"If skills sold, truth be told..." - Jay-Z

Sean Carter was dope from the beginning. Further, he is dope regardless of what he is rhyming about. His how, is strong enough to overcome his what, most of the time. I feel like I need to state that so that my subsequent comments are not interpreted as as me insinuating anything to the contrary. But the reality is that Jay-Z spent several years providing listeners with less than his best and most creative effort lyrically. Picture Michael Jordan subbing himself out of an important basketball game to save energy. What would the response be if Derek Jeter didn't run out ground balls to first base? Exactly. I mean, its cool to mail it in if you are simply incapable of penning anything worth a damn, but this is Hov!

Eventually, Jay began to hear and respond to the criticisms with a line or two, here and there on mixtapes and albums:

On a dope "free"style on an old DJ Clue mixtape Jay quipped,

"You gotta believe I think like a artist but my bills through the roof can't do numbers like The Roots..."

A few months later on a track from the Black Album he spit at length on the issue with a brutally honest and revealing line;

(Skip to 1:44)

"...I dumb down for my audience to double my dollars

They criticize me for it yet they all yell "Holla"

If skills sold

Truth be told

I'd probably be

Lyricly

Talib Kweli

Truthfully

I wanna rhyme like Common Sense

(But i did five mill)

I ain't been rhymin like Common since..."

To his credit, in the very next section of the verse, he did make a fairly compelling argument as to why he felt this approach to writing/lyrics/rap was the most prudent one;

"...When your sense got that much in common

And you been hustlin since

Your inception

fukc perception

Go with what makes cents

Since, I know what i'm up against

We as rappers must decide what's most impor-tant

And i can't help the poor if i'm one of them

So i got rich and gave back to me that's the win, win

So next time you see the homie and his rims spin

Just know my mind is workin just like them

(The rims that is)

Jay makes a great point here (and does so while spitting fire!!...that play on since, cents, sense and Common Sense is bananas). He is sort of explaining why he does what he does. but I think he is missing the fundamental argument. The fans appear to have greater expectations of him as an artist than he does for himself.

A few years later on the Kingdom Come album Mr Carter not only revisits the issue of artist vs businessman, but also fires a shot at the trend of swagger and bounce beats selling records.

Nikka's beats is banging, nikka your hooks did it

Your lyrics didn't your gangster look did it

So I would write it if y'all could get it

Being intricate 'll get you wood, critic

On the Internet, they like you should spit it

I'm like you should buy it, nikka that's good business

(Hehe)

Forget this rap sh1t I need a new hustle

A little bit of everything, the new improved Russell

I say that reluctantly cause I do struggle

As you see I can't leave so I do love you

But I'm just a hustler disguised as a rapper

In fact you can't fit this hustle inside of a wrapper

It would appear that Mr. Carter took the criticisms more to heart than he would have liked us to believe. Nobody can argue that his rhymes in the last few years (Post Nas beef perhaps?) have been consistently more substantial than they had in the past.

From a selfish fan standpoint, I am glad we have gotten more of Sean the artist and a little less of Jay-Z the businessman.

FTR, "I'm not a businessman I'm a business, man!" is a great line haha