Jay Z Issues Inspiring Poem, “Dream. On.”
Rapper, business man, icon, poet.
On June 25, 1996, Jay Z released his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt. Heralded as one of Hip Hop’s prized possessions, this album is a 55-minute therapy session between Jay and his listeners detailing his hustling past and the associated trauma. Filled with some of the game’s most memorable and dexterous lines, Jay has always been a poet. Yesterday, he took on that meaning more literally.
Released on Tidal, Jay issued a poem, “Dream. On.”, and an accompanying 90-second video that centers on his childhood Marcy projects apartment. Multiple shots tour us through this impoverished home as Jay discusses hatching a dream, chasing it, realizing it, despite being entrenched in calamitous conditions. It shows us what the physical structure and emotional resilience that laid the foundation for the icon who we’re well-accustomed with today.
It’s a testament to vision, belief; it’s a story of what happens when “try” is removed from a man’s vocabulary. It’s a story of triumph that’s still being written.
Watch “Dream. On.” below:
