The scenes he recounts along the way are fascinating.' - Entertainment Weekly 'Hip-hop's renaissance man drops a classic. Karate, Kobudo & Te, Self-defence Decoded (book Two): Knives to Swords & Halberd. So thoroughly engrossing, it reads like a good piece of cultural journalism.' - The Boston Globe 'Shawn Carter's most honest airing of the experiences he drew on to create the mythic figure of Jay-Z. See more Decoded by Jay-Z (2010, Hardcover) Share Add to Watchlist. Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of. an impressive leap by a man who has never been known for small steps.' - Los Angeles Times 'A riveting exploration of Jay-Z's journey. Paperback 30.00 Join Reader Rewards About Decoded. Part autobiography, part lavishly illustrated commentary on the author's own work, Decoded gives the reader a harrowing portrait of the rough worlds Jay-Z navigated in his youth, while at the same time deconstructing his lyrics.' -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times 'One of a handful of books that just about any hip hop fan should own.' - The New Yorker 'Elegantly designed, incisively written.

Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time. Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time.

Jay z decoded hardcover