If you haven't heard the news, Jay-Z was recently interviewed by Oprah. While I didn't watch the whole interview, one thing that struck me was his take on life and in particular the books that had influenced him.
Love him or hate him, Jay-Z is a genius. He hasn't forgotten his roots, is an entrepreneurial whiz, is a champion giver to charities, and let's not forget his incredible ability to make money (his net worth is estimated to be at $150 million).
And if you give his list of books a look, you'll realize this millionaire rapper is a lot deeper than he appears.
If you're wondering, here is his list of books. Doubtless there are more that have influenced him but these are the top 6:
The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
Homer's The Odyssey
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Nigger by Dick Gregory
Pretty impressive in terms of personal growth.
Of The Seat of the Soul, Jay-Z had this to say, "There 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."
And what really struck me was what he had to say about The Celestine Prophecy. "This 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."
If you're looking for a good book to read, this is definitely a great list to start off with.
For more on these 6 books and the famed interview between Oprah and Jay-Z, check out these two links for more info:
Books That Made A Difference To Jay-Z >>
Jay-Z Opens Up To Oprah in October Issue of “O', The Oprah Magazine >>
Personally, I think Jay-Z is a great role model and is someone I look up to, but as always I'd love to hear your take on him so feel free to drop a comment below.
Do I love Jay-Z? Yes. Hov has got it going on.
"Yeah, that's me under the lamppost
Why I got my hand closed?
Cause I got crack in my palm
Avoiding the long-arm of the law
Yeah, I seen it all before
I've seen hoop dreams deflate
like a true fiends weight"
...
A true "geto" poet/ entreprenuer
very inspirational
just reading what you have sent me has help me relize that i do use my intuition example
i was in shower washing my hair i pictured my husband
comming up stairs sneaking in the bath room
and staring at me so when i open my eyes he would scare me
so i open my eyes look in the bathroom he is not there
get back to washing my hair no sooner did i get soap in my eyes my husband was there staring at me when i open them
exactly as i pictured it in my mind moments before
Yeah,
Jay Z is quite the genius. Testing out at a 12th grade level...in the 6th grade? I'm not surprised at all that he's an avid reader. I enjoyed this interview and it appears that Oprah has taken a liking to Jay.
I love the fact the Jay is all about progressive growth. There is no middle ground. You're either getting better or worse.
[...] 6 Books That Made A Difference To Jay-Z: A Rapper’s Take On Life And Spirituality | FinerMinds. [...]
I too have read both of these books. The Seat of the Soul is one of my favorites. It is very enlightening. I was surprised that he had read books such as these. I had him pegged more as a "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" sort of person, or more so to read someone like Donald Trumps memoirs.
What I was most surprised to see from Jay Z was his sense of humor. I have found in my experience that a man or woman who can laugh readily and easily at life and at themselves is a person comfortable in their own skin. I believe that is what sealed the deal with Beyonce.
Look at this guy's lyrics. Not pretty, and contra to societies rules. He's made his $millions by degrading women and the laws of the universe. Where's his Karma now?
BOOKS ARE GOOD BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE IN YOUR SELF . HOW YOU GO ABOUT PEOLPE THATS GOOD ARE BAD IT COME BACK TO YOU. THATS KARMA!!!!!!!!!!