I like a particular style of hip-hop song that I call Jet Set Hip-Hop. Its kinda hard to explain because I'm not musically educated enough to discuss chord structure and such things with any kind of eloquence or deeper understanding, but I know it when I hear it.
It usually has a soulful sound thats simultaneously symphonic and somehow evokes a whirlwind, world-weary, glamorous pace. The lyrics often match this vibe, further evoking a since of endless gallivanting...like some kind of montage of 60s Fellini style dolce vita. Sometimes its very louche... reminiscent of yachting in the Aegean or sunbathing on Skorpios (Onassis' private island). Other times, its very heady and rapacious...like running from one's Avenue Foch penthouse in Paris to myriad couture maisons for fittings all day then jetting down to Monaco to gamble, drink, and dance til the wee hours.
This song is a classic example of such songs. Both lyrically and instrumentally, it possesses everything outlined above. This was one of my favorite tracks of the Blueprint 2 Album and I played it over and over in the car...driving around Atlanta in my college days...dreaming about the future, when as a successful fashion designer, such harmless excess would be my domain. Or driving home to Nashville, up and down Mt. Eagle as though it were the Grand Corniche and I Grace Kelly in the movie "To Catch a Thief". Good times!
I also was surprised to find that the inspiration/sample for this song was an old Edwin Hawkins gospel song called Children Get Together. This was the kind of music I was brought up on, so this only makes me like the Jay-Z reincarnation that much more.
A funny note though...As I listen more to this song and others I consider in this same milieu, I realize that many of them have some quality that reminds me of the score and incidental music for the show Dynasty. Which may be what the attraction is...
Instrumental version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pN2oXa3WEc
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