Jay-Z Decoded: SoulCulture Finds First Page x Meets Jay-Z (Video)


We were visiting New York last month covering the CMJ Festival when on Monday 18th October our very own Creative Director Eddie “Versetti” Smith randomly took himself on an Easter-egg hunt of sorts around Manhattan to find pages of Jay-Z‘s new book, Decoded.

Co-written by respected journalist [and former Source editor] Dream Hampton, Jay-Z’s hardcover, illustrated book is set for release in the UK on November 18th, mixing first-person memoir with ‘detailed discussions of his most famous and provocative lyrics’.

Following lyric-based clues and virtual map navigation on bing.decodejay-z.com, launched that day to promote the book, Versetti found the first two pages of the book ‘hidden’ in full public view at locations around New York; specifically, in a Chelsea art gallery and on the side of a building at Lafayette and Bleecker St [freaking out their tech team in the process; they didn’t anticipate nerdy tag-teams…].


The couple of hours spent locating Jigga’s book pages in New York turned from geeky, indulgent time-wasting on a Monday afternoon to a pair of flights to Miami on Wednesday morning, to attend the Decoded media launch at the Delano hotel, meet the iconic emcee in-person – and to leave with the all-important “childrens education fund” securing signed-copy of the first pages. With a unexpected speech.

After a chat with Jay-Z about the book’s co-author, Dream Hampton, music, business and the weather I followed them both, cam-in hand, as a speech ensued… […not really the weather]

It turns out, Jay-Z doesn’t like giving speeches. At all.

(“I’m just uncomfortable speaking,” he told the Wall Street Journal in a recent interview. “I can do a stadium show for two hours and I’m in my comfort zone. But if you look at any of my acceptance speeches they’re maybe seven seconds. I want to get off the stage.”)

Good times!

I’m no photographer, so check out Seth Browarnik of WorldRedEye‘s set of shots from the night; like the ones below…

Decoded is released on November 16 in the US via Spiegel & Grau / November 18 in the UK via Virgin Books.

PRE-ORDER: Amazon UK / Amazon US

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5 responses

  1. Well let me be the first to say that was definitely cool!!(I will refrain from using profanity) Props to Eddie and Soulculture.

  2. […] Sidebar: SoulCulture Finds First Pages Of Decoded […]

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  5. […] City for eager fans to find and the moment the competition broke out, one fan who happens to be SoulCulture’s Creative Director Eddie “Versetti” Smith cracked the first clue and found the first two […]

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