveting exploration of Jay-Z’s journey. an impressive leap by a man who has never been known for small steps.” - Los Angeles Times “One of a handful of books that just about any hip hop fan should own.” - The New Yorker As a young boy Jay-Z became apart of Brooklynns gang life dealing drugs and facing other gangs while writing down his own ryhmes and lyrics that were extremely valuable to him. The book combines lyrics, their explanations, anecdotes, reflections, and autobiographical information. Part autobiography, part lavishly illustrated commentary on the author’s own work, Decoded gives the reader a harrowing portrait of the rough worlds Jay-Z navigated in his youth, while at the same time deconstructing his lyrics.” -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times Decoded is an autobiography of the rapper Jay-Z and the challenges he faced growing up in Brooklynn. Decoded is the autobiography and memoir of rapper Jay-Z, published by Random House and released Novemon hardcover and Novemon paperback.

Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time.

Jay z decoded hardcover