Jay-Z Loves To Read
Sure, we all know what music and media our favorite celebs are into, but what about the books that influenced them???
Jay-Z has provided O, The Oprah Magazine with the six books that "absolutely made a difference" in his life.
Check out his list below:
1. The Seat of the Soul
By Gary ZukavThere are two books that I absolutely live my life by. This is one of them. Growing up, I was always curious about religion. This book made the most sense to me; it’s about the way you live your life. I believe in karma and doing the right thing even if it may not advance you as far as you want. If every single person felt the same way about karma and intention, then the world gets fixed tomorrow. But temptation gets in the way. Zukav is right: It may take lifetimes to learn.
2. The Celestine Prophecy
By James RedfieldThis is the other book I live by. It’s fiction—a guy travels to find a secret book that has a series of principles. The story is a metaphor for life: I could go left or right, I could be stuck, or I could keep advancing. Some people are happy where they are. I tried to hire a guy once, and I said, “Don’t you have ambition to be bigger?” And he said, “No, I’m good.” I had to respect that, but for me that was the wrong relationship.
3. The Odyssey
By HomerThis epic poem was kind of difficult for me to get through, but it has a beautiful rhythm. I got lost in reading about Odysseus’ struggle to get home and his longing for someone so strong, as his wife was, waiting for him. That’s like a dream—that kind of strength, love, loyalty.
4. Outliers
By Malcolm GladwellThis book is about the principles of timing and repetition—about preparing yourself for luck, really. He talks about a hockey team, and how the players born in January had a year up on the guys born in December. They were fortunate that their birthday was early, but they also practiced—they put the work in. The book resonated with me because I was born at a time when there was an influx of incredible music into the culture, and I was lucky that my mom and pop were huge record collectors. In my house, I had music by Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Prince, and the Commodores, and I’m listening to it every single day.
5. Purple Cow
By Seth GodinThis is straight marketing advice: Your product has to be a purple cow—it has to be distinct to have any success. You have to be clear on your product: What are you? What are you putting out there? For years I never did an ad for [my company] Rocawear, because I cared more about the quality than the face in front. I hadn’t read this book back then, but when someone puts words to feelings you have, it’s like, “Wow, that’s exactly what it is.”
6. Nigger
By Dick GregoryI don’t know who turned me on to this autobiography, but his sense of humor and the hardships he went through stayed with me—especially the scene where he started running home from school. It led to his joining thetrack team, which led to a scholarship to college. Running opened up a whole world for him.
What books influenced U????
[Image via WENN.]
Absolutely Gorgeous!
Beyowulf Crosses The Sea
Copy and paste much? Goodness…
Anytime anyone picks up a book a fairy gets their wings.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is a fantastic book… Want to go and read purple cow now (I'm a business student and it sounds like a good for for me to read.)
Jay Z obviously dont read no fucking Odyssey……..that bitch ass negro just said that shit to impress Oprah.
the kamasutra
he has some nice choices.
lol at the book, is reading rainbow even airing still?
hopefully…lol.
i mean lol at the picture
Pope Joan by Donna Cross. very interesting.
Re: Masenko Candy –
You suck.
Inspiring to see a rapper who's into books. Books are wonderful, it fills you with so much joy + knowledge. Couldn't live without books.
A few favorites:
The book of illusions by Paul Auster
Narcisse and Goldmund by Herman Hesse
The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn
Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
anything by Emile Zola
Re: fercho.a.m.. – LMAO… ya beat me to it !!
Re: Masenko Candy – And you obviously do not read as you cannot write in proper grammar….
Wish we could grab some lunch righ now. ym b
Jay-Z reads? HAHAHAH
~
Gary Zukav's book's "The Seat of the Soul" & "The Heart of the Soul" have been blessings in mine and family's lives.
~
The Ethics of Liberty by Murray N. Rothbard
"Curious George"
the orca book club!!!!!
THE PROPHET by GIBRAN KAHLIL
The Traveler's Gift.
i'm magazine smart, not book smart.
Um.. Am I the only one who seriously doubts that he got all the way through The Odyssey? That book is ridiculously dense.
I find it very hard to believe that he read all of these books. His PR person should have been a bit more realistic before handing him this list of books to say he read. The Odyssey? Come on!
Re: sassyfrassy –
He said he had a hard time reading it, sounds like he knows what he's talking about.
Plus, why would you think that HE can't read the Odyssey? If you doubt him, then why not doubt anybody who said they read it?
Re: Masenko Candy – Ur such a freakin racist how u know hw dont read it just cause he black he cant read the oddessey.. LOSER..
Re: bongo –
~
LOL…so is my husband.
one book changed my life. (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) that book made me start writing. I wish Hunter was still alive.
Everyone Poops by Minna Unchi
The Gas We Pass by Shinta Cho
The Far Side by Gary Larson
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Re: bongo –
I'm Wikipedia smart
I'm loving the Reading Rainbow reference…
Who the hell reads The Odyssey for shits and giggles?? Took me weeks to get through it and only because I had to….. and I would never consider taking another run at it ever again.
Atlas Shrugged and Valley of the Dolls.
Not that I think Perez can actually read.
being a rapper doesnt equate to being stupid, you know perez, you dont have to act so surprised.
lmao the drawing is hilarious. "take a look, its in a book…"
"Many Lives, Many Masters" by Dr. Brian Weiss — changed my life. Also, "Angelspeake" by Trudy Griswold & her late sister, Barbara Mark. You can learn to get writings from your guardian angels, FANTASTIC!
Re: sassyfrassy – ive read the odyssey, its not that long and its in about 20 mini-books
#6 is about me bitches!
I'm actually impressed. Never took note of him, before; didn't like him on Letterman, sortta rude. I did enjoy him on Oprah, though. I do believe he's read those books because of the way he carries himself, the way he speaks, his level of success, etc. Good for you Jay-Z.
i've read dozens and dozens of books back in my childhood and my teenage yrs ( now I read too,but less, b/c of lack oftime)… all kinds, from the french classics and the russians,to danielle steel… one have to read from everything to know what it's all about… but I never could get through the Odyssey… homer takes several pages just to describe a scene sculpted on a shield…
so no one is racist when doesn't believe he read that book…
but…maybe he's really patient… or he has a loooot of sparetime…
fuck jay. lefty wright is the next big thing
myspace.com/thegoodfellas07
Re: Canadiana* – Are you kidding? I love the Odyssey! One of the greatest stories of all time! The Iliad is a bit tougher and less relevant, but the Odyssey rocks!
Another great classic for anybody who enjoyed the Odyssey is Beowulf. Beautiful poem, fabulous adventure!!!
Celestine Prophecy?! That is one book I would never expect Jay Z to read.
Re: KPJ – Nope, not kidding… it was a thing of greatness but very hard to read and 'having' to read it didn't make it any easier…LOL
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (you'll buy all his books after reading it!!)
Jeez pervez, I wonder how $carah Palin would answer. We already know she's a big fan of "Desperate Housewives" on teevee and Murdock has set her up with an evangelical ghost writer for her own book deal, so she's really not into reading. Hey chubs, ask your twin sister what she reads. I suggest "Spell-Check For Dummy's" for starters.
Ooooh, ain'tGotNoTime4NoHaters has read "dozens and dozens of books" Seriously? THAT many? Why shucks, you must be some kind of GENIUS!!!! My word, dozens of books. Ain't that impressive!
Re: Charlotte Perelli – sort of like $carah Palin's response to Katy Couric when asked what newspapers she read! She couldn't name one!
Only dummy think that rappers' don't read, listen to the lyrics and the topics in their songs … that should give you enough proof that to be so lyrical and versatile they have to be knowledgeable about many subject areas … well let me correct myself, the best ones in the game are/were readers Nas, Common, Kanye, JayZ, Tupac, Eminem, Biggie, Ludacris, Snoop, Bone Thugz and Harmony etc etc just to name a view
Re: Charlotte Perelli – what? u want me to make u a list??
I didn't say it to show off, I meant I know from experience it's a tough book to read…
It's not much…I know ppl who read maybe more than a hundred of books… for real… If it's such a big shock to u… how many have u read… like 5 in ur whole life???
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Great read!! It's about why we're destroying our planet, the mentality behind the actions. It literally makes you want to run out and save the world.
sounds like interesting reads….
Re: KPJ –
beyonces nickname is beowulf…
Re: ain'tGotNoTime4NoHaters – Um… she was being sarcastic. Some of us read WAY more than a few dozen or even a few hundred books. Last time I counted, I OWN over 2,000 books and have read many more. I don't know about Jay-J, but there are plenty of people who can and do read books like the Odyssey. I've read it at least twice myself.
Re: Starbella – There's also an epic poem by the same name…
as a kid Chronicles of Narnia and the Hobbit
as a teenager Joy of Sex and The Fountainhead
as an adult 5th Business, A Prayer for Owen Meany
as a parent Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath
Love my mags!
wow you guys are sad; arguing about who can and cannot read a book then comparing the dozens wait thousands of books you own
wow special much?
Re: GalliGirl619 – Twilight? FAIL.
hes such a liar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that dude is just lying to make him and his DUMBASS wife shasha.
they just want to look ”perfect” when they are both ghetto ass fuck.
Re: SWEETPIECE! – as one of BBD's ho's How to sew up a fisted asshole.
Re: KPJ – wow… u counted more than 2000 books u've read??… maybe if u don't have to do anything else in ur life… and I don't think she was sarcastic… I didn't say I couldn't read it… but I didn't have enough patience to get through all of it…
anyways… if u really have read that much…(although I find it hard to believe, unless u're like 50)… kudos
I never really paid any attention to Jay-Z: I'm starting to gain some respect for him and will pay more attention to his work after reading statements like "I believe in karma and doing the right thing even if it may not advance you as far as you want."
The Odyssey~ yes it's a myth but what a book! That man spent 20 years away from his wife. It's not just about his wife but the journey and things
he went through to get back to his life. Awesome. Jay-Z knows what he is talking about.
It has nothing to do with being racist. If Justin Timberlake said he read this list of books I'd call him a liar too.
Re: BetterFasterStronger – Always wanted to say this you rock!
obviously, grammar books didn't inspire YOU Perez, or you would have written your question correctly - "WHICH books inspire you??"
I will never consider jz an intellectual with all the coonery he is part of. payola much loser?
hmm. i'm being to like jay-z even more. he's well-read! outliers is a high school recommended book.
Re: Big Black Dick – Not your ho honey. Wouldn't know. You talk so nasty for a girl!
Choke influenced me. big time.
He reads?
twilight influenced me too qet w. a vampire
You all need to stop with your "I didn't know that he read" squabble. You're just saying that because all you read is Perez Hilton and US Weekly. Jay Z is a pretty intellectual man, he is great with business and he cares about what he produces and the messages that he is trying put put forth in his rap. To quote 99 problems: "I don't know what you take me as, or understand the intelligence that Jay-Z has…"
For those who think he didn't really read them, it definitely sounds by his descriptions that he did, and he does sound like a really intelligent person. I'm not a huge fan of his music, but I do think he is a very good businessman. Reading is a passion that is there or not, and I don't think it has anything to do with the industry in which you work. Some people enjoy the challenge of a heavy read that actually has meaning. About him on Letterman…I saw him, too, and he was acting *different*. I didn't think jerky, but more-so uncomfortable.
Books I loved…
East of Eden (who doesn't??)
Love (Toni Morrison)
The Awakening
Gone With the Wind
The Things They Carried
Speaking of The Odyssey…reading James Joyce's Ulysses right now and loving it.
The Perks of Bein a Wallflower. It really showed the difference between living and getting by. It made me make changes in my life to make me happy and not just okay.
Those are some awesome choices from Jay Z. My choices:
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Night by Elie Wiesel
Native Son by Richard Wright
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
OMG!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO RETARDED!!!!!!
Re: insertsobriquet – nice list:) A Tale of Two Cities is one of my all time favorites. Catcher in the Rye broke my Heart, such sweet tears. White Oleander by Janet Fitch. I was a Spanish Lit major so a lot of that I read, too. Julius Ceasar, how can I forget…MacBeth and the list goes on. The person who has read 2,000 books. How I am jealous but you are inspiring. Another of God's Way to tell me I need to get my butt moving.
The best influences on my life were Cyrano de Bergerac, The Prophet, the Holy Bible, and You Are What You Think. I believe that answers the question….not what are u reading now (be it Danielle Steels, Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters) or what you read in high school. I'm impressed with his reading selections but looks like he could go even deeper. The desire must be there so time will tell. Surprised he has time to read at all! Busy man!
Most successful people do love to read! Great example!
#1 - Hahaha! Your comment, "Copy and paste much?" I'm sure Jay-Z has read all of these books himself.
I think rappers should read Nietzche "Ecce Homo", which is a spoof on an autobiography with chapters reading "Why am I so great?" (which is exactly the way rappers think (or ..Perez)). But I tend to favorize socio-philosophic books, especially french (Baudrillard, Foucault, Barthes, Onfray). I like Fragments Of A Lover's Discourse by Roland Barthes. Poetry, I like A Season In Hell by Rimbaud, which is as far away as the image of the sissy people see when they think of young gay Rimbaud (more bi than gay). In narratives I like greek tragedies because they've done it all. Marcel Proust and Margueite Yourcenar are great, and anyone who developed a narrative universe of their own across many books (Tolkien, Herbert, etc…).
I believe he read the marketing book, same goes for all other rappers as most are marketing machines rather then talent.
My library is over 3,000 books deep, countless E-books and Audio Books. I have never stopped reading since the day I learned to read. It seems to me, that the people who are impressed by rappers are the ones who don't do much reading themselves. I especially like when rappers get all deep about Spirituality and Karma then they rap about dumb ish that promotes negativity. Then they donate money to charity as if that will cancel they negative ish they promote. The way the mainstream has promoted Karma is not as it is written and promoted in the Hindu and Buddhist texts. Here in the west we took the easy way out, simplified and cheapened it.
Parte Dos: Excuse the typos.
The interviews i have read of these so called intellectuals such as Nas, Jay, Rakim, Canibus and Mos Def to name a few, have been a big disappointment. When preaching to teenagers i can see how they can come across as intellectuals but man learning is a lifelong endeavor. They are nowhere near the the level of a Quantum Physicist or Great Philosopher as they try to make themselves out to be. How about that Hadron Collider?:-)
These are classics and must reads to wet your apetite.
Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist
Don Miguel Ruiz: The Four Agreements
Hermann Hesse: Siddhartha
Eckhart Tolle: Power Of Now
This makes me want to go to the website I go to to steal ebooks.
Rediculous / waste of space.
Yeah right like he's read these books… hahahah … obviously had a lot of time on his hands waiting for his customers while he was Dealing…
[re=4351957]Re: Masenko Candy[/re Neither have you . You would know better than to use double negatives if you had
I believe he read those books and many more. If you actually read a lagit bio on him you'd know it's true. He's always been smart. Unfortunatly he made some bad choices in his youth, but he has redeemed himself. Do you really think that he'd STILL be as rich as he is now if he were a dummy & have the backing he has from all those execs?
Another thing- some people believe that he married someone beneath him because of his intellect , & his wife's stupidity. I've talked to folks who honestly believe she's too dumb for him & he she should have married a smarter woman. Don't shoot me- it's what others have said. Ps-but sometimes his wife really does need to just shut up
who knew jay-z was such a reader. and a deep one at that! love it! he's being a good role model to show kids to start reading! but it's not shocking as he's the most sophisticated rapper out there. and it figures bcz readers are leaders.
perez the pic you chose with the caption is very funny. it's like jay-z is literally saying it to the audience.lol.
also i'm going to check out some of those books jay listed. sounds interesting.
Re: cattsa – my God you are stupid.
Re: imsotrashy – sounds like you're the ghetto one. not them. jealous dumbass.
I LAUGH AT THE IDIOTS SAYING "OH HE DOESN'T READ BOOKS". U THINK OPRAH WOULD APPROACH HIM IF SHE KNEW HE DIDN'T READ? IT'S OBVIOUS THE ONES WHO SAY THAT ABOUT HIM DON'T READ!
It ain't THAT much of a stretch to think that a person that traffics in words and phrases would have taken the time to read books that contain those things. What, do you think you just up and KNOW how to write in iambic pentameter? PEACE.
Re: dirty_couture – Also check out the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand in addition to Atlas. The former is the novel that most influenced me, but they are both life changing. Also the books, A Course in Miracles, The Art of Seduction, and Think and Grow Rich. Knowledge is Power Kids!!
I respect the way he advanced in the 'rap game'. But his success is based on 'street knowlege' as a hustler growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant. I am also from Brooklyn, but unlike Jay-Z, I obtained a four year degree. I have read many literary works, even 75% of the books he has 'claimed' to have read. I can tell you, many of those books probably have very little to do with his success. But if you can get a gullible media to eat it up…more power to you Jay-Z. I guess being a good bullsh*tter is a great way to ensure success in this country! I felt that he tried way too hard in this interview. But if listening to Jay-Z is more likely to get young children to read, and spend less time on the streets…then I wouldn't technically consider his actions a BAD thing!
Re: Vexation –
I am also a huge fan of Nietzche. My favorite was the MADMAN. It was pure genuis! My other favorite books:
Communism in Harlem During the Great Depression by Mark Naison
The Prophet by Khalil Gibrain
When Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Ode to a Knighingdale by John Keats
MacBeth by William Shakespeare
Morals of a Prince by Niccholo Machiavelli
The Art of War and the biography of Queen Nzingha are also excellent reads!
omg he is so right about the odyssey (and the illiad)