Judging by the lyrics to some of his music? Absolutely. Professor Michael Eric Dyson has made the hip-hop media mogul’s life and message the axis of his groundbreaking sociology class at Georgetown University, and manages to cull from Jay-Z’s pen stunning insights about father absence and its impact on a generation.
It’s safe to surmise that many rappers are prejects, so the genre is thick with references to the raw feelings, emotions, and perspectives of people trying to break through the inner ceiling of parental rejection and rise to their place in this world.
