Editing Jay-Z (section)

==Musical style==
===Influences===
Jay-Z says his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was mostly of [[Soul music|soul]] artists such as [[Marvin Gaye]] and [[Donny Hathaway]]. He says "I grew up around music, listening to all types of people... I'm into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever. As long as I can feel their soul through the wax, that's what I really listen to."<ref name="MTV News">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1619380/20090824/jay_z.jhtml|title=A Young Jay-Z Describes His Early Influences|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|publisher=[[MTV News]]|date=August 24, 2009|access-date=December 31, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003114113/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1619380/20090824/jay_z.jhtml|archive-date=October 3, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> He often uses excerpts from these artists as [[Sampling (music)|samples]] in his work, particularly in the Kanye West productions included on ''The Blueprint.''<ref name="MTV News"/>

===Rapping technique===
Known for his lyrical prowess which often utilises [[double entendre]]s, witty [[Word play|wordplays]], and mixes messages with [[Braggadocio (rap)|braggadocio]], his music often describes his rise from poverty to vast wealth.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/drew-millard/jay-z-50-best-double-entendres | title=Jay-Z's 50 Best Double Entendres | website=[[Complex Networks]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Servantes |first1=Ian |title=13 Jay-Z Lyrics That Prove He Never Lost His Fire |url=https://www.redbull.com/se-en/jay-z-best-new-lyrics |website=[[Red Bull]] |access-date=9 December 2024 |date=17 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://theboombox.com/20-best-lyrics-from-jay-z/ | title=20 Best Lyrics from Jay-Z | date=July 27, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-04-21/164097/10-jay-z-lyrics-about-finances-business-money | title=10 times JAY-Z's business-laced bars taught us how to reach billionaire status }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-jay-zs-honest-lyrics-can-help-you-improve-your-finances-2017-11-24 | title=Financial advice from Jay-Z's lyrics you should follow — and avoid | date=November 25, 2017 }}</ref>

[[Royce da 5'9"]] and [[Fredro Starr]] of [[Onyx (hip hop group)|Onyx]] both describe Jay-Z's emphasis on [[Flow (music)|flow]] in the book ''[[How to Rap]]''—Starr says that Jay-Z is "a master of the flow—he can flow fast, he can flow slow".<ref name="EdwardsRap65">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|pp=65, 112}}</ref> The book describes how Jay-Z uses 'rests' to provide structure to a verse<ref name="EdwardsRap129">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|p=129}}</ref> and how he uses 'partial linking' to add more [[rhyme]]s to a verse.<ref name="EdwardsRap91">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|p=91}}</ref> Jay-Z's early style is described by [[Vibe (magazine)|''Vibe'']] as "a distinctly [[Das EFX]]-type, stiggety style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That",<ref>Vibe magazine, Jan 2004, Vol. 12, No. 1, published by Vibe Media Group, p. 75.</ref> referring to the fast rhythms and vocal delivery of the group Das EFX. He is also known to write lyrics in his head, as described by [[Pusha T]] of [[Clipse]] in ''How to Rap'',<ref name="EdwardsRap144">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|p=144}}</ref> a style popular with many [[MC]]s such as [[The Notorious B.I.G.]],<ref name="EdwardsRap144"/> [[Everlast (musician)|Everlast]],<ref name="EdwardsRap144-145">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|pp=144–145}}</ref> [[Bobby Creekwater]]<ref name="EdwardsRap145">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|pp=145}}</ref> and [[Guerilla Black]].<ref name="EdwardsRap145"/> [[Shock G]] of [[Digital Underground]] describes Jay-Z's live performance style, saying he "rarely breaks a sweat, and instead uses smoothness and clever wordplay to keep the audience interested and entertained".<ref name="EdwardsRap292">{{harvnb|Edwards|2009|p=292}}</ref> Jay-Z's fast rapping technique, also known as the [[Rapping#Rhythm|"triplet time"]], was developed during his early years of creating music with former mentor [[Jaz-O]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/a-brief-history-of-chopping-the-fastest-flows-ever-news.101882.html|title=A Brief History Of Chopping: The Fastest Flows Ever|website=www.hotnewhiphop.com|author=Findlay, Mitch|date=January 28, 2020|access-date=February 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215194932/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/a-brief-history-of-chopping-the-fastest-flows-ever-news.101882.html|archive-date=February 15, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/jaz-o-is-the-originator-reflections-on-jay-z-big-and-creating-the-triplet-flow-news.88588.html|title=Jaz-O Is The Originator: Reflections On Jay-Z, B.I.G, & Creating The Triplet Flow|website=www.hotnewhiphop.com|first=Mitch|last=Finlay|date=August 19, 2019|quote=The reason I did it was because in one-sixteenth cadence and your average four-fourth time signature beat, if you have more than sixteen syllables in a measure, all of the sudden, you're stuck with a dilemma to express yourself in a certain way or to get your point across the way you choose. I had to stuff those words, those extra syllables in the sixteen so it would transform those syllables into twenty-fourths, which became a triplet of an eighth. That's why I called it the triplet style.|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215095215/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/jaz-o-is-the-originator-reflections-on-jay-z-big-and-creating-the-triplet-flow-news.88588.html|archive-date=February 15, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>