THE REVENGE OF THE NERDS & HOV
According to Merriam Webster, a nerd is either “a person devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits” or “a socially awkward and unstylish person.” Growing up,
it was the second definition that stuck. Being a nerd meant being boxed in un cool by default. Then you get older and realize the truth: everyone cool is a nerd. The real
difference is what they choose to nerd out about.
Which brings me to Shawn Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z. Most people chalk up his obsession with having the right Range Rover, diamond cuts, or white on white Air Force 1s to
taste or to the braggadocio that comes with being a rapper. But that’s surface level thinking. Look deeper and you see a man nerding out on precision, on craft, on detail.
He’s a connoisseur of the small things that make the big picture iconic.
If that sounds like I’m reading too much into it, let’s look at Kingdom Come arguably his most misunderstood album. After “retiring” with The Black Album in November 2003,
Hov returned three years later, on November 21, 2006, with Kingdom Come, an album built on the idea of return, legacy, and leadership in a scene that had lost its compass.
What most people miss is that the title isn’t random. Kingdom Come borrows its name from the 1996 DC Comics series written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross a story
where aging heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are forced out of retirement to restore order after a new generation of reckless young heroes nearly destroys everything.
Sound familiar? Jay saw himself in that mythology the elder statesman, pulled back into the game to restore balance and protect the culture he helped build.
That’s why the title track still hits two decades later. He’s not just rapping he’s role-playing. He’s blurring the line between Hov the rapper and Hov the reluctant superhero
in a genre that always needs saving.