Jay-Z: “The Story of O.J.”

[Abbe Pannucci]

“The Story of O.J”, a song written in 2017 by Jay-Z, has extremely impactful lyrics paired with a gripping music video. The meaning of the song trying to portray is that no matter what black Americans do, in terms of career or economic status, they will always be judged first by the color of their skin. The images of money flying everywhere in the music video add to the meaning of the song saying that black Americans should strive to be as successful as they can despite the judgment/discrimination from others. In an interview with iHeartRadio, Jay-Z said that he intended the song to be about turning success into something bigger and the culture surrounding black Americans making and losing money. Jay-Z titles the song “The Story of O.J.” after a famous quote said by OJ Simpson: “I’m not black. I’m O.J.”

Throughout the entire song, Jay-Z is speaking about communities of black people in America including everyone from slaves to poor people to rich people, specifically in Brooklyn. Based on the choice words Jay-Z uses in the chorus and the use of only black people in the music video, the community he is describing is clear to the listener. Jay-Z also touches upon the Jewish community with the lyric, “You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This is how they did it.” While many people believe this line to be anti-Semitic, I think Jay-Z is actually complimenting Jewish people saying that they were able to become successful despite enduring discrimination. Jay-Z has confirmed that this was his intention in numerous interviews.

Being a black American himself, Jay-Z may have experienced some of the discrimination he is referring to in his song, making the narrative believable. He has also used the cards he was dealt in life and became successful, which is the idea he is trying to get across in the song. A key insight one gains by listing to this song and watching the music video is about how black Americans feel about race relations in the country.

The ethnography research question paired with this song is what does “The Story of O.J.” tell us about race relations in America and specifically between Blacks and Jews in Brooklyn? To answer this question I would study Crown Heights, an area in Brooklyn where a lot of black people and Jewish people live. In order to gain a holistic view on the relationship between the various ethnic groups, I would observe people on streets with high foot traffic as well as business that facilitate social interaction such as bars, coffee shops, and grocery stores. I would interview residents of Crown Heights that belong to each group as well as outgroups in the community order to get every perspective possible on race relations. In order to tie “The Story of O.J.” into the ethnography, I may ask questions about how people feel about the song or if/how they relate to it.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Abbe Pannucci.

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