Music and Theology from Jay-Z

One of the most fascinating books I read this year was "Decoded," the autobiography from Jay-Z. It was a fascinating and detailed read that offered a lot of information about Jay, his music, his politics, and his thoughts on life.

Though many don't appreciate his musical style, it's undeniable that Jay-Z is one of the most successful musical artists of all time. Only the Beatles have more No. 1 albums, which Jay-Z himself notes in the song "Reminder." He is good at what he does.

What I was more fascinated by, in reading "Decoded," was learning more about Jay-Z. He sees his music as an outlet, as a means of expressing his worldview, and as poetry. Reading his description of what rap should be gave me a greater appreciation for his artistry and for the genre itself. Reading about his life story was fascinating, and reading his thoughts on the world, politics, and the music business were also fascinating.

One of the best parts of the book is that Jay-Z included lyrics to many songs with footnotes explaining why he chose the words and ordered them as he did. It was a fascinating insight into the artistic process — which was one of the reasons I loved the documentary "This Is It" featuring the late Michael Jackson. It helps you see how creative people think.

One of the other fascinating things in the book was reading Jay-Z's take on God and religion. Some have said he's anti-religion or anti-God, which I don't think is the case. Nor do I think he's a Christian. Reading his book, I would say he's possibly a deist, but most likely an agnostic.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't know quite a bit about Christianity, something he frequently references in his music. Part of that is the larger-than-life rap persona he's created for himself. In his book, Jay-Z references the need to create an exaggerated persona in the rap world. Jay calls himself Hova or the great HOV. These are slang for Jehovah. He's essentially made himself a rap god.

Which is where I get a little uncomfortable with some of the references in his songs, which are nothing short of blasphemous. He's clever. He knows about Christianity. He uses those references in songs. But sometimes they cross the line. Here's an example from his verse in the song "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" by Kanye West.

How could you falter when you're the rock of Gibraltar

I had to get of the boat so I could walk on water

This ain't no tall order, this is nothin to me

Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week

I do this in my sleep,

Again, clever with the imagery, but it's impossible to miss the part where he referenced himself as Jesus or God in three different ways. I still enjoy Jay-Z as an artist and think he's incredibly clever, but in terms of his songs, you have to take what he says with a grain of salt. Especially when it comes to references to God.